Larry Joe Bird was born on December 7,1956 and is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association.
65 Facts About Larry Bird
2.
Larry Bird is the only person in NBA history to be named Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year.
3.
Highly recruited, he initially signed to play college basketball for coach Bob Knight of the Indiana Hoosiers, but Bird dropped out after one month and returned to French Lick to attend a local community college.
4.
Larry Bird then led his team to an undefeated regular season.
5.
Larry Bird played for the Celtics during his entire professional career, leading them to five NBA finals appearances and three NBA championships.
6.
Larry Bird played most of his career with forward Kevin McHale and center Robert Parish, considered by some to be the greatest front court in NBA history.
7.
Larry Bird was a 12-time NBA All-Star, won two NBA Finals MVP awards and received the NBA Most Valuable Player Award three consecutive times, making him the only forward in league history to do so.
8.
Larry Bird was a member of the gold medal-winning 1992 US Olympic basketball team, known as the "Dream Team".
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Larry Bird was voted onto the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in NBA History list in 1996, and consequently the 75th Anniversary Team list in 2021.
10.
Larry Bird was rated the greatest NBA small forward of all time by Fox Sports in 2016.
11.
In 2003, Larry Bird was named president of basketball operations for the Pacers, holding the position until retiring in 2012.
12.
Larry Bird was named NBA Executive of the Year for the 2012 season.
13.
Larry Bird returned to the Pacers as president of basketball operations in 2013, and remained in that role until 2017.
14.
Larry Bird was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana, to Georgia and Claude Joseph "Joe" Larry Bird, a veteran of the Korean War.
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Larry Bird's parents were of Irish, Scottish and some Native American descent.
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Larry Bird was raised in nearby French Lick, where his mother worked two jobs to support Larry and his five siblings.
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Larry Bird has said that being poor as a child still motivates him "to this day".
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Georgia and Joe divorced when Larry Bird was in high school, and Joe died by suicide about a year later.
19.
Larry Bird used basketball as an escape from his family troubles, starring for Springs Valley High School and averaging 31 points, 21 rebounds, and 4 assists as a senior on his way to becoming the school's all-time scoring leader.
20.
Larry Bird received a scholarship to play college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers under head coach Bob Knight in 1974.
21.
Larry Bird returned to French Lick, enrolling at Northwood Institute in nearby West Baden, and working municipal jobs for a year before enrolling at Indiana State University in Terre Haute in 1975.
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Larry Bird appeared in one game for the baseball team, going 1-for-2 with 2 RBI.
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Larry Bird graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education.
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Larry Bird was selected by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft.
25.
Larry Bird did not sign with the Celtics immediately; instead, he played out his final season at Indiana State and led the Sycamores to the NCAA title game.
26.
Larry Bird averaged 21.9 points, 14 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 2.3 steals per game for the postseason and 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds, and 7 assists per game for the Finals.
27.
At the 1982 All-Star Game, Larry Bird scored 19 points en route to winning the All-Star Game MVP Award.
28.
Larry Bird eventually finished runner-up in Most Valuable Player Award voting to Moses Malone.
29.
Boston's misfortunes continued into the next season, with Larry Bird again finishing second in MVP voting to Malone and the team losing in the Conference Semifinals to the Milwaukee Bucks.
30.
Larry Bird was named Finals MVP behind 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.
31.
In Game 6 of the Finals series, Larry Bird recorded a triple-double of 29 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists as the Celtics won the Finals series 4 games to 2 against the Rockets.
32.
Larry Bird averaged 24 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game for the championship round.
33.
In 1987, the Celtics made their last Finals appearance of Larry Bird's career, fighting through difficult series against the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons.
34.
The Celtics ended up losing to the Lakers in six games, with Larry Bird averaging 24.2 points on.
35.
In Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks, Larry 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.
36.
Larry Bird's effort helped to overcome a 47-point performance by Atlanta's Dominique Wilkins.
37.
Larry Bird returned to the Celtics in 1989, but debilitating back problems and an aging Celtic roster prevented him from regaining his mid-1980s form.
38.
Nonetheless, during the final years of his career, Larry Bird maintained his status as one of the premier players in the game.
39.
Magic got the upper hand against Larry Bird, beating him in 1985 and 1987, while Larry Bird beat Magic in 1984.
40.
Larry Bird was voted onto the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team list in 1996, and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998.
41.
Larry Bird was inducted into the Hall of Fame again in 2010, as a member of the "Dream Team".
42.
In 1999, Larry Bird ranked No 30 on ESPN SportsCentury's list of 50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th century.
43.
Larry Bird played both the small forward and power forward positions.
44.
Universally recognized as an all-time great player, Larry Bird was placed at the power forward position on an NBA all-time starting five roster with fellow superstars Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 2020.
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Larry Bird has been described as one of the greatest basketball players and greatest shooters of all time.
46.
Larry Bird won three NBA championships with the Celtics and won two NBA Finals MVP Awards.
47.
Larry Bird won three consecutive regular season MVP awards; as of 2020, the only other players to accomplish this feat are Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.
48.
Larry Bird was a four-time regular season MVP runner-up in 1981,1982,1983, and 1988.
49.
Larry Bird is remembered as one of the foremost clutch performers in the history of the NBA; he was known for his excellent play in high-stakes, high-pressure situations.
50.
In October 2021, as part of the NBA's 75th Anniversary, Larry Bird was honored as one of the 75 greatest players of all time, by being named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.
51.
Larry Bird had an average of 10.0 rebounds per game for his career and 6.3 assists.
52.
Larry Bird sometimes practiced shooting three-point shots with his eyes closed.
53.
In recognition of his defensive abilities, Larry Bird was named to three All-Defensive Second Teams.
54.
Larry Bird was widely considered one of Red Auerbach's favorite players.
55.
Larry Bird considered Bird to be the greatest basketball player of all time.
56.
Larry Bird was known for his trash-talking on the court and is remembered as one of the most notable trash-talkers of his era.
57.
At the 2019 NBA Awards, Larry Bird received the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award.
58.
In 1997, Larry Bird accepted the position of coach of the Indiana Pacers and said he would be on the job for no more than three years.
59.
Larry Bird was named the NBA Coach of the Year for his efforts.
60.
Larry Bird then led the Pacers to consecutive Central Division titles in 1999 and 2000 and a berth in the 2000 NBA Finals.
61.
Larry Bird resigned his head coaching position shortly after the end of the 2000 season, following through on his initial promise to coach for only three years.
62.
In 2003, Larry Bird was hired as the Pacers' president of basketball operations.
63.
Larry Bird returned to the Pacers as president of basketball operations in 2013.
64.
Larry Bird stepped down again in 2017, but stayed with the team in an advisory capacity.
65.
Larry Bird continued to serve as an advisor until July 2022, when he "stepped back from maintaining an active role with the Indiana Pacers".