With the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals against the Thunder, it’s put a spotlight on the basketball-crazed state. Plus, Caitlin Clark has been part of the storylines as the Fever and WNBA superstar has been at plenty of Pacers playoff games over the past few weeks.
So, enter another Indiana (and Celtics) legend into the fold: Larry Bird. In diving into the friendship between Clark and Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton in an ESPN story by Ramona Shelburne, Bird ended up being a fun footnote. The C’s legend did whatever he could to beat an old rival during the 2009 WNBA playoffs.
Shelburne dug up an old story where the Fever played the Detroit Shock in the 2009 WNBA East Finals. Bird was the Pacers’ president of basketball operations at the time. While he supported the Fever, there was another layer to the series: the Shock were coached by former Pistons big man Rick Mahorn. But, notably, before Mahorn was the interim coach for that year, Detroit was actually coached by Bill Laimbeer, who resigned three games into the season. And, well, Bird and Laimbeer’s longtime hatred is well-documented from decades ago.
Former Fever president Kelly Krauskopf told Shelburne that Bird would say to her, “I’m always here if you need anything.” Bird stuck to his word when Krauskopf asked for his help before Game 3 of the East Finals against the Shock. Bird called Pacers CEO Rick Fuson because he “wanted to buy up all the empty seats in the upper bowl and then give them away the next morning.” Plus, Krauskopf asked Bird for a pregame speech.
“He gave quite the inspirational speech that morning,” Krauskopf told ESPN. “It’s not suitable to repeat, but it was personal. And they felt it.”
Still, while Laimbeer was no longer the Shock coach by the 2009 WNBA playoffs, he had plenty of influence on the organization at the time. He won three WNBA titles in 2003, 2006 and 2008. Plus, the Shock eliminated the Fever in the 2008 WNBA playoffs, so Bird likely didn’t want a repeat in 2009.
Bird and Laimbeer’s longtime rivalry is well-documented from the 1980s. The Celtics and Pistons met in the East playoffs frequently. While Boston had the edge early on, the “Bad Boy” Pistons got the better of them at the end of the decade. Those series included altercations between Bird and Laimbeer, so, it’s no surprise that Bird was perhaps a bit fired up to beat the Shock back in 2009.