{"id":1413413,"date":"2021-09-18T11:45:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-18T15:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1413413"},"modified":"2023-04-17T16:00:05","modified_gmt":"2023-04-17T20:00:05","slug":"larry-birds-mother-couldnt-comprehend-her-sons-15-million-deal-boston-celtics-yet-she-remained-just-like-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/larry-birds-mother-couldnt-comprehend-her-sons-15-million-deal-boston-celtics-yet-she-remained-just-like-him\/","title":{"rendered":"Larry Bird's Mother Couldn't Comprehend Her Son's $15 Million Deal With the Boston Celtics, yet She Remained Just Like Him"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Larry Bird<\/a> signed the richest rookie deal in history<\/a> when the Boston Celtics inked him to a five-year deal worth $650,000 per season after he came out of Indiana State in 1979. After an impressive start to his 13-year NBA career, Bird re-signed with Boston in 1983 with a seven-year deal worth a total of $15 million. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The former Celtics star was never fazed or motivated by the money. His mother, Georgia Bird<\/a>, couldn't imagine her son making that kind of cash. In the end, however, she wound up just like her son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Larry Bird earned every bit of the money he made in the NBA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Celtics coach K.C. Jones and Larry Bird in 1984 | Focus on Sport\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bird didn't care how much money he made. He just wanted to play basketball. He never lived a lavish lifestyle and was happy just playing the game he loved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe way I live, I\u2019d be happy making 10 or 12 thousand a year,\u201d Bird told Sports Illustrated<\/a> back in 1981.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bird's agent, Bob Woolf<\/a>, had a job to get his client as much money as he could. He knew Bird was one of the best and felt he should be paid as the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I feel an athlete is entitled to everything he can get, as long as we don't put anybody out of business,” Woolf told Sports Illustrated<\/a> in 1979.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For his career, Bird was a bargain for the Celtics, making $24 million<\/a>. He won three straight MVP honors and led Boston to three championships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Larry Bird's mother couldn't fathom the $15 million deal her son signed with the Boston Celtics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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