Charles Barkley Breaks Down Epic Julius Erving-Larry Bird Fight From 1984

Shandel Richardson | Jun 21, 2024

Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports

Charles Barkley was often known for getting into physical skirmishes on the court during his playing days.

There was one time, however, he played the role of referee and peacemaker. He helped break up the fight between legends Larry Bird (Boston Celtics) and Julius "Dr. J" Erving (Philadelphia 76ers) in 1984. Barkley explained what happened during an interview with Shannon Sharpe.

"So Larry Bird was a great trash talker," Barkley said. "He's killing Doc. He's like, `Charles, y'all better get this old man off me and Doc had just had enough."

At the time, Bird was clearly outplaying Erving. Bird once said he had "38 points to Erving's six." By then, Erving was fired up so he made it physical.

During one trip down the court, the Hall of Famers got entangled. The contact left Bird on the ground. Bird then confronted Erving on the other end, which led to both players choking each other. 

Charles Barkley remembers Legendary fight between Dr.J and Larry Bird #fyp #nbareels #nbahistory #NBA

Posted by Hoop Head on Thursday, June 20, 2024

It ended with Erving landing two punches on Bird, who was being held from behind Barkley and Moses Malone. It appeared Barkley and Malone were trying to bring peace but it was too late for Erving. 

All players were ejected for their roles. 

"They come together and I just kind of grab Larry," Barkley said. "I went back and looked at the tape and Doc was nailing his ass. I grabbed Larry because I didn't want him hitting Doc."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com