Born in West Baden Springs, Indiana, Larry Joe Bird was raised in the nearby community of French Lick. Even as a youth it was apparent that Bird had an incredible talent of the game of basketball, being the all-time scoring leader at Springs Valley High School. His record in high school won him a basketball scholarship to the University of Indiana.
Coming from a small town, Bird felt a little out of place at the immense campus of the Hoosiers and wanted to drop out right away. Once satisfied with his decision to leave, he took a year off and then enrolled at Indiana State becoming part of their Sycamore team. Here he began to show true promise and in 1979 as a senior, Bird led his team to the NCAA Championship game where they faced the Michigan State Spartans. Another future legend, Magic Johnson, was a Spartan team member and it was at this first game the two would meet, but certainly not the last time these two forwards would play against each other. Indiana finished its year with a 33-1 record giving Larry a place in the school's history. When he left Indiana State, he left with a 30.3 points per game average and was the fifth-highest scorer in NCAA history-quite the accomplishment for the three-year only player.
In 1979, the Boston Celtics called on Larry Bird as their number one draft pick and he signed with them for a record $650,000 a year. With the Celtics, he averaged 21.3 points per game and earned the title NBA Rookie of the Year. He also dealt up 10.4 rebounds per game, 143 steals and led his team in minutes played at 2,955. He also led the Celtics to a playoff qualifier with 61 wins and 21 losses. Losing to Philadelphia's 76ers, the fans of Boston loved their number thirty-tree as they had seen some sad times in the early 1970's-the fans hoped for the return of greatness to Boston and with Bird, they could see their vision coming true.
The following year, the Celtics relocated to the Robert Parrish Center and took on Kevin McHale. Bird and McHale are considered by many to have been the best frontline in NBA history. In the 1980-1981 season, the Celtics made it to the NBA finals, where they defeated the Houston Rockets six times to take the championship. In the 1980's, the Celtics made it to nearly every NBA final, often facing off against the Lakers.
Bill Fitch, the Celtics' coach nicknamed Bird "Kodak", since as Fitch said: "it's for his ability to picture how a play would unfold. He can turn a play into points.". Bird was also a formidable defensive player and his statistics are truly amazing - his tallies in the 1981-1982 season reached the double digits. The Celtics became even more of a force to be reckoned with in 1983, when guard Dennis Johnson signed on and new coach KC Jones came on board.
The Celtics took the NBA championship in the 1983-1984 season in a seven game series against the Lakers, with an 111-102 score in the final game. In this series, Bird averaged 14 rebounds and 27 points per game, also taking the MVP awards for the series and for the season. Bird also won the MVP award the next season, even after a loss to the Lakers. Bird and Magic Johnson had a friendly rivalry which fans still talk about.
Returning to the finals in the 1985-86 season, the Celtics beat the Houston Rockets in only 6 games and made a 76-15 record for the season. He won the MVP award for the series, his third championship victory. Bird won the MVP award from the league this season, the third player to receive this honor. The Celtics would take the NBA championship again the next season in a six game victory over the Lakers.
Bird's biggest season in terms of numbers was 1987-1988 with an average of 29.9 points per game in 30 minutes per game. His field goal percentage was .527 and his free throws .916. He had to sit out the 1988-1989 season due to a bone spur, but came back for the following season; however, he knew it was getting close to time to retire. His status as legend was cemented in 1992, when he joined Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson on the US Olympic "Dream Team", winning the gold medal. With his career average of 24 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists per game, his 49.6% field goal average and a stunning 88.6% average on free throws, as well as a 37.6% three-pointer average and twelve All-Star games, Bird is a legend and his name is a synonym for basketball with fans all over the world.
Coming from a small town, Bird felt a little out of place at the immense campus of the Hoosiers and wanted to drop out right away. Once satisfied with his decision to leave, he took a year off and then enrolled at Indiana State becoming part of their Sycamore team. Here he began to show true promise and in 1979 as a senior, Bird led his team to the NCAA Championship game where they faced the Michigan State Spartans. Another future legend, Magic Johnson, was a Spartan team member and it was at this first game the two would meet, but certainly not the last time these two forwards would play against each other. Indiana finished its year with a 33-1 record giving Larry a place in the school's history. When he left Indiana State, he left with a 30.3 points per game average and was the fifth-highest scorer in NCAA history-quite the accomplishment for the three-year only player.
In 1979, the Boston Celtics called on Larry Bird as their number one draft pick and he signed with them for a record $650,000 a year. With the Celtics, he averaged 21.3 points per game and earned the title NBA Rookie of the Year. He also dealt up 10.4 rebounds per game, 143 steals and led his team in minutes played at 2,955. He also led the Celtics to a playoff qualifier with 61 wins and 21 losses. Losing to Philadelphia's 76ers, the fans of Boston loved their number thirty-tree as they had seen some sad times in the early 1970's-the fans hoped for the return of greatness to Boston and with Bird, they could see their vision coming true.
The following year, the Celtics relocated to the Robert Parrish Center and took on Kevin McHale. Bird and McHale are considered by many to have been the best frontline in NBA history. In the 1980-1981 season, the Celtics made it to the NBA finals, where they defeated the Houston Rockets six times to take the championship. In the 1980's, the Celtics made it to nearly every NBA final, often facing off against the Lakers.
Bill Fitch, the Celtics' coach nicknamed Bird "Kodak", since as Fitch said: "it's for his ability to picture how a play would unfold. He can turn a play into points.". Bird was also a formidable defensive player and his statistics are truly amazing - his tallies in the 1981-1982 season reached the double digits. The Celtics became even more of a force to be reckoned with in 1983, when guard Dennis Johnson signed on and new coach KC Jones came on board.
The Celtics took the NBA championship in the 1983-1984 season in a seven game series against the Lakers, with an 111-102 score in the final game. In this series, Bird averaged 14 rebounds and 27 points per game, also taking the MVP awards for the series and for the season. Bird also won the MVP award the next season, even after a loss to the Lakers. Bird and Magic Johnson had a friendly rivalry which fans still talk about.
Returning to the finals in the 1985-86 season, the Celtics beat the Houston Rockets in only 6 games and made a 76-15 record for the season. He won the MVP award for the series, his third championship victory. Bird won the MVP award from the league this season, the third player to receive this honor. The Celtics would take the NBA championship again the next season in a six game victory over the Lakers.
Bird's biggest season in terms of numbers was 1987-1988 with an average of 29.9 points per game in 30 minutes per game. His field goal percentage was .527 and his free throws .916. He had to sit out the 1988-1989 season due to a bone spur, but came back for the following season; however, he knew it was getting close to time to retire. His status as legend was cemented in 1992, when he joined Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson on the US Olympic "Dream Team", winning the gold medal. With his career average of 24 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists per game, his 49.6% field goal average and a stunning 88.6% average on free throws, as well as a 37.6% three-pointer average and twelve All-Star games, Bird is a legend and his name is a synonym for basketball with fans all over the world.
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