Bird lost two close friends to win his third NBA title in 1986.
After the Boston Celtics fell short in defending their title during the 1984-85 season, the team initiated a series of changes, including the trade of Quinn Buckner to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Jerry Sichting.
Larry Bird, acknowledging a close friendship with the four-time All-Defensive Team selectee, not only admitted to having strong ties with him but also highlighted how he learned more from the 6’3″ guard than he did in his entire school life.
He (Buckner) said to me, ‘I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen, but don’t worry about me. We’ve always had a good time, and we’ll always be good friends,'” Bird revealed in his autobiography – Drive: The Story of My Life. “I knew I was going to miss him.”
With a career trajectory impacted by an injury scare and stagnating with the LA Clippers, Bill Walton saw a chance for a fresh start when the Celtics decided to acquire him. However, on the flip side, this trade saw Cedric Maxwell having to part ways with the team, who, from Bird’s perspective, was dissatisfied in his last year with the franchise.
As much as I realized how unhappy Max had been the year before, and as much as I realized the truth was that he just didn’t want to play with the Celtics anymore, the thought of not having Max around was tough to take. When Max was on, he was a pleasure to play with,” Bird added. “I knew we were going to miss him.”
Though the two-time Finals MVP faced the challenge of two of his friends being traded, the franchise did everything in its power to bolster the team’s chances of winning their third title in 6 years.