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- Larry Bird

12-time All-Star, twice NBA Finals MVP and nine-time member of All-NBA First Team; led league in free-throw percentage four times
Whenever he played 3,000 minutes, Boston advanced to NBA Finals; whenever he didn't, Boston did not advance
Competition with Julius Erving inspired video game One on One
Name most linked with Magic Johnson's in legendary rivalry
1986: named AP Male Athlete of the Year and The Sporting News Man of the Year
Co-captained 1992 Gold Medal Olympic Team "The Dream Team" in Barcelona, Spain
Has a street in his hometown, French Lick, IN, named after him
Celtics retired his #33 jersey when he retired
Sometimes practiced 3-point shots with his eyes closed
First non-center to win three consecutive NBA MVP Awards
Only forward to lead league in three-pointers made (82) and free throw percentage (.896)

"A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals." – Larry Bird

"I've got a theory that if you give 100% all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end." – Larry Bird

"Larry Bird just throws the ball in the air and God moves the basket underneath it." – Cleveland Cavaliers announcer Howie Chizek after Bird set a club record with 60 points in one game and scored 48 in another (1984-85)

Biography:

Larry Bird

No player has left a mark on 1980s professional basketball comparable to that of Larry Bird (born 1956), the renowned forward for the Boston Celtics.

Bird took the NBA by storm as a rookie in 1979 and dominated the league almost without a break throughout his career as a professional basket ball player. He transformed the lackluster Celtics into a basketball superpower, leading the team to three national championships in five attempts. Every sort of honor and superlative has been lavished on the blond Indiana native. Sports Illustrated contributor Frank Deford has called him "the greatest basketball player in the history of humankind," and few observers would argue the point. "Each Bird game is a rich tapestry of fundamentals," writes Mike Lupica in the New York Daily News. "He keeps the ball alive, he is the middleman on the fast break, he boxes out, he posts his man every chance he gets. He moves to the right place on defense, he blocks shots, he picks, he rolls. He dives after loose balls and makes perfect outlet passes. And four or five times down the court, he makes one of those plays that take your breath away."

Although he gained a noticeable measure of poise during his years with the Celtics, Bird is a product of his rural upbringing in French Lick, Indiana. He is a modest man who avoids media exposure (to the extent that it is possible to do so), and his name has never been linked to scandal or sensation. Deford notes: "Among those who know Bird well, the same catalog of qualities is cited again and again - honest, loyal, steadfast, dependable - his existence shaped by the contradictory, almost mystical ability to be the [center of attention], yet always to contribute to those around him." New Yorker correspondent Herbert Warren Wind concludes that Bird is the kind of man who derives one pleasure from life: "pride in playing good, sound, imaginative basketball. He hates to see his team lose if it can possibly win. He has almost unlimited determination…. A man has to love a game deeply to work so hard to play it well day after day and night after night."

Larry Bird was born on Pearl Harbor Day in 1956, the fourth of six children of Joe and Georgia Bird. His birthplace, West Baden, Indiana, is a small village just outside the slightly larger town of French Lick. Once a famous resort community with highly-prized mineral springs, French Lick had fallen upon hard times by the years of Bird's youth. His father managed to find factory work in the town, but the Bird family always struggled to make ends meet. According to Deford, Larry "knew damn well that he was poor. No, it was not oppressive. But, yes, it was there. The Birds had enough coal to stay warm, but too many nights the old furnace would break down, and the house would fill with black smoke, and they would all have to stand outside, freezing, while Joe Bird tried to fix things." Bird and his brothers were all avid ball players, and as the next-to-youngest brother, he always competed valiantly to keep up with his older, bigger siblings. Wind writes: "Striving to be as good as Mark, who was three years older, made Larry a much better basketball player than he might otherwise have been, and a more competitive one, too."

Bird told the New Yorker: "Basketball wasn't really my only love. We played lots of baseball, softball, rubber ball - we played ball all the time. When we were growing up, before we got a real basketball hoop, we used a coffee can and tried to shoot one of those small sponge-rubber balls through it." In fact, Bird did not settle on basketball as his primary sport until he was well into high school, even though he played the sport on an organized level as young as ten. When it finally seemed apparent that he might excel in the sport, he began to practice - hard - day and night. "I played when I was cold and my body was aching and I was so tired," he told Sports Illustrated. "I don't know why, I just kept playing and playing…. I guess I always wanted to make the most out of it. I just never knew."

Bird honed his talents in one of the most rigorous basketball arenas, the celebrated Hoosier region where the sport reigns supreme. At Springs Valley High School in French Lick he played guard during his sophomore and junior years. He showed no spectacular ability at the time, and at six-foot-three he was not especially tall. Then fate - or rather, biology - intervened. By his senior year Bird had grown four inches. Almost overnight he had become an impressive physical specimen while retaining his agility and hustle. His senior year he averaged 30.6 points and 20 rebounds per game, and college scouts from all over the East flocked to see him play. He was actively pursued by a number of universities, but he decided to stay in state, entering Indiana University (of Bobby Knight fame) in the fall of 1974.

Bird lasted only twenty-four days at Indiana University. He was overwhelmed by the size and impersonality of the school, so he quickly returned to French Lick and entered junior college there. Within two months he had dropped out of that college as well and had entered into a brief and unhappy marriage. In order to support himself and his daughter, born after the marriage had dissolved, Bird took a job with the City Department of French Lick. He drove a garbage truck and helped to maintain parks and roads in the district. Such work may have seemed a low point to some people, but Bird told Sports Illustrated that he actually enjoyed it. "I loved that job," he said. "It was outdoors, you were around your friends. Picking up brush, cleaning it up. I felt like I was really accomplishing something. How many times are you riding around your town and you say to yourself, Why don't they fix that? Why don't they clean the streets up? And here I had the chance to do that. I had the chance to make my community look better."

Overcomes Tragedies

Bird faced further tragedy during the same period when his father committed suicide. Shortly after that unfortunate event, Bird decided to return to college, this time at Indiana State. He had little confidence in his scholastic abilities, but felt that he could help the struggling Sycamores win some respect. By that time he had added two more inches in height and was weighing in at 220 pounds; to quote Wind, he was "an altogether different commodity - a comparatively big man who could challenge the seven-footers at rebounding and in other phases of the game, because he was well built, had exceptional coordination for a man his size, and knew how to utilize the advantages his height gave him." Bird had to sit out his first season at Indiana State, and without him the Sycamores went 13-12. In 1976-77, his first year on the team, the same Sycamores earned a 25-3 record - their best in almost thirty years. The following summer Bird played for the United States team that won the basketball gold medal at the World University Games in Sophia, Bulgaria.

During his Indiana State years, Bird became "the most publicized college player in the country," to quote Wind. Even then Bird showed his penchant for team play and for sharing the glory both on and off the field. Still, he averaged thirty points per game through his junior year and led the Sycamores to the quarterfinals in the 1978 National Invitational Tournament. He was drafted by the Celtics in 1978. At that point he had the option of playing professional ball right away, but instead he chose to stay in school, finish his degree, and be a Sycamore one more season. In his senior year the Sycamores won thirty-three straight games - a collegiate record for a single season - and advanced to the NCAA championships against a formidable Michigan State team led by Earvin "Magic" Johnson. Michigan State won the game which marked the first of many encounters between Bird and Johnson, but Bird walked away with player of the year trophies from the Associated Press, United Press International, and the National Association of Coaches.

Negotiations began with the Celtics for Bird's professional services. Already known for his unwillingness to cooperate with the press, Bird offered no comment as his agent demanded a record salary. The contract signed on June 8, 1979 gave Bird $650,000 per year for five years, a total of $3,250,000. This sum was unheard of for an untested rookie in any sport, and the Boston fans made no secrets of their expectations for their new headliner. Bird did not disappoint. He made the NBA All-Star team his first year, played in every regular season Celtics game, and led the team to a first place finish in its league. Even though the Celtics lost the Eastern Conference finals to the Philadelphia 76ers, Bird was named Rookie of the Year and finished third in the Most Valuable Player balloting.

Bird Soars with Celtics

Those who had predicted that Bird could never turn the dismal Boston franchise around had to eat their words. After Bird's debut, the team became a regular championship contender with wins in 1981, 1984, and 1986. "There hasn't been a Celtics game at the Boston Garden in years that hasn't been sold out," writes Wind. "Most observers attribute this long run of sold-out games to Bird's astonishing virtuosity and the leading role he has played in making the Celtics once again a spirited, exciting team, which has been in contention for the championship just about every year." The excitement of Bird's play has only been enhanced by his long-standing rivalry with Magic Johnson, the mainstay of the Los Angeles Lakers. In fact, Johnson's Lakers are the only team that have bumped the Celtics from the championship, beating them in 1985 and 1987. Time magazine contributor Tom Callahan concludes that even when the Celtics were bested by the Lakers, "somehow they [were] able to retrieve their preeminence in the next instant."

Few would list Larry Bird among the flashiest or most spectacular individual players in the NBA. He is not particularly fast on the court, nor is he a remarkable jumper. Bird has achieved greatness the old-fashioned way: by being consistent, by contributing not as a grand-standing superstar but as a team player, and by attacking every game with every ounce of effort. "The hours that Bird devotes to his job are astonishing," Deford notes. "From himself on the court he seeks only consistency and considers that the true mark of excellence." Years and years of practice and play have made Bird an expert on the shifting patterns of the game and even on the behavior of the ball when it hits the backboard. As Wind puts it, "he just knows where he should go, he beats other players to that spot, and his timing in going up for the ball is exceptional." Indeed, when "spectacular" is used to describe Bird's play, it is often in reference to passing and to diving for out-of-bounds balls. Wind concludes that Bird has showed "how imaginative and enthralling a well-played basketball game can be."

Perhaps not surprisingly, Bird has been dogged over the years by suggestions that he has been singled out for praise more because he is white than because he is good - that his superstardom is predicated on the general scarcity of great white players in the NBA. Deford is one of many who has sought to dispel this myth. "Larry Bird is not a Great White Hope," Deford claims. "Anybody who thinks that misses the point of Larry Bird. Little white boys today would much prefer to grow up to be Michael Jordan or Dominique Wilkins, for however clever and hardworking, they're also truly spectacular players. They can fly. But when kids imitate Larry Bird, mostly what they do, so humdrum, is reach down and rub their hands on the bottom of their sneakers…. He seems merely the sum of little bits - a bit more clever than you and me, a bit more dedicated, a bit better on his shooting touch…. In Bird's case, he probably has worked as hard as anyone in the ever has in sport, and he does possess an incredible sixth sense, but that has no more to do with his race than it does with his Social Security number." Wind too suggests that Bird's race has little to do with his stardom. "I do not believe that it is the underlying reason Bird and the Celtics have set attendance records at home and on the road," the critic writes. "As I see it, the explanation is that Bird's arresting over-all concept of basketball and his sturdy execution of it have made the Celtics game tremendously exciting to watch."

Always somewhat injury-prone, Bird missed much of the 1988-89 season after major surgery on both heels. He continued to battle back problems and other injuries throughout the next few seasons, but retired from the Celtics after an illustrious 13-year career. He played his last game of basketball as a member of the U.S. Olympic Dream Team at the 1992 games in Barcelona.

After retiring as a player, Bird worked for the Celtics Front Office as a Special Assistant. Many thought he would replace M.L. Carr as coach, but the position was awarded to Rick Pitino. As a result, Bird returned to his home state to succeed Larry Brown as coach of the Indiana Pacers for the 1997-1998 season.

Larry Bird

Position	Forward
Nickname	"Larry Legend", "The Hick from French Lick"
Height	ft in ( m)
Weight	lb ( kg)
Nationality	U.S.
Born	December 7 1956 (1956--) (age 50) West Baden Springs, Indiana
College	Indiana State
Draft	6^th overall, 1978
Pro career	1979–1992
Former teams	Boston Celtics (1979–1992)
Awards	1979 USBWA College Player of the Year 3-time NBA MVP 2-time Sporting News NBA MVP 3-time NBA Champion 2-time NBA Finals MVP 12-time All-Star 1982 All-Star MVP 1980 NBA Rookie of the Year 1992 Olympic gold medal
Hall of Fame	1998

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.

Men's basketball
Olympic medal record
Competitor for the United States
Gold	1992 Barcelona	Team

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.

Footnotes

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Larry Bird

Larry Bird biography provided by hoophall.com
Sportscentury's 30th greatest athlete of all time provided by ESPN.com
NBA.com: Where Legends Are Born
NBA History
CNN/Sports Illustrated: A Player for the Ages
1979 Oscar Robertson Trophy USBWA College Player of the Year
Career Stats, courtesy of basketball-reference.com

Preceded by Alfred Lee	Naismith College Player of the Year (Men) 1979	Succeeded by Mark Aguirre
Preceded by Phil Ford	John R. Wooden Award (Men) 1979	Succeeded by Darrell Griffith
Preceded by Phil Ford	NBA Rookie of the Year 1979-80	Succeeded by Darrell Griffith
Preceded by Nate Archibald	NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player 1982	Succeeded by Julius Erving
Preceded by Moses Malone	NBA Most Valuable Player 1983-84 1984-85 1985-86	Succeeded by Magic Johnson
Preceded by Moses Malone Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	NBA Finals Most Valuable Player 1984 1986	Succeeded by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Magic Johnson
Preceded by Dwight Gooden	Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year 1986	Succeeded by Ben Johnson
Preceded by Larry Brown	Indiana Pacers Head Coach 1997–2000	Succeeded by Isiah Thomas

1992 Olympic Champions Men's Basketball – "Dream Team"
Charles Barkley \| Larry Bird \| Clyde Drexler \| Patrick Ewing \| Magic Johnson \| Michael Jordan Christian Laettner \| Karl Malone \| Chris Mullin \| Scottie Pippen \| David Robinson \| John Stockton
Coach: Chuck Daly

National Basketball Association's 50 Greatest Players in NBA History

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar • Nate Archibald • Paul Arizin • Charles Barkley • Rick Barry • Elgin Baylor • Dave Bing • Larry Bird • Wilt Chamberlain • Bob Cousy • Dave Cowens • Billy Cunningham • Dave DeBusschere • Clyde Drexler • Julius Erving • Patrick Ewing • Walt Frazier • George Gervin • Hal Greer • John Havlicek • Elvin Hayes • Magic Johnson • Sam Jones • Michael Jordan • Jerry Lucas • Karl Malone • Moses Malone • Pete Maravich • Kevin McHale • George Mikan • Earl Monroe • Hakeem Olajuwon • Shaquille O'Neal • Robert Parish • Bob Pettit • Scottie Pippen • Willis Reed • Oscar Robertson • David Robinson • Bill Russell • Dolph Schayes • Bill Sharman • John Stockton • Isiah Thomas • Nate Thurmond • Wes Unseld • Bill Walton • Jerry West • Lenny Wilkens • James Worthy

Indiana Pacers Head Coaches
Staverman • Leonard • McKinney • Irvine •