Even younger NBA fans have heard about Larry Bird at least once. One of the greatest scorers, shooters, and players in NBA history; Bird made sure to put the Boston Celtics back on the map after the Bill Russell era.
The Hick from French Lick took college basketball and the NBA by storm, dominating at a high level for more than a decade.
Bird spent his entire playing career with the Celtics, starring in an all-time great rivalry with Magic Johnson and the Showtime Lakers. He was perhaps the most dominant player in the 80s, a fierce trash-talker, and a guy who was way more athletic than younger fans would tell by the naked eye.
His rare combination of size, shooting, footwork, and defense made Bird one of the most complete players of all time. For most experts, his game would perfectly translate to today’s NBA, often being pointed out as the first prototype of Kevin Durant.
But beyond what he accomplished on the basketball court, which was a lot, Bird’s career also found plenty of success as a coach and in the front office.
In the following paragraphs, we’re going to talk long about Larry Legend, one of the most skilled hoopers ever and a bonafide winner from his early life, going through the NCAA Championship Game, his three championship rings, his three-peat with the Most Valuable Player award, and even his post-playing days.
Larry Bird – Early Life
Larry Bird was born in the small town of West Baden Springs, Indiana. His father was a veteran of the Korean war, and his family was of Scottish, Native American, and Irish descent. He came from a big family with one sister and four brothers. It didn’t take long before Bird left West Baden and moved to French Lick. Thus, his lifelong nickname.
Bird’s parents had a tough time putting food on the table, something he claims still motivates him to this day. Then, things got even darker for the future NBA legend, as his father committed suicide shortly after getting a divorce from his mother while he was still in high school.
The young Bird turned his attention to hoops to get away from his family issues and struggles. He became a star at Springs Valley High School, averaging north of 30 points and 20 boards per game in his senior year and becoming their historical leading scorer.
Larry Bird – College Years
Needless to say, Bird drew plenty of attention from college programs after posting such impressive averages. And, just when most people thought he was ready to join the Indiana Hoosiers, he dropped out as he felt joining such a major program and a big college could be overwhelming for a small-town kid.
Bird went back home and enrolled at Northwood one year before enrolling at Indiana State University. There, with the Sycamores, he became a nationwide sensation, leading them to their very first trip to the NCAA Tourney and an immaculate 33-0 record.
The ISU Sycamores reached the 1979 NCAA championship game against Magic Johnson’s Michigan State Spartans but eventually lost 75-64.
Notably, that game broke all kinds of rating records for a college basketball game. The media hyped it for days as the start of a new rivalry between Bird and Magic, a rivalry that would chase and define both of their careers until the very end.
Bird missed 14 of his 21 shots in that game, but he still managed to average over 30 points and 13 rebounds and lead his team to an 81-13 record during his three seasons at ISU.
Larry Bird – NBA Draft
Red Auerbach was a bit of an evil mastermind. He made the most of a loophole to draft Larry Bird a year early, even despite the risk that came with him spending another year in college. The Celtics took him with the sixth pick of the 1978 NBA Draft, as he was eligible because he had already spent four years in college.
Eventually, though, the NBA changed that rule to prevent that from happening again. That ‘Bird Collegiate Rule’ changed NCAA history forever. Auerbach stated that Bird would get no special treatment and that he’d sign him to a standard rookie deal.
But he and his agent threatened to declare for the 1979 NBA Draft after his senior season at Indiana State, forcing Auerbach to offer him a five-year, $3.25 million deal that made him the highest-paid rookie in major sports history. Bird joined the Celtics and vowed to win multiple NBA championships.
Larry Bird – A Boston Celtics Legend
Bird’s Celtics career was marked by his rivalry with Magic. The Celtics were the winningest franchise in the league at the time and the Lakers were going through a transition to the Jerry Buss era. Bird was supposed to keep the Celtics’ dominance over their rivals from Southern California, but the 80s were a never-ending back and forth between both franchises.
Bird stole the show right away, recording a double-double on his NBA debut. He averaged over 20 points and 10 boards a game in his rookie season, showcasing an unprecedented shot-making ability at the time.
He ran away with Rookie of the Year honors and led the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals. However, they couldn’t get past Dr. J’s Philadelphia 76ers en route to a dream final vs. the Lakers.
In the following year, Bird led the Celtics to the NBA Finals and won the first of three NBA Titles. Then, from 1983 to 1986, the Celtics won two more championships, one against the Houston Rockets and then finally one against Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers. Then again, the Lakers won against him two times at that stage as well.
He became one of the most dominant basketball players in the nation, winning three straight Most Valuable Player awards. Next to Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish, Bird and the Celtic were one of the best teams in NBA history, even if they lost two NBA Championships.
Bird aged like a fine wine. He became an even more efficient shooter, joining the exclusive 50-40-90 club twice in the late eighties. That meant he shot 50%+ from the field, 40%+ from three-point land, and 90%+ from the free-throw line, cementing himself as one of the greatest shooters in the history of basketball.
Then, right in the midst of the 1990-91 season, Bird announced his retirement after being diagnosed with a compressed nerve root on his back. The career that started at Indiana State came to a glorious end, as Bird retired from the game after the 1992 Olympics with the Dream Team. Needless to say, the Basketball Hall of Fame was poised to be his next stop.
Larry Bird – Awards And Accolades
We’d need a whole article just to talk about Larry Bird’s career. As a coach, he was named Coach of the Year and NBA All-Star coach in 1989. He was also named NBA Executive of the Year in 2012.
Also, his days at Indiana State University were full of glory, earning two selections as a consensus First-Team All-American, one Third-Team All-American, two MVC Player of the Year awards, and a National College Player of the Year award. Unsurprisingly, he had his no. 33 jersey retired by the ISU Sycamores.
His NBA days were even more successful. He won three NBA championships, was a two-time NBA Finals MVP, won three NBA MVPs (all consecutive), and made it to 12 NBA All-Star Games with one ASG MVP.
He was selected to nine All-NBA First Teams, one All-NBA Second Team, three NBA All-Defensive Second Team, was named Rookie of the Year, was a member of the All-Rookie Team, and won three NBA Three-Point Contest titles.
He was a two-time member of the 50-40-90 club, was named AP Athlete of the Year, earned the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award, was a member of the NBA’s 50 and 75th-anniversary teams, and had his no. 33 jersey retired by the Boston Celtics.
No wonder why he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. With Team USA, he won one Olympic gold, one FIBA World Cup, and the World University Games.
Larry Bird – Coaching And Executive Career
Bird didn’t spend that much time away from basketball. He joined the Boston Celtics looking to lead them to even more championship rings, serving as an assistant from 1992 to 1997. Then, even though he had no previous coaching experience, he joined the Indiana Pacers to become their head coach, albeit he warned them that he’d be there for three years at most.
Bird earned NBA Coach of the Year honors and led the Indiana Pacers to a franchise-best record, even pushing Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls to the edge in the Eastern Conference Finals, taking them to seven games.
With him as their head coach, the Indiana Pacers won back-to-back division titles and made it to the Finals. There, however, he once again faced his nemesis, as the Lakers took yet another NBA championship away from him, this time with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant leading the show.
Bird resigned from his position in 2000 after fulfilling his promise, but it wasn’t his final stint with the Pacers. The Pacers hired him as President of Basketball Operations in 2003, earning NBA Executive of the Year honors in 2012.
Then, shortly after and right before the NBA Draft, Bird finished his tenure in the front office for alleged health reasons. Bird returned a year after in 2013 and served until 2017 when he left his position to serve as an advisor.
Up to this day, Larry Bird is the only person to win Rookie of the Year, Finals MVP, Most Valuable Player award, All-Star Game MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year. Moreover, all that while also being one of the most influential players in NBA history.
Larry Bird – Net Worth
Larry Bird has an estimated net worth of $75 million. He earned most of his wealth through his professional basketball career with the Boston Celtics, where he was a three-time MVP and 12-time All-Star. He also had a successful career as a coach and executive in the NBA, which allowed him to continue to add to his net worth.
Did Larry Bird Talk Trash To Michael Jordan?
Besides his three-point shooting and overall skills, Larry Bird was known for being a relentless and ruthless trash-talker. He once played a game shooting only with his left hand just because he was ‘saving his right hand for the Lakers’.
He arrived at the NBA’s three-point shooting contest wearing a jacket and asked everybody who was coming in second, and never-ending etcetera.
Needless to say, Michael Jordan wasn’t exempt from his trash-talk, and nor was Bird from his. They constantly went back and forth, with Jordan being a rising star for the ever-struggling Chicago Bulls while Bird was already an established player.
But even despite that, there was always nothing but respect between the two, who’d eventually team up for the legendary Dream Team in the Olympics.
Bird even went as far as to say that he was ‘God disguised as Michael Jordan’ when the Chicago Bulls legend put on a show with 63 points in a playoff loss to the Celtics.
Are Magic And Bird Still Friends?
Even though they were diehard rivals since their college days, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are still close friends to this day. Bird reached out to him following Magic’s HIV diagnosis and they had nothing but praise for each other for the most part of their careers.
Bird and Johnson competed in the NBA Finals more often than not, they went back and forth and combined for six league MVPs, and people couldn’t quite settle the debate on who was the best player.
Their rivalry and relationship have been discussed to exhaustion. Books, interviews, and even documentaries have shed light on it. Ironically, though, Bird played his final game side by side with the Lakers legend, as he retired shortly after the 1992 Olympics.
That rivalry pushed the NBA to the edge and forced both to be the best version of themselves. Thee would’ve been one without the other. From the Michigan State Spartans to fighting for an NBA championship to the Dream Team, their careers were always tangled up together and they shined brighter than all other NBA stars of their time.
Who played On The Boston Celtics With Larry Bird?
Throughout his Hall of Fame career, Larry Bird played with nearly every big-name player in Boston Celtics history, helping them win the NBA championship three times.
He shared the floor with the likes of Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish for most of the time but also played with other legendary basketball players such as Tiny Archibald, Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson, Cedric Maxwell, Gerald Henderson, Reggie Lewis, Rick Carlisle, Bill Walton, Jim Paxson, Brian Shaw, Dave Cowens, Artis Gilmore, Pete Maravich, and many more. No wonder why the Celtics won so much in the regular season.
How many times did Bird reach the NBA Finals?
Throughout his illustrious Hall of Fame career, Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics reached the NBA Finals five times (1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987). With him, Boston won three NBA titles (1981, 1984, and 1986). Both of his losses at that stage came at the hand of the Los Angeles Lakers.
how many NBA championships does Larry Bird have?
Larry Bird, one of the NBA’s all-time greats, played his entire professional career with the Boston Celtics. During his journey with the team, he led the Celtics to three NBA championship victories in 1981, 1984, and 1986. These championship wins solidified Bird’s legacy as one of the most dominant and influential players in basketball history.
