In an episode of “Oddball” with Amin Elhassan and Charlotte Wilder, Phoenix Suns play-by-play announcer and former 6th Man of the Year, Eddie Johnson, shared his experiences of trash-talking with Larry Bird.
Johnson and Bird’s careers overlapped for 11 seasons, from 1981 to 1992.
Johnson highlighted a particular incident while he was playing for the Kansas City Kings. He confessed that during a moment when he was driving to the basket with Bird defending him, his primary aim was to “inflict some pain” rather than just score.
After the play resulted in a basket and Johnson found himself at the free-throw line, he recalled Bird remarking, “All you can do is score.