In 1979, the captain of the Boston Celtics went on live TV and admitted he had no idea who Larry Bird was.
Three RARE tapes, all recorded before Bird ever played an NBA minute:
Dave Cowens admitting he’d never seen him play, the press conference that made Bird the richest rookie in sports history, and Tommy Heinsohn calling exactly what was
coming. Red Auerbach had drafted him a full year earlier — and if Bob Woolf walked away, Bird goes back in the pool and the Lakers pick first.
CLNS Founder and NBA Historian, Nick Gelso breaks down the stakes, the negotiation, and the year Boston waited.
CHAPTERS
0:00 Boston, Spring 1979
0:28 The Three Tapes
1:10 Why the Celtics Had to Wait a Year
2:06 Dave Cowens: The Captain in the Dark
4:10 TAPE 1 — Cowens on Bird (+ a Wilt Chamberlain detour)
6:25 PrizePicks
7:30 The Richest Rookie Contract in Sports History
9:08 TAPE 2 — The Signing
11:12 Tommy Heinsohn, Unfiltered
13:32 TAPE 3 — “The Fans Will Fall In Love With This Guy”
15:48 What Happened Next
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