"Tell David Wesley to get his own f---ing sneakers" - Larry Bird stopped a ball boy from running an errand for a Celtics player

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix's first NBA-related job experience was as a Boston Celtics ball boy in the mid-90s, shortly after Larry Bird retired. Unsurprisingly, Mannix had many stories to tell, including the time "Larry Legend" taught a Celtics player a valuable lesson about respect.

According to Mannix, then-Celtics guard David Wesley once ordered him to get into his car and grab a pair of sneakers ahead of a game. Just when Mannix thought it was just another day at the office for a ball boy, he ran into Bird on the way to Wesley's car.

After Bird learned why he was in such a rush, Mannix said the NBA icon stopped him and asked him to do a harder task: go back to Wesley and tell him to get his own shoes.

"When I wasn't rebounding or mopping up sweat, I was a gofer. Food, gear, whatever. In my first season, guard David Wesley asked me to grab a pair of sneakers out of his car. Rushing out of the locker room, I barreled straight into Larry Bird, who was just a few years into retirement. He asked where I was going. 'David Wesley needs his sneakers,' I told him. 'Tell David Wesley,' Bird said, 'to get his own f---ing sneakers,'" Mannix wrote last year.

Wesley was stunned after hearing what Bird said

As any youngster would do, Mannix obeyed Bird without any question. As he described it, Wesley was in disbelief and a bit embarrassed after being told what the Celtics legend said.

Mannix had no idea who grabbed Wesley's sneakers that day, but he would never forget his epic moment with one of the greatest players of all time.

"When I told Wesley what had happened, his eyes widened: 'Larry said that?' I don't know who got Wesley's sneakers that day. But it wasn't me," he recalled.

Mannix learned a few things in his brief encounter with Bird

Looking back, Mannix reflected on a few things he realized from his brief yet unforgettable dialogue with Bird. One, "Larry Legend" respected everybody in the Celtics organization regardless of their role. Two, Bird didn't tolerate bossy NBA players. And lastly, Wesley's reaction speaks volumes about who Bird really is in the sport.

Today, Mannix is already one of SI's finest writers covering the NBA. Every now and then, he utilizes his platform to share such incredible Bird stories that prove how legendary the forward was as a player and still is as a person. Hopefully, there's more to come.

Related: "I wouldn't have minded taking a shot at him" - Larry Bird on how he would've fared against prime Ron Artest