Larry Bird did not say “Shut Up and Play the Damn Game”

In August 2020, basketball players in the US NBA boycotted playoff games in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. In the week since then, social media users, specifically on Twitter, have circulated a meme claiming to quote former Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird as saying “Back in my day, the game had fundamentals and honored the commander in chief. Now it’s a bunch of radical fundamentalists who dishonor the flag and cross. They only care about looking flashy! Shut up and play the damn game.” This meme has subsequently gone viral.