Read the story of how a young Larry Legend cooked Goose Givens
Jack “Goose” Givens is a name that carries weight in Lexington. The 6-foot-5 forward was the soul of Kentucky basketball in the late ’70s — a consensus second-team All-American, the 1978 Final Four Most Outstanding Player, and the man who dropped 41 points on Duke in the national championship game to bring home Kentucky’s fifth title.
But even legends have their humbling moments.
Magic Johnson told the story on Matt Barnes’ podcast, setting the scene for a summer unlike any other. It was 1978, and Joe B. Hall had just led Kentucky to a national championship. Hall was tasked with coaching a U.S. college All-Star team for an international round-robin tournament against Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union, and Cuba. He stacked his starting lineup with five Wildcats — Givens, Rick Robey, James Lee, Kyle Macy, and Jay Shidler.
That left the “second unit” with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Sidney Moncrief, Darrell Griffith, Joe Barry Carroll… you get the idea. Some legendary players on the bench.
Magic recalled watching Bird absolutely dismantle Givens in practice. “He was Player of the Year that year,” Magic said. “Larry Bird was just slicing and dicing him.” It was so one-sided that Magic called home and said, “It’s true about this boy.” Larry was on the way to becoming legendary.
That “boy” would go on to torment the NBA for more than a decade. Bird had the swagger to stroll into a three-point contest locker room and ask who was playing for second. He’d tell defenders exactly what he was about to do — then do it anyway.
Goose Givens remains a Kentucky icon, and Larry Bird remains “Larry Legend” for a reason. Sometimes the only thing you can do when you’re on the wrong end of history is tip your cap — especially when the man cooking you is destined for Springfield.