Larry Bird
(Born 1956)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1998
Card Shown:
2014-15 Panini Flawless
Hall of Fame
Position: SF/PF
Height: 6’9″
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Larry Bird (also known as Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, and The Great White Hope) was a hard-working basketball player with a strong will who led his teams to success at all levels of the game. Bird could shoot, rebound, and made many spectacular passes to set up his teammates.
In his first year with the Celtics Larry helped guide the team to a 61-21 record, 29 wins more than they had managed the previous year. In his second year with the team, Larry and the Celtics won the first of his three NBA championships.
After his playing days were shortened, due to a number of injuries, Larry served as an executive for the Celtics, head coach for the Pacers, and then President of Basketball Operations for the Pacers. Bird became the first person to win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, the NBA Coach of the Year Award, and the NBA Executive of the Year Award.
Awards and Honors
- Larry won the NBA MVP Award three times in a row from the 1983-84 season through the 1985-86 season.
- Bird won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1980.
- He was a 12-time NBA All-Star.
- Bird led the Boston Celtics to three NBA championships in 1981, 1984, and 1986.
- He was the NBA Finals MVP in 1984 and 1986.
Points of Interest
- Bird led Indiana State to the 1979 NCAA national championship game where the Sycamores lost to Magic Johnson and the Michigan State Spartans.
- Larry won the 3-point shootout contest at All-Star Weekend three times.
- He was a member of the highly-acclaimed Dream Team that won gold in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
- Larry played all 13 of his NBA seasons with the Boston Celtics, teaming with other Boston greats like Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.
- On February 4th, 1993 Larry Bird’s number 33 was retired by the Boston Celtics.
Statistics
Larry Bird Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com