Larry Joe Bird (born December 7,1956) is a retired
American NBA basketball player, widely considered one of the greatest players of all time, and one of the best
clutch performers in the history of sports.[1] Drafted into the NBA sixth overall
by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird played
small forward and power forward for
thirteen seasons, teaming with legendary center Robert Parish and forward Kevin McHale. Due to back problems, he retired as a player from the NBA in 1992. Bird was voted to the NBA's 50th
Anniversary All-Time Team[1]
in 1996 and inducted into the Naismith Memorial
Basketball Hall of Fame[2] in 1998.
After working as an assistant in the Celtics front office from 1992 to 1997, Bird served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000. In 2003, he
assumed the role of president of basketball operations for the Pacers, which he currently still holds.
Biography
Bird was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana, the son of Georgia Kerns
and Claude Joseph "Joe" Bird.[3] He grew up in both West
Baden and the adjacent town French Lick, which earned him the nickname "the Hick
from French Lick" in his later basketball career. Financial troubles would plague the Bird family for most of Larry's childhood.
In a 1988 interview with Sports Illustrated,
Bird recalled how his mother would make do on the family's meager earnings: "If there was a payment to the bank due, and we
needed shoes, she'd get the shoes, and then deal with them guys at the bank. I don't mean she wouldn't pay the bank, but the
children always came first."[4] Bird
sometimes was sent to live with his grandmother due to the family's struggles. Being poor as a child, Bird told
Sports Illustrated, "motivates me to this day."[4]
The Bird family's struggle with poverty was compounded by the alcoholism and personal difficulties of Joe Bird. In 1975, after Bird's parents divorced, his father committed suicide.
In spite of his domestic woes, by the time he was a high school sophomore, Bird had become one of the better
basketball players in French Lick. He starred for French Lick/West Baden's high school team, Springs Valley High School, where he left as the school's all-time scoring leader. His
picture hangs in the school, which is located on what is now Larry Bird Boulevard in French Lick.
Marriage and fatherhood
After his return home from Indiana University and his parents' divorce, Bird
married his high-school girlfriend, Janet Condra. The marriage lasted only 11 months, but produced a daughter, Corrie. In 1998,
Corrie Bird appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and revealed that she was
Bird's daughter from his first marriage though Larry had denied paternity until the mid 80's. She discussed her longing to
connect with her father, who she hadn't seen in 17 years. Corrie's story was also shown on 20/20 and was run as an article in the September 4, 1998 issue of Sports
Illustrated. Corrie, like her father, played basketball in high school and attended Indiana State University, graduating with a degree in elementary education.
Bird met his current wife, Dinah Mattingly, while attending Indiana State. They married in September of 1989 and have two
children, an adopted son (Connor)and an adopted daughter (Mariah).
Collegiate career
Bird received a basketball scholarship to Indiana University in
1974. At the time, Indiana was one of the premier college basketball programs in the country, led
by esteemed head coach Bobby Knight. However, Bird — homesick and overwhelmed by the size and
population of the university — left the school after one month and returned to French Lick. After briefly attending Northwood
Institute in West Baden and working numerous odd jobs around the town (including a job with the French Lick Street Department —
which did much more than just pick up garbage), Bird enrolled at Indiana State
University, where he was coached by Bob King.
King suffered a heart attack prior to the 1978–79 season and assistant Bill Hodges was promoted to head coach. Bird led the
ISU Sycamores to the NCAA championship game in 1979, his senior season, only to lose to the
Michigan State University Spartans, who were led by his future NBA rival,
Earvin "Magic" Johnson. The Sycamores finished the season 33–1. That year, Bird won the
USBWA College Player of the Year, Naismith and Wooden Awards, given to
the year's top male college basketball player. After playing only three years at Indiana State, he left as the fifth-highest
scorer in NCAA history. Bird finished his collegiate career
with an average of 30.3 points per game.
1979–1981: Immediate Impact
The Boston Celtics selected Bird 6th overall in the 1978 NBA Draft, even though they were uncertain whether he would enter the NBA or remain at Indiana State
to play his senior season. Bird ultimately decided to play his final college season, but the Celtics retained their exclusive
right to sign him until the 1979 NBA Draft, because of the NBA's "junior eligible" rule
that existed at that time (allowing a collegiate player to be drafted when the player's original "entering" class was graduating
and giving them one calendar year to sign them, even if they went back to college) Shortly before that deadline, Bird agreed to
sign with the Celtics for a USD $650,000 a year contract, making him at the time
the highest-paid rookie in the history of the NBA. Shortly afterwards, the NBA draft eligibility
rules were changed to prevent teams from drafting players before they were ready to sign.
Larry Bird's impact on the Celtics was immediate. The Celtics were 29–53 during the 1978–79 season, but with Bird the team improved to 61–21 in the 1979–80 season, posting the league's best record. Bird's collegiate rival, Magic Johnson, also had entered the NBA in 1979, joining the Los
Angeles Lakers. In 1980, despite a strong rookie season from Johnson, Bird was named the league's Rookie of the Year and was voted onto the Eastern Conference All-Star team (an honor he would receive for each of his 12 full seasons in
the NBA). For the 1980 season, Bird led the Celtics in scoring (21.3
points/game), rebounding (10.4 rebounds/game), steals (143), and minutes played (2,955) and was second in assists (4.5
assists/game) and three-pointers (58). Though Boston was upset by the more athletic Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference finals that year, Bird's addition to the team had
renewed the promise of Celtic glory.
Following Bird's first season, the Celtics acquired center Robert Parish and the 3rd pick in the 1980 NBA Draft via a trade
with the Golden State Warriors (in exchange for the 1st and 13th picks in the
draft). After the Warriors took Joe Barry Carroll with the 1st pick and the
Utah Jazz chose Darrell Griffith second, the Celtics
selected University of Minnesota power forward Kevin McHale. With Bird at
small forward, the additions of Parish and McHale gave Boston one of the more formidable
frontcourts in the game. The three would anchor the Celtics throughout Bird's career.
In his second season, Bird led the Celtics into the playoffs, where they faced off
for a second consecutive year with Julius Erving's Philadelphia 76ers. Bird helped the Celtics overcome a 3–1 deficit, propelling them into the
NBA Finals, where they defeated the Houston
Rockets in six games. It would be the first of three championships in Bird's career, as well as the first of his five
Finals appearances.
1982–1987: MVPs, championships and the rivalry
The additions of Bird and Johnson rejuvenated the NBA, which had
suffered from low attendance and minimal television interest through much of the 1970s. Immediately upon their entry into the
league, the two players became repeating presences in the NBA Finals; Bird's Celtics won the NBA title in 1981, while Johnson's Lakers captured the championship in 1980 and
1982. Bird and Johnson first dueled in the 1979 NCAA title
game; as professional basketball players, they would face off numerous times during the 1980s, including the NBA Finals of
1984, 1985 and 1987. Lakers vs. Celtics, and specifically Bird vs. Magic, quickly became one of the greatest rivalries
in the history of professional sports.
In 1984, the Celtics defeated the Lakers in a seven-game Finals, winning game seven 111–102.
Bird averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds a game during the series, earning the award of Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). Bird
was also named the league regular season MVP for that year. In 1985, however, the Lakers avenged
the loss, defeating the Celtics in game 6 of the Finals in the Boston Garden. That year,
the NBA again named Bird the league MVP.
Boston would have another great season the next year, with help from another Hall of Famer, Bill
Walton. Walton had been refused by the Lakers, and as a last chance, called Celtics' president and general manager
Red Auerbach. Auerbach was initially unwilling to take a risk on Walton, who had been
plagued for years by foot injuries. But Bird — who happened to be in Auerbach's office at the time of Walton's call — urged him
to sign Walton, saying that if Walton felt he was healthy enough to play, it was all Bird needed to hear.
With Walton backing up Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, the Celtics would return to the finals in 1986, albeit not against Johnson and the Lakers, who lost in the Western Conference Finals to the
Houston Rockets. The 1986 Celtic team, which finished the
regular season 67–15 and defeated the Rockets in six games, is generally considered to be the best of Bird's career. Bird again
was named the Finals' MVP for that year, averaging 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists per game for the series. He also won his
third consecutive league MVP award, a feat matched only by the great Celtic center Bill
Russell and the dominant Wilt Chamberlin, who played for Philadelphia and Los
Angeles.
In 1987, the Celtics made their last Finals appearance of Bird's career, fighting through
difficult series against the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons but as they reached the NBA Finals, the Celtics, plagued by devastating injuries, lost
to a dominant Lakers team which had won 65 games during the season. The Celtics ended up losing to the Lakers in six games. The
Celtics would fall short in 1988 losing to the Pistons in 6 games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Between them, Bird and Johnson captured eight NBA championships during the 1980s, with Magic getting five and Bird three. During
the 1980s, either Boston or Los Angeles appeared in every NBA Finals.
Throughout the 1980s, contests between the Celtics and the Lakers — both during the regular season and in the Finals —
attracted enormous television audiences. The historical rift between the teams, who faced each other several times in
championship series of the 1960s, fueled fan interest in the rivalry. Not since Russell squared off against Chamberlain had
professional basketball enjoyed such a marquee matchup. The apparent contrast between the two players and their respective teams
seemed scripted for television: Bird, the introverted small-town hero with the blue-collar work ethic, fitted perfectly with the
throwback, hard-nosed style of the Celtics, while the stylish, gregarious Johnson ran the Lakers' fast-paced "Showtime" offense
amidst the bright lights and celebrities of Los Angeles. A 1984 Converse commercial for its "Weapon" line of basketball shoes (endorsed by both Bird and Johnson) reflected the perceived dichotomy between the two
players. In the commercial, Bird is practicing alone on a rural basketball court when Johnson pulls up in a sleek limousine and
challenges him to a one-on-one match.
Despite the intensity of their rivalry, Bird and Johnson became friends off the court. Their friendship blossomed when the two
players worked together to film the 1986 Converse commercial, which depicted them as archenemies. Johnson appeared at Bird's
retirement ceremony on February 4, 1993 and emotionally
described Bird as a "friend forever."
1988–1992: The twilight years
In 1988, Bird had his best statistical season of his career, but the Celtics failed to reach the
NBA Finals for the first time in four years, losing to the Pistons in six games during the Eastern Conference Finals. Bird
started the 1988–89 season with Boston, but ended his season after six games to have
bone spurs surgically removed from both of his heels. He returned to the Celtics in 1989, but debilitating back problems and an
aging Celtic roster prevented him from regaining his mid-1980s form. Nonetheless, through the final years of his career, Bird
maintained his status as one of the premier players in the game. He averaged over 20 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists a game in
his last three seasons with the Celtics, and shot better than 45% from the field in each. Bird led the Celtics to playoff
appearances in each of those three seasons.
Bird's body, however, continued to break down. He had been bothered by back problems for years, and his back became
progressively worse. After leading the Celtics to a 29-5 start to the 1990-1991 season, he missed 22 games due to a compressed
nerve root in his back, a condition that would eventually lead to his retirement. He had off-season surgery to remove a disc from
his back, but his back problems continued and he missed 37 games during the 1991–92
season. In the 1992 Eastern Conference semi-finals against the
Cleveland Cavaliers Bird missed 4 of 7 games in the series due to his back
problems.
In the summer of 1992, Bird joined Magic Johnson,
Michael Jordan and other NBA
stars to play for the United States basketball team in that year's Olympics. It was the first time in America's Olympic history that the country sent professional
basketball players to compete. The "Dream Team" easily won
the men's basketball gold medal.
Following his Olympic experience, on August 18, 1992, Bird announced his retirement as an
NBA player. He finished his career with averages of more than 24 points,
10 rebounds and 6 assists per game, while shooting 49.6% from the field, 88.6% from the free throw line and 37.6% from
three-point range. Following Bird's departure, the Celtics promptly retired his jersey number "33".
NBA career after retirement
The Celtics employed Bird as a special assistant in the team's front office from 1992 until 1997. In 1997, Bird accepted the
position of coach of the Indiana Pacers. Despite having no previous coaching experience,
Bird led the Pacers to an Eastern Conference championship in 2000 and two Eastern Conference
runner-up finishes the previous two seasons. He was named the NBA Coach of the
Year for the 1998 season.
Bird resigned as Pacers coach shortly after the end of the 2000 season. In
2003, he returned as the Pacers' President of Basketball Operations, where he oversees team
personnel and coaching moves, as well as the team's draft selections.
Coaching record
Indiana Pacers
- 1998: 58–24, Eastern Conference Runner-Up
- 1999: 33–17, Eastern Conference Runner-Up (note: season was shortened due to lockout)
- 2000: 56–26, Eastern Conference Champions
Legacy
- "Larry, you only told me one lie. You said there will be another Larry Bird. Larry, there will never, ever be another
Larry Bird." — Magic Johnson, as quoted at Bird's retirement party. [5]
Bird's humble roots led to his most frequently used moniker, "The Hick From French Lick". Other observers called him
"The Great White Hope". Bill Simmons of ESPN's Page Two column refers to Bird as "the
Basketball Jesus."
Player profile
Larry Bird was a versatile wing man who played the power forward and small forward positions. He is considered as one of the
greatest wing players of all time, to which his twelve All-Star team nominations is a testament. The versatile, sharpshooting
Bird made his name stepping up his performance in critical situations, and is credited with a long list of dominating games,
buzzer beaters and clutch defensive plays. He won two NBA Finals MVP and three
regular-season MVP awards, something only five other players in the history of the NBA have accomplished.
Bird possessed an uncanny and unparalleled ability to anticipate and react to the strategies of his opponents. His talent for
recognizing the moves of opponents and teammates prompted his first coach with the Celtics, Bill
Fitch, to nickname him "Kodak", because he seemed to formulate mental pictures of
every play that took place on the court.
Bird scored 24.3 points per game in his career on a high .496 field goal average, a stellar .886 free throw average (9th best
all-time) and a .376 percentage on 3-point shots. Bird was also a good rebounder (10.0 rebound career average) and an excellent
playmaker (6.3 assist career average). His multidimensional game made him a consistent triple-double threat; Bird currently ranks fifth all-time in triple-doubles with 59, not including the 10 he recorded in the playoffs. Bird's lifetime player
efficiency rating (PER) is 23.5, 16th all-time, a further testament to his all around game.[6] Bird's high free throw percentage is due in no small part to the fact that when
he was a boy, he used to shoot 200 free throws before school, every day, according to a late 1990s Indiana Farm Bureau
Insurance commercial with Larry himself.
Bird is also remembered as an excellent defender. While he was neither fast or quick-footed, and could not always shut down an
individual player one-on-one, he consistently displayed a knack for anticipating the moves of his opponent, allowing him to
intercept passes and create turnovers. His 1,556 career steals ranks 27th all-time.[7] Unspectacular but effective defensive moves, such as jumping into a passing lane to make a steal or
allowing his man to step past and drive to the hoop, then blocking the opponent's shot from behind, were staples of Bird's
defensive game. In recognition of his defensive abilities, Bird was named to three All-Defensive Second Teams.
Statistics aside, Bird was perhaps best known as a fierce competitor and outstanding team leader. His former teammates
frequently said that he elevated their level of play through his selflessness and leadership.[citation needed]
Bird's competitive nature often emerged in nearly constant trash-talking on the court.
Some notable examples follow:
- During one game on Christmas Day against the Indiana Pacers, before the game Bird told Chuck
Person that he would give him a Christmas present. During the game, when Person was on the bench, Bird shot a
three-pointer on the baseline right in front of Person. Immediately after the shot, Bird said to Person, "Merry f***in'
Christmas!", and then the shot went in.[citation needed]
- During the three-point shooting contest on All-Star Weekend 1986, Bird entered the locker room, looked around without saying
a word, then finally said, "I'm just looking around to see who's gonna finish up second." He indeed won the shooting
contest.[citation needed]
- Late in a tied game against the Seattle SuperSonics, Bird told Supersonics
forward Xavier McDaniel, who was guarding him, exactly where he would hit the game
winning shot. After a timeout, Bird made two baseline cuts, then posted in the exact spot he had indicated to McDaniel, paused,
turned, and hit the shot in his face.[citation needed]
- On November 9, 1984, Bird was ejected along with Julius
Erving in the third quarter after an on court scuffle. At the point of both ejections, Bird had outscored Erving 42 to 6. During
the game, Bird had continuously informed Erving of their tallies with every chance he got to score. Eventually a shoving match
ensued, then swings taken by both players, and finally a bench-clearing brawl.[citation needed]
Memorable moments
Bird is remembered as one of the foremost clutch performers in the history of the NBA. Few players have performed as brilliantly in critical moments of games.
- In Game 7 of the 1981 Eastern Conference finals against the rival Philadelphia 76ers, Boston and Philadelphia were tied 89–89 when Bird sank a fast-break mid-range
pull-up bank shot with his left hand, a very difficult shot to execute under intense pressure. That basket won Boston the game
(final score 91-90) and the series and they would go on to win the NBA championship in the Finals. In the late stages of the game
Bird also had two key steals, two free throws made, a rebound, and a blocked shot.
- In the series-clinching Game 6 of the 1986 Finals, Bird recorded a triple-double of 29 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists.
- In Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons, with six seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and Boston trailing the Pistons
107–106, Bird stole an inbound pass from Isiah Thomas that was intended for
Bill Laimbeer. Falling out of bounds, Bird turned and passed the ball to teammate
Dennis Johnson, who was cutting to the basket and converted a 2-point layup with 1 second
left. The dramatic play saved the series for the Celtics, and they advanced to the Finals.
- In a game in Washington against the Bullets in 1987, the Celtics trailed the Bullets by 3 points with 6 seconds remaining in regulation.
A three-pointer by Bird had been waved off because their coach, K. C. Jones, had already
called a timeout. Bird then made another three-pointer to send the game into overtime. When the Celtics trailed by two points
near the end of the first overtime, Bird was fouled and converted both free throws. With 2 seconds remaining in the second
overtime, Bird made a buzzer-beating running shot to win the game, 140–139.
- In Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks, Bird shot 9 of 10 from the floor in the fourth quarter, scoring 20 points in that quarter
and lifting the Celtics to a series-clinching victory over Atlanta.
- On March 31, 1991, the Boston Celtics played a double overtime game with the Chicago Bulls in their last meeting of the
season. In the second overtime period, Bird scored 9 points on 4 of 5 shooting from the field and helped the Celtics beat the
Bulls, 135–132. Many called this particular game Bird's finest performance against Michael Jordan.
- In the last seconds of a nationally-televised regular season game with the Portland
Trail Blazers in March 1992, Bird sent the game into overtime with a one-handed three-point shot. Bird tallied 49 points,
14 rebounds, 12 assists and 4 steals for his 59th and final career triple-double in what many fans called his last great game in
the NBA. The Celtics won in double overtime over the Blazers, 152–148. Bird's 49 points stands as the NBA record for most points
scored while registering a triple-double.
- Michael Jordan, who may have followed Bird as the league's most feared clutch player
through his heroics with the Chicago Bulls, once was asked who he would want to take a
shot with the game on the line, other than himself. Before the question could be finished, Jordan quickly responded, "Larry
Bird." [Sports Illustrated, June 21, 2005]
Memorable games
- On March 30, 1983, Bird scored 53 points against the Indiana
Pacers to set the Celtic record for highest scoring output in a game by an individual player (the previous record belonged to
Sam Jones who scored 51 points against the Detroit Pistons on October 29, 1965). Bird would also set the franchise record for most points
scored in a quarter with 24 points in the third quarter which has since been equaled by Todd Day against the Minnesota
Timberwolves on December 22, 1995.
- On February 18, 1985, Bird registered a triple double (30
points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) in only three quarters of play against the Utah Jazz. Despite being only one steal shy of
recording a quadruple-double, Bird sat out the fourth quarter. After the game, Bird commented "I already did enough damage. Why
go for it if we're up by 30?" The Celtics led the Jazz 90–66 after the third quarter and won the game 110–94.
- On March 12, 1985, Bird scored 60 points against the Atlanta
Hawks to reclaim the record for highest scoring output in a game by a Celtic. This feat occurred just nine days after teammate
Kevin McHale broke Bird's previous record by scoring 56 points against the Detroit Pistons. Bird's performance was so amazing
that the Hawks were giving each-other 'high fives' on the bench. Players for the Hawks were later fined by management for doing
so.
- On April 1, 1987, Bird registered a triple double (17 points,
11 rebounds, 10 assists) by halftime against the Washington Bullets. He would finish the game with 30 points, 17 rebounds, and 15
assists prompting then-Bullets coach Kevin Loughery to say "He's playing in his own league. Maybe it's a league other guys can't
get to."
- On November 11, 1987, Bird completed the first 40 point–20
rebound game in Celtics history against the Indiana Pacers.
- On November 10, 1989, Bird scored 50 points against the
Atlanta Hawks to register his fourth and final 50 point game in his career. Bird's four career 50 point games stand as the record
for most 50 point games by a Celtic.
- Bird would register three 40 point triple double games throughout his career. The first occurred on February 14, 1986 in an overtime win against the Portland Trailblazers. He
would finish that game with 47 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. The second occurrence was on December 13, 1989 in a win over the Seattle Supersonics (40 points, 11
rebounds, 10 assists). The last occurrence was in a double overtime win against the Portland Trailblazers on March 15, 1992 where Bird finished with 49 points (the record for most points
scored while recording a triple double), 14 rebounds, and 12 assists. Throughout his career, Bird recorded 69 triple doubles (59
in the regular season and 10 in the postseason) which stands behind Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, and Jason
Kidd for 5th most all-time.
In pop culture
- In October 2005, a man in Oklahoma City, Eric James Torpy, was convicted of
shooting with intent to kill and robbery. He asked that his sentence be changed from 30 years imprisonment to 33 so that it would
match Bird's jersey number. His request was granted.[8]
- Larry Bird has his own shoe brand named "33's," or Birds. They have a logo of him shooting in the back and the number 33 on
each side.[citation needed]
- Larry has appeared in three movies, Blue Chips, released in 1994 by
Paramount, the Warner Brothers film
Space Jam with Michael Jordan and
Bill Murray in 1996, and Celtic Pride with Dan
Aykroyd, Daniel Stern, and Damon Wayans, which was also released in 1996.[9]
- Larry Bird has appeared in several video games. In NBA 2K and NBA Live Series, he is a member of the 80's Legends Team. In College
Hoops 2K7 and NCAA 07 March Madness, Bird appears on the historic team
as a member of the 1978-79 Indiana State Sycamores team.
- Shortly after his retirement, McDonald's featured the "Big 33" burger, celebrating Larry Bird's legacy.[citation needed]
- In an episode of Family Guy, Peter refers himself as "the white Larry Bird" while playing
basketball with Chris.
- WWE wrestler John Cena often wore a
Boston Celtics jersey with Bird on the back during his 2004 tenure.
- In the Adult Swim cartoon, Squidbillies, the
sherrif tells the titular characters that Larry Bird invented the Slam Dunk, calling it a
"signature white move". He uses a tattoo of Bird delivering a slam dunk (which covers his entire right leg) to furter articulate
his story.
See also
Footnotes
External links
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