Rick Pitino is being inducted into the Naismith Memorial basketball Hall of Fame this weekend, and in terms of his relatively minimal NBA contributions, the video clip above might be the moment he’s most famous for.
In a rant following a tough loss while coach of the Celtics, Pitino told reporters, “Larry Bird’s not walking through that door, fans. Kevin McHale is not walking through that door, and Robert Parish is not walking through that door. And if you expect them to walk through the door, they’re going to be grey and old. What we are is young, exciting, hard-working, and going to improve. People don’t realize that.”
Fast forward to Sunday, where Bird is there to present Oscar Schmidt, and Pitino, upon seeing Bird enter the room, referenced his memorable press conference.“You finally walked through that door!” Rick Pitino to Larry Bird just now at HOF.
— Jim Ice (@Jim_ICE) September 8, 2013Simply classic.
