{"id":1237951,"date":"2020-09-25T13:09:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-25T17:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1237951"},"modified":"2020-09-25T13:12:01","modified_gmt":"2020-09-25T17:12:01","slug":"larry-bird-refused-to-let-anyone-haze-him-during-his-rookie-year-with-the-boston-celtics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/larry-bird-refused-to-let-anyone-haze-him-during-his-rookie-year-with-the-boston-celtics\/","title":{"rendered":"Larry Bird Refused to Let Anyone Haze Him During His Rookie Year With the Boston Celtics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>These days, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored\" href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/larry-bird-once-bailed-on-the-celtics-white-house-visit-saying-the-president-knows-where-to-find-me\/\">Larry Bird is a living legend<\/a>. During his time with the Boston Celtics, the forward proved himself to be a deadly shooter, a ruthless trash-talker, and a serial winner. When he first joined up with his NBA teammates, however, he couldn't demand any special treatment. Even <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/tag\/Larry-Bird\/\">Larry Bird<\/a> entered the locker room at the bottom of the food chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it came time for rookie hazing, though, Larry Bird wasn't going to be anybody's lackey. From the start, he made it clear that he was there to win basketball games, no run errands for the Boston Celtics' veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Larry Bird's rise to NCAA prominence <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Magic Johnson, Larry Bird reminisce about their rivalry in college and the NBA (2009) | ESPN Archive\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ur9tZtwC8W8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/larry-bird-reveals-the-best-player-hes-ever-played-with\/\">Larry Bird Reveals The Best Player He\u2019s Ever Played With<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On paper, the best high school players will all enroll in big-time colleges and play their NCAA ball in the power conferences. Larry Bird, however, did things a bit differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During high school, Bird made a name for himself as a prolific scorer; he showed enough talent to earn a scholarship to the University of Indiana. The forward, however, wasn't destined to be a Hoosier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Compared to <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/larry-bird-made-24-million-in-the-nba-but-never-forgot-his-poor-childhood-in-french-lick\/\">his tiny hometown of French Lick,<\/a> the Bloomington campus proved to be overwhelming; Bird left school without playing a single basketball game. The forward headed home and took a job as a garbage man. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Indiana State University basketball <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/larry-bird-may-have-stayed-a-garbage-man-if-not-for-a-man-named-bill-hodges\/\">coach Bill Hodges<\/a>, however, couldn't ignore Bird's talent and convinced the forward to give college basketball another shot in a more hospitable environment. Bird joined the Sycamores and, within the blink of an eye, Hodges' persistence paid dividends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During his three seasons at Indiana State, Bird averaged 30.3 points per game. He also led the Sycamores to the 1979 NCAA title game, where they lost to <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/we-can-thank-larry-bird-and-magic-johnsons-1979-finals-clash-for-march-madness\/\">Magic Johnson's Michigan State Spartans.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No time for rookie hazing with the Boston Celtics <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">With the 6th pick in the 1978 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics pick Larry Bird. Forward. Indiana State. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mNIzjI8GmY\">pic.twitter.com\/mNIzjI8GmY<\/a><\/p>&mdash; SI Vault (@si_vault) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/si_vault\/status\/746097515628367872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 23, 2016<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/ranking-the-5-players-taken-ahead-of-larry-bird-in-the-1978-nba-draft\/\">the 1978 NBA draft rolled around,<\/a> the Boston Celtics snagged Larry Bird with the sixth-overall pick. Although there were some bumps along the way\u2014the forward flirted with returning to college and improving his stock before the 1979 draft\u2014he ultimately agreed to sign on the dotted line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although Bird had proven himself in the NCAA ranks and clearly possessed plenty of talent, he was still an NBA rookie. That meant he was expected to pay his dues as the new man at the bottom of the food chain. Larry Legend, however, <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/larry-bird-realized-that-he-was-destined-for-greatness-on-the-third-day-of-celtics-training-camp\/\">was too confident for any shenanigans; <\/a>from the start, he made it clear that he didn't have any interest in running errands for the senior players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Back in the old days, every rookie had to carry bags on the road,&#8221; Jeff Judkins told Jayson Jenks of <a href=\"https:\/\/theathletic.com\/1725703\/2020\/04\/09\/you-wouldnt-believe-what-he-said-the-greatest-trash-talker-ever-larry-bird\/\">The Athletic.<\/a> &#8220;I\u2019ll never forget our first road trip. He stood up in front of all the guys on the bus and said, &#8216;I want you guys to know: I\u2019m never going to get you any water, and I\u2019m never going to carry one bag ever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">It's safe to say that Larry Bird backed up his word<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Celtics Legend Larry Bird, according to Chris Broussard: \u201cYou kids just don\u2019t know\u201d | FOX SPORTS\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xomZ4kF0c4I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/larry-bird-hated-playing-against-a-white-guy-during-his-time-in-the-nba\/\">Larry Bird Hated \u2018Playing Against a White Guy\u2019 During His Time in the NBA<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More than 40 years later, it's not clear if Larry Bird carried anyone's luggage or not. One thing, however, is clear: <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/how-good-was-larry-bird\/\">the forward's confidence was well placed. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During his first professional season, when he was theoretically supposed to be carrying bags and fetching drinks, Bird made an impact on the court. He averaged 21.3 points per game, claimed the Rookie of the Year title, and helped the struggling Celtics return to form. That success, though, was only the beginning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While he struggled with back problems toward the end of his career, Bird spent 13 years in Beantown, averaging 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. He also <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/how-many-nba-championships-have-the-boston-celtics-won\/\">won three NBA championships <\/a>and took home three consecutive NBA MVP awards, and, as <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/larry-bird-is-so-legendary-twitter-named-its-logo-after-him\/\">his title of Larry Legend<\/a> would lead you to believe, established himself as one of the best players in NBA history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During his time in the NBA, Larry Bird could do just about anything; his talents, however, didn't extend to carrying luggage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Stats courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/larry-bird-1.html\">Sports-Reference<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/birdla01.html\">Basketball-Reference<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":1238002,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4814,62310],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.3 (Yoast SEO v22.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Larry Bird Refused to Let Anyone Haze Him During His Rookie Year With the Boston Celtics - Sports7<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"While he eventually became an Boston Celtics legend, even Larry Bird was once a lowly rookie. 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The forward, however, didn&#039;t take part in any hazing.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/larry-bird-refused-to-let-anyone-haze-him-during-his-rookie-year-with-the-boston-celtics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sports7\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-09-25T17:09:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-09-25T17:12:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Larry-Bird-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1850\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1232\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joe Kozlowski\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@JoeKozlowski_\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joe Kozlowski\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/larry-bird-refused-to-let-anyone-haze-him-during-his-rookie-year-with-the-boston-celtics\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/larry-bird-refused-to-let-anyone-haze-him-during-his-rookie-year-with-the-boston-celtics\/\",\"name\":\"Larry Bird Refused to Let Anyone Haze Him During His Rookie Year With the Boston Celtics - Sports7\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/larry-bird-refused-to-let-anyone-haze-him-during-his-rookie-year-with-the-boston-celtics\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/larry-bird-refused-to-let-anyone-haze-him-during-his-rookie-year-with-the-boston-celtics\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Larry-Bird-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-09-25T17:09:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-09-25T17:12:01+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#\/schema\/person\/54fa4083caedd42dabe199fbc16f92a2\"},\"description\":\"While he eventually became an Boston Celtics legend, even Larry Bird was once a lowly rookie. 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He covers the NBA and soccer for Sports7, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history \u2014 likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center \u2014 he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope \u2014 both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.\",\"sameAs\":[\"\",\"JoeKozlowski_\",\"\",\"\",\"\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Joe Kozlowski | Sports7 Writer\",\"email\":\"\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Larry Bird Refused to Let Anyone Haze Him During His Rookie Year With the Boston Celtics - Sports7","description":"While he eventually became an Boston Celtics legend, even Larry Bird was once a lowly rookie. 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He covers the NBA and soccer for Sports7, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history \u2014 likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center \u2014 he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. 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