Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird only appeared in six games during the 1988-1989 season due to back and Achilles injuries. One year removed from averaging 29.9 points per game, the then 34-year-old had begun to break down. However, Bird found something else to dominate in his frustrating absence from the basketball court — his refrigerator.
Hall of Fame sportswriter Jack McCallum’s book “Unfinished Business,” a chronicle of the 1990-1991 Celtics, recently became available as an e-book. On Monday, Deadspin highlighted a legendary Bird quote from the book where he talked about his eating habits while he was recovering from injury.
‘I think I wanna be active,’ said Bird. ‘What I might do, though, is git in shape, git outta shape, then git in shape again. I won’t do it like I used to, though. It’s gittin’ tougher. Three years ago I could lose fifteen pounds like nuthin’. Now? I don’t know if I could.’ He had put on a few pounds when he was out of action, but he wasn’t sure how many. ‘I was so bored, I’d set around the house, drive my wife crazy, and eat and eat. In two and a half weeks I was off I ate ten gallons of ice cream and seven weddin’ cakes. Why them? I ate weddin’ cakes ’cause you knew they was gonna be good. I mean, who would [eff] up a weddin’ cake?'”
Only the most seasoned of foodies could have that type of an opinion about cake. Not only that, but only an NBA star could afford to get his hands on seven wedding cakes. Does that mean he bought custom wedding cakes just did eat? Did he have someone go around to various function halls and purchase the leftover cake?
The rest of the cake from my wedding (November 2012) is still sitting in the freezer. I’m getting sick of looking at it, and it’s taking up space. Needless to say, I can’t imagine eating seven of them in under three weeks. Bird had to have been joking, right?
H/T Ball Don’t Lie
