INDIANAPOLIS – The most intriguing aspect of the 73rd All Star Game for Celtics faithful occurred shortly before tipoff, when Celtics legend and superstar past met Celtics superstar present.
Jayson Tatum was born six years after Larry Bird retired, but he’s done enough research, watched enough YouTube tape and vintage NBA Finals video to be giddy when he met one of the all-time greats.
The two met Sunday in front of the Eastern Conference bench at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, shared some words and took a photo, Tatum unable to contain his excitement.
Bird, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, and Julius Erving addressed the Eastern Conference team prior to the game, and Tatum attempted to meet the Hall of Famer then, but Bird had left the locker room. Celtics PR maven Taylor Kielpinski-Rogers saw Bird standing near the East bench and alerted Tatum.
“I never met Larry Bird; I had never been in the same room as him,” Tatum said. “As crazy as that sounds, it’s never worked out. Taylor saw him and grabbed me and I got a chance to go meet him, tell him how much of an honor it was to meet him.
He told me he was looking forward to meeting me, and that was crazy to hear him say that.”
Bird keeps a low profile but made a few appearances this weekend in Indianapolis, where he served as coach and then general manager before resigning in 2017.
Bird was presented with the Legend of the Year award Sunday morning by the NBA Retired Players Association and even conducted a rare interview with NBA Radio.
He also appeared midcourt during the All-Star Game with Indianapolis native and NBA legend Oscar Robertson and Pacers great Reggie Miller. Bird was integral in bringing the All-Star Game to Indianapolis.
“He’s a lot taller than I thought he was,” Tatum said. “Obviously, what he means to the game, what he means to the city of Boston and the Celtics. He’s the ultimate Celtic, so it was an honor to meet him.”
Tatum and Bird shared a few words, and Tatum pointed to a photographer and asked for a photo. Tatum has met NBA superstars since his AAU days, posting photos over the years with LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant when he was a skinny teenager. He resembled that same star-struck teenager again meeting Bird.
It was just super quick,” Tatum said of the meeting. “I just thought it was an honor to meet him and he told me he was looking forward to finally get to meet me. We didn’t get to talk in detail.”
Jaylen Brown got a chance to shake Bird’s hand in the locker room.
“He came in and said some words to us as a group,” Brown said. “He kind of like said hello to everybody.
We didn’t get a chance to really communicate or talk. But it was great. That was my first time ever seeing him up close and personal. I haven’t seen him around Boston or anything. It was pretty cool to see him around.”