INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) – Basketball legend Larry Bird says he's not happy with a mural of him in Fountain Square that shows him covered in tattoos.
Street artist, Jules Muck, created the mural and recreated his 1977 Sports Illustrated shoot when he played for Indiana State.
"I feel like what I do is take people's ideas and make them happen on the wall," said Muck.
Eyewitness News caught up with Muck as she was painting a mural of kittens on "Chucks Coney Island" in downtown Indy.
Her Larry Bird piece not only has locals talking, it has the nation's attention.
"I thought it was Larry Bird and I saw the tattoos on him and stuff. Like (expletive), who put some tattoos on him," said Clifton Dearing, a Fountain Square resident.
His friend Dustin Rives shared the same concern.
"I don't think they should have done the little bunny tattoos or whatever. That was kind of inappropriate," said Rives.
The tattoos include two bunnies mating on his right forearm, the word "Indiana" on the other arm, a spiderweb on his shoulder, a cardinal bird on his cheek and a few more.
Bird didn't like it and his attorney told Muck to remove all of the tattoos, except the one that says Indiana on his forearm.
Muck says the two came to an agreement.
"As far as Larry not liking it, yeah, that kind of sucks because ya know I thought I did a... I thought I made him look relatively good," said Muck. "The tattoos are kind of a joke, so it's like 'what you don't get my joke?' It's like saying a joke and nobody laughs."
"I don't understand why he's [Bird] so upset. I don't," said Mark Rhodes.
Muck says she will change the mural because she doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings.
"I think art is to make people talk to each other," said Muck.
Muck says she will make the changes by Friday.