Larry Bird

Lore & Background

Bird was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana, and raised in French Lick, Indiana. He played college basketball at Indiana State University, leading the Sycamores to an undefeated regular season and the 1979 NCAA championship game. He was selected by the Boston Celtics as the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft and played his entire 13-season professional career with the Celtics, winning three NBA championships. After retiring as a player, he served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000 and later as president of basketball operations for the Pacers.

In Their Own Story

The kind of cold Indiana winter where your breath fogs inside the building. Bird had just hit a three from the left wing, the kind where the ball sails so high it seems to hang in the rafters, and the crowd went quiet for a beat before the roar hit. He didn't celebrate. He just jogged back on defense, hands on his hips, looking at the scoreboard like he was doing long division. A kid in row 14, maybe ten years old, was still staring at the spot where the ball had left his fingertips. His dad put a hand on his shoulder. "That's Larry Bird, son. That's our Larry Bird." The kid didn't answer. He was still watching the spot on the hardwood where the ball had been, as if it might come back and do it again. And for one more season, it could.

Reader's Guide

Bird is a 12-time NBA All-Star, won two NBA Finals MVP awards, and received the NBA Most Valuable Player Award three consecutive times (1984–1986). He was named NBA Coach of the Year for the 1997–98 season and NBA Executive of the Year for the 2012 season. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice as a player—first in 1998 as an individual, and again in 2010 as a member of the "Dream Team". He was voted onto the NBA's 50 Greatest Players list in 1996 and the 75th Anniversary Team list in 2021.

Did You Know?

• Bird is the only person in NBA history to be named Rookie of the Year, MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year.
• He led the Celtics to a 32-win improvement in his rookie season.
• Bird wore jersey number 33 in high school because his brother Mark had it; he kept that number through college and the NBA.
• He grew up as a huge fan of the Indiana Pacers in the ABA and center Mel Daniels.