Fact Check: Did Larry Bird smoke cigarettes? Finding out the truth about the Boston Celtics legend 

There were rumors that Larry Bird would smoke cigarettes even though he was an active NBA player. Is there any truth about the rumors? Did Bird really smoke during his career?

Bird has not confirmed in any known interviews that he smoked, but there's an infamous interview with John Mellencamp via ESPN True Hoop in 2007. Mellencamp shared a story about how Bird, as well as Kevin McHale, would smoke and drink beers when he was in town for a performance.

"I've known Larry Bird since we were kids," Mellencamp said. "When he was on the Celtics and I was playing in Boston, he and Kevin McHale would come to my dressing room after the show and smoke me under the table."

John Mellencamp didn't specify if they were smoking cigarettes or marijuana. There're also rumors that Larry Bird liked smoking weed during his career and when he was the coach and executive for the Indiana Pacers. Again, these are all just rumors and have not been confirmed.

Regarding the Mellencamp interview, The Star Tribune's gossip columnist Cheryl Johnson asked Kevin McHale about it. Then-Minnesota Timberwolves public relations director Mike Cristaldi instead gave him an answer from McHale.

"I've heard about the John Mellencamp blog or what-not," Cristaldi. "After talking to Kevin he told me to pass along that if you assume anything other than cigarettes and cigars then you'd be wrong.

"As he said, Larry and John were having some cigarettes and he, Kevin, smoked cigars. Nothing more than that."

Nevertheless, it's safe to say that Larry Bird smoked cigars. It's something NBA champions do, and Bird won three of those during his legendary career, and his coach Red Auerbach was famous for smoking cigars.

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Larry Bird's career in retrospect

Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics

Larry Bird was the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. However, Bird decided to return to Indiana and play the final year of his collegiate career. He eventually signed a contract with the Celtics before the 1979 NBA draft, with the league introducing the Bird Collegiate Rule.

Bird would win the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1980, but future rival Magic Johnson won the NBA Finals MVP with the LA Lakers. Bird would eventually get his first championship the next season while the Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

In 13 seasons in the NBA, Bird won two more titles and three league MVPs. He also had two NBA Finals MVPs and was named an All-Star 12 times. He was one of the greatest players ever, and his rivalry with Magic Johnson helped save the sport.