Ben Affleck shares legendary Larry Bird story

BOSTON -- Larry Bird is a legend for many, many reasons, with his prowess on the basketball court being the primary one. His trash talk on the court is likewise the stuff of legend.

Off the court, though, Bird is known for never uttering more words than he has to say in order to get his message across. Apparently, that trait carries through when Bird has a pen in his hand, too.

We know that thanks to Ben Affleck, who spoke to The Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy as part of his and Matt Damon's media tour to promote their new film, "Air." That film tells the tale of the birth of the Air Jordan sneaker, but the interview led to Affleck telling a memorable story about meeting Bird in the late '90s.

Here's the story from Affleck, courtesy of Shaughnessy:

"After we sold 'Good Will Hunting,' I reached out to Larry to get him to inscribe something for Matt's birthday present. There was a quote from that [VHS highlight] video that I wanted Larry to write. It was from a game when he'd pulled up at the 3-point line to beat Dallas with a shot and the announcer talked of 'the wonderful arrogance of Larry Bird! Two to tie, 3 to win!' I asked Larry if he'd inscribe all that to Matt and he just said, 'Too long,' and wrote, 'Matt . . . best . . . Larry.' " 

That's about as Larry Bird as it gets.