Larry Bird was one of the most dominant players in NBA history, but off-the-court issues have overshadowed his legacy. One example is that he had a falling out with Kevin McHale over playing time and how much control Bird should have on their team’s decisions. However, it turns out that before Larry signed onto the Celtics as an assistant coach for three seasons (1989-1992), he worked as a federal prison guard at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary alongside teammate Robert Parish…
Larry Bird’s “Best Teammate” was a guard for the Boston Celtics before he became Larry Bird’s on-court bodyguard. He was a federal prison guard, and his work as a guard prepared him to be a great teammate.
When Larry Bird’s career took off, The Hick from French Lick was more than capable of holding his own in any on-court brawls, whether physical or verbal. Larry, on the other hand, was hesitant and frightened when he first joined the Boston Celtics as a rookie, having come from a tiny Indiana town and a small Indiana college. But he had a teammate who always had his back – one who, after his time as a federal prison guard, was tough enough to handle anything, and who The Legend dubbed his “greatest teammate.”
ML Carr subsequently became a (failed) coach in Boston in the mid-1990s. Carr, on the other hand, served as Bird’s personal on-court enforcer in the early years of his career.
ML Carr wasn’t a superstar, but he was an important part of Boston’s history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=083g DGYtiQ
Carr spent ten seasons in the NBA, averaging 10.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. More than anything else, he was recognized for his tenacity, effort, and defense. He was named to the All-Defensive Team in 1978-79 and earned the steals championship that season.
The year before Red Auerbach brought him to Boston, he had his greatest statistical season as a member of the Detroit Pistons.
That transaction also brought Kevin McHale and Robert Parish to the Celtics in a roundabout manner.
Bird and Carr were vital members of a Boston squad that improved from 29-53 in 1978-79 to 61-21 in 1979-80 and a trip in the Eastern Conference Finals, Larry’s first season.
The Celtics won the 1981 NBA Championship after Auerbach selected McHale and added Parish the following season.
With Bird, McHale, and Parish, Carr won two championships.
During Larry’s first few years in Boston, though, he performed another crucial function.
During Larry Bird’s early Celtics career, Carr was his bodyguard.
ML Carr and Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics have a joke on the bench. | Getty Images/Frank O’Brien/The Boston Globe
Carr served as a federal prison guard before joining the Boston Celtics and winning two championships, according to Dan Shaughnessy’s book Wish It Lasted Forever: Life With The Larry Bird Celtics (h/t WBUR).
Carr was the rookie’s first line of defense on the court until Bird came into his own as a pro, Shaughnessy wrote:
When Bird was a rookie in the NBA, Carr was the player who provided him with protection. M.L. had to deal with anybody who tried to get nasty with Bird. Carr, who was a federal prison guard before joining the Celtics, likes to remark, “You can’t rattle me.” I was in the mansion. I informed Maurice Lucas and the rest of the ‘enforcers’ they had to go through me first. Those men and those teeny-tiny NBA venues were nothing compared to what I’d previously faced.”
“M.L. was my greatest teammate,” Medicare-eligible Bird says in a somber moment of contemplation. He was always there for me.”
Dan Shaughnessy’s book Wish It Lasted Forever: Life With The Larry Bird Celtics details ML Carr’s involvement in safeguarding Larry Bird.
Larry eventually had the ability to handle any situation. There are plenty of legendary (no pun intended) anecdotes to back this up. ML, on the other hand, had Bird’s back first.
Carr was a key figure in Bird’s Boston dynasty.
Lunchbox played in the NBA for a decade. In the 1980s, he was a part of the Celtics’ first two championship teams, in 1981 and 1984.
In 1985, he departed Boston one season before the trio won their third championship.
Bird was the Rookie of the Year, earned an All-Star Game MVP, a Finals MVP, and two NBA MVPs during Carr’s time with the Celtics, in addition to his two championships.
Carr served as his small forward, protector, and “best teammate” during one of the most amazing basketball careers in history.
Basketball Reference provided all statistics.
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Larry Bird’s “Best Teammate” Worked as a Federal Prison Guard Before Becoming The Legend’s Own On-Court Bodyguard When He Joined the Boston Celtics. Larry Bird is widely considered to be one of the best players in NBA history. Reference: larry bird teammates boston.
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