Larry Bird isn't a fan of all the camaraderie in the NBA today.
"I don't believe in it," Bird told the New York Daily News of the camaraderie now seen in the NBA.
"I think there's a little too much of it going on. I had a different mindset when I played. I always wanted to keep an edge. I always wanted to have the upper edge. That's how I approached it, even when I coached. I could never have a close relationship with my opponents. I thought if I did I'd lose my edge."
Bird has a new book out, "When the Game Was Ours," with Magic Johnson, his primary rival.
LeBron James was fined $25,000 for not shaking hands with the Magic when the Cavaliers lost in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Bird disagreed with the fine.
"I didn't shake hands when we lost to the Lakers," he recalled. "I never shook hands. When the Lakers and Celtics played, we didn't shake hands. When I first got to play against Magic, there was a hate factor there. It was more than just dislike."