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Larry Bird Goes on the Dan Patrick Show

Pacers President Larry Bird went on the Dan Patrick Show on Monday morning to discuss the Pacers' new Hickory uniforms that were unveiled last week.

The Pacers even sent Patrick a Hickory uniform, which Danette Paulie modeled on air:

Bird was his usual quick-witted self from the opening moments of the interview, when Patrick asked him how he would look wearing the new uniform, based on the jerseys worn by Hickory High in the classic film Hoosiers.

"I couldn't fit in any uniform right now," Bird quipped.

From there, Bird and Patrick talked at length about the unique importance of high school basketball in the state of Indiana. Bird expressed particular fondness for the days of single-class basketball and shared a few memories from his days starring at Springs Valley High School in French Lick.

"Our gymnasium held 2800 and we used to get 4300 in there," Bird said.

"Indiana basketball, especially in my hometown...it was a big deal."

For the remainder of the interview, Patrick picked Bird's brain on a number of topics, including the modern NBA game, potential solutions to prevent tanking, and the competitiveness of the NBA in the '80s.

Eventually, Bird and Patrick got on the topic of the greatest shooters of all-time. Bird said that he would put reigning league MVP Stephen Curry in the conversation for best deep shooter in history. That prompted Patrick to ask Bird if he would also include himself in that debate.

"Yep," Bird said bluntly. "C'mon, Dan."

In addition to himself and Curry, Bird threw a few other names into the conversation, including Chris Mullin (who Bird played with on the Dream Team and later coached in Indiana), Mark Price, and of course, Reggie Miller.

"Reggie hit as many big shots – if you go back and look over the years – as anyone," Bird said.

"Anybody can shoot it when it’s tied, it’s when your down one or down two, how many guys are making that shot?"

Finally, Patrick concluded the interview by asking Bird if he could take his old friend and current Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan in a game of one-on-one. Bird joked that he'd wear a Hickory uniform for the contest before revealing who he thought would come out on top.

"Boy, that’d be a good game," Bird said. "God, I hate to admit this, but he’d kill me."

We still think Bird would have the upper hand in a shooting contest, though.You can watch the entirety of Bird's interview with the DP Show below.