Larry Bird
“The Hick from French Lick” is the only person in NBA history to win the NBA MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year. In 2017, Larry Bird stepped down from his last official NBA role after a 13-year NBA career and 25 years in administrative roles with the Indiana Pacers.
Bird first rose to basketball prominence during the three years he spent with the Indiana State Sycamores. The forward became the Naismith College Player of the Year en route to the 1979 NCAA championship game. The Boston Celtics drafted Bird No. 6 overall in the 1978 NBA Draft. As the NBA Rookie of the Year, he brought the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Over the next 12 years, Bird became a three-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP, and earned the overall MVP two more times. Bird will be remembered for many things, including his legendary rivalry with Magic Johnson.
- Birthday: December 7, 1956
- Hometown: French Lick, Indiana
- College: Indiana State University
- Height: 6'9″
- Spouse: Dinah Mattingly (m. 1989), Janet Condra (m. 1975–1976)
- Children: Corrie Bird, Connor Bird, and Mariah Bird
- Jersey: No. 33
- Number of NBA championship wins: three
- Number of NBA championship appearances: five
Visit Larry Bird's profile on Basketball-Reference.com.
Read the latest articles about Larry Bird:
While he eventually became an Boston Celtics legend, even Larry Bird was once a lowly rookie. The forward, however, didn't take part in any hazing.
During his time with the Boston Celtics, Larry Bird became an NBA legend. His trash talk, however, was almost as good as his offense.
Larry Bird wasn't merely a talented player. He was also a brutal trash-talker and unleashed some verbal assaults on his Boston Celtics teammates.
After their 1984 NBA championship, the Boston Celtics headed to the White House. Larry Bird, however, declined to visit Ronald Reagan.
During his time with the Boston Celtics, Larry Bird made $24 million in salary. Despite that success, he never forgot the feeling of growing up poor.
These days, everyone knows that Larry Bird is a living legend. The forward, however, realized he was a star after a few days of Celtics training camp.
During his time with the Boston Celtics, Larry Bird couldn't stand when white players tried to guard him on the defensive end of the floor.
The legendary fight between Julius Erving and Larry Bird wasn't as bad as it seems. According to Irving, neither man was responsible for the fight.
Jayson Tatum just cemented his place in Boston Celtics history by toppling Larry Bird. Can the young star lead the Celtics to an NBA title?
Gregg Popovich just made a strong statement by declaring that Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic is the reincarnation of Larry Bird.
