Larry Bird is widely regarded as the best basketball player in NBA history. Greg Kite, on the other hand, has been passed over for just about every conceivable accolade. However, that hasn’t stopped him from becoming one of Boston’s most popular sports celebrities to this day.
The “when did larry bird retire” is a question that has been asked for quite some time. Greg Kite, former Boston Celtics teammate of Larry Bird, has debunked the myth about when Larry retired.
Greg Kite was a five-year member of Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics team. He saw firsthand No. 33’s prowess and how he prepared for each game to maximize his potential.
Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA players of all time. He’s won three NBA titles and three MVP awards in a row. He also has a reputation that has followed him throughout his career. Kite soon debunked it, claiming that it was just not true.
Greg Kite played in the NBA for 12 years.
On June 8, 1984, when the Boston Celtics take on the Los Angeles Lakers at Boston Garden, Larry Bird, left, and Greg Kite, right, struggle to keep their cool as Dennis Johnson fans himself. | Getty Images/John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe)
In the first round of the 1983 NBA Draft, the Celtics picked 6-foot-11 Kite. Kite had virtually little action in Boston, despite being on a team with a plethora of Hall of Fame frontcourt players. Kite averaged eight minutes per game in five seasons with the Celtics, with Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish on the roster and at the peak of their careers.
That isn’t to say he didn’t make an impact in Boston.
During Game 3 of the 1987 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, Kite made history. Due to injuries, he was forced into action and played 22 minutes with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
“(Bill) Walton was hurt, and I got minutes,” Kite said last week to Sportscasting. “I utilized my strength to knock (Abdul-Jabbar) out.” For his skyhook, Kareem went to his left shoulder. I attempted to persuade him to fire it farther away than normal. Kareem, Kareem, Kareem, Kareem, Kareem, Kare He’ll be rewarded for his efforts. I just wanted to exhaust him so that he would work harder for them. He was in his late thirties at the time.”
Despite the fact that Kite did not score, he grabbed nine rebounds, outrebounding the Lakers’ star in 16 minutes less time on the court. The Celtics won the game 109-103, but the series was lost.
Kite went on to play for six different clubs over the next seven seasons. With the Celtics, he won two titles.
Larry Bird is debunked by Greg Kite.
Larry Legend shows off his athletic talents on this day in 1981 when he snags his own rebound and follows it up with a vicious lefty lay-up. #Celtics pic.twitter.com/9vLUFMWVrd
May 6, 2020 — NBA Philippines (@NBA Philippines)
Bird had a 13-year NBA career and made the most of it. He’s a 12-time NBA All-Star who has averaged 24.3 points and 10.0 rebounds during his career. In 1998, he was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Bird was a dominant player despite his lack of athletic ability. That phrase, “not much athletic talent,” is when Kite comes in and clears the air about his former colleague.
“To suggest he wasn’t athletic is simply ridiculous, and you hear it all the time,” Kite said of Bird. “In the NBA, everyone is athletic. He wasn’t as quick as some of the other players, but he was a decent, reliable athlete. He was swift and quick enough, but everyone in the NBA is athletic.”
Bird was also one of the most talented players ever to put on a uniform, according to Kite, but there was more to it than that.
Kite stated, “Not only was he talented, but he was psychologically strong.” “He didn’t mind failing.”
Bird, according to Kite, was also a wonderful teammate.
Were the Celtics of 1986 the best team of all time?
Take a seat and watch the whole 1986 docu-series, which is now accessible on YouTube.
April 3, 2020 — Boston Celtics (@celtics)
For five years in the NBA, Kite and Bird were teammates. Bird would sometimes hit Kite with a jab. He might be abrasive at times.
According to The Los Angeles Times, Bird observed following Kite’s tremendous game against the Lakers, “Greg doesn’t have a lot of skill.”
Kite told Sportscasting, “We got along nicely.” “Away from the court, we didn’t do anything together.” He was a fantastic colleague and a nice man. I have a great deal of admiration for him.
“He was a person who didn’t want to be the center of attention, yet he flourished in it.”
In 1984 and 1986, Kite and Bird were members of championship teams. Bird once said that he would pit his 1986 squad against anybody.
Kite concurred.
Bill Walton was a wonderful addition, according to Kite. “Off the bench, Jerry Sichting was a superb shooter. I’d bet on that squad to beat anything. Other teams could certainly give us a run for our money, but I’d pick us.”
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