{"id":1117603,"date":"2020-03-15T10:01:34","date_gmt":"2020-03-15T14:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1117603"},"modified":"2020-04-19T20:08:26","modified_gmt":"2020-04-20T00:08:26","slug":"ranking-the-5-players-taken-ahead-of-larry-bird-in-the-1978-nba-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/ranking-the-5-players-taken-ahead-of-larry-bird-in-the-1978-nba-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"Ranking the 5 Players Taken Ahead of Larry Bird in the 1978 NBA Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With the numbers he put up at Indiana State, along with the Hall of Fame career that he produced with the Boston Celtics, one might think that Larry Bird<\/a> was the number one pick in the NBA draft. That was not the case. Many may also think that he was taken in the 1979 NBA draft, simply because he and longtime rival Magic Johnson duked it out in the NCAA Tournament<\/a> title game that year. That is also incorrect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rules back then were a bit different. Larry Bird actually started his college career at Indiana under legendary coach Bob Knight. However, not liking the system, he packed it up and never played a minute for the Hoosiers. After sitting out a year, he suited up for Indiana State. Following his junior year, the 1977-1978 season, a season in which Bird averaged 30 points per game (without a three-point line), he was deemed eligible for the 1978 draft under the “hardship rule” as his original class at Indiana had graduated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bird could get drafted but still return for his senior season with the Sycamores, which he chose to do. However, if the team that drafted him failed to sign him before the draft the following year, they would lose the rights to him and Bird could've simply reentered the draft. The Pacers had the first pick in 1978 but couldn't persuade Bird to sign, so they traded the pick. Five teams passed on Larry Bird before the Celtics, believing that they could get him to sign, took him at number six, changing the course of the game forever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three NBA titles, three MVP trophies, and more than 21,000 points later, Larry Bird is considered one of the best players in NBA history. But what about those five players drafted before him? How'd they turn out?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Rick Robey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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