Shawn Kemp recalls 1st exposure to Larry Bird's ruthless trash talk

Former Seattle SuperSonics star Shawn Kemp didn't have to wait long into his NBA career to experience Larry Bird's legendary trash talk.

On the latest episode of The Players' Tribune's "Knuckleheads" podcast with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles, Kemp recalled the Boston Celtics great trash-talking him during his rookie season in 1989.

"We were playing the Boston Celtics, so the great Larry Bird. I'm from Indiana, Larry's from Indiana," Kemp said. "I knew about the history of Larry, but I didn't realize how he really got down."

Kemp continued: "He gave me 50 (points) in three quarters. And he talked to me the whole entire game. ... He asked me at the jump ball, he said, 'You're the one that broke all my records in high school right?' And I was like, 'Yeah, that's me.' And he goes, 'And you're the one that used to dunk on my brother too right, Andy?' And I said, 'Yeah, that's me.' He said, 'I've got something for you tonight.'"

Bird actually dropped 40 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists against Kemp and the SuperSonics on Dec. 13, 1989, which is still impressive.