Cedric Maxwell and Larry Bird, who won two NBA championships together with the Boston Celtics in the early 1980s, recently reunited with teammates Kevin McHale and Robert Parish in Boston in April 2024. Maxwell, who was traded in a deal for veteran center Bill Walton before the 1985-86 season, admitted on his podcast that he appreciates Bird even more after their latest encounter.
Maxwell played two seasons with the Celtics before Bird’s arrival. In his second NBA season, the year before Bird joined the team, Maxwell led the NBA in field goal percentage (58.4%) for the first of two consecutive years. He also averaged 19.0 points and 9.9 rebounds. Maxwell was named Finals MVP in 1981 and dominated Game 7 of the 1984 NBA Finals against the rival Los Angeles Lakers.
In February 1985, Maxwell experienced soreness in his knee and discovered he had torn cartilage, requiring surgery. According to Maxwell’s book “If These Walls Could Talk,” he was expected to miss four weeks but was sidelined for much longer. “Once I got hurt, everything changed, especially my relationship with the team and my teammates,” Maxwell wrote. “Bird and some of my teammates felt like I didn’t want to come back. That really hurt me. Here’s a guy I grew up with and won championships with. So, yeah, that stung. That was probably my lowest moment — just being hurt and people not understanding I was hurt.”
Despite the hurt, Maxwell held a deep admiration for Bird, who won three straight MVP awards from 1984 to 1986. When Maxwell reunited with Bird in April 2024 at the opening of a Dick’s Sporting Goods Store in Boston, an event that drew thousands of fans, he said his appreciation for Bird reached another level. “It was great being back in company with those guys,” Maxwell said on “The Cedric Maxwell Podcast.” “I think we have not been together since 1984. It was packed. I’ve been in this kind of setting before, but it makes me appreciate Larry Bird for who he is that much more. With every step he took, a camera popping in his face. People screaming ‘LA-RRY, LA-RRY.’ It was just kind of crazy to see.”
Maxwell, now Boston’s radio color commentator, had plenty of animosity when he left the Celtics before the 1985-86 season. In his book, he wrote that he didn’t know if he ever wanted to return to Boston. However, that changed after attending Larry Bird Night in February 1993, an event he reluctantly attended. “Whether to come was a tough decision,” Maxwell wrote. “I’d almost promised myself that I’d never see Boston again. The woman I was dating, Maurice Stark, convinced me that maybe it was time to go back. Finally, I decided to return. To be honest, I was kind of dreading it, but I wanted to honor Bird. He was a great teammate. He deserved to have this night.”
Maxwell continued, “Coming back for that night changed my life. It was like all the hard feelings went away, at least temporarily. Even with the titles, the Finals MVP, this might have been the best moment of my career.”
After meeting up with Bird, McHale, and Parish in April, Maxwell hopes there will be more opportunities to reconnect. “The event was great,” Maxwell said. “I had a chance to talk to Robert and Kevin. I think we’re going to have them together on the podcast. Mr. Bird, if you’d like to join us on this podcast, you’d be more than welcome.”
The reunion underscored the bond the former Celtics teammates share despite past conflicts. Maxwell’s newfound appreciation for Bird, forged through their shared experiences and mutual respect, highlights the enduring legacy of their time together on the court.
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