While it is not often the case, there are times when professional players lose their cool and look to settle arguments with force.  Even the greatest players are not immune to this fact, which could be seen in an infamous 1984 showdown between two basketball legends.

On this day, November 9th, in 1984, Larry Bird and Dr. J were both ejected from an NBA game after getting into a fight. The scuffle occurred late in the 4th quarter with the Celtics ahead of the 76ers by a large margin.  The fight is depicted in an iconic image of the two players having their hands around each others’ neck. Larry Bird and Julius Erving had a long history of “bad blood” after having several close playoff series in previous years.

The Celtics went on to win the game 130-119.  The fight between the future Hall of Famers is often referred to as one of the most memorable basketball brawls in history.