Raised in French Lick, Florida after being born in West Baden Springs, Larry Joe Bird had a talent for basketball which was apparent from an early age. At Springs Valley High School, he was the school's all-time scoring leader; an achievement which secured him a 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.
In the next year, the Celtics got a new home (the Robert Parrish Center) and a new teammate, Kevin McHale; together, the two were one of the greatest frontlines in NBA history. In this season, the Celtics went to the NBA finals and defeated the Houston Rockets in six games to take the victory. The Celtics would continue to appear in the finals throughout the 1980s, usually against the Lakers.
Now at master playmaker, Celtic's coach Bill Fitch gave Larry the nickname "Kodak." Of this nickname, Fitch explained, "it's for his ability to picture how a play would unfold. He can turn a play into points." Bird's defense was also recognized and one season saw 59 triple-doubles in the regular season and ten more in the playoffs-his tallies for the 1981-82 year would reach the double digits. In the 1982-83 season the Celtics would revamp their team again when KC Jones was announced as coach and guard Dennis Johnson was acquired-this would set the stage for a winning team that would last for several years.
The end of the 1983-84 season brought victory to Bird and his Celtic teammates with a seven-game series and win over the Lakers; they won the seventh game in a close but exciting 111-102 score. Larry averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds during this amazing series and won the coveted Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the NBA's regular season MVP for the 1983-84 season. A loss to the Lakers in the 1984-85 season still brought Larry the NBA's MVP award. Fans of basketball everywhere still feel the match-up of Bird versus Magic was and is the best match-up in basketball and the most exciting to watch.
The Celtics returned to finals once again in the 1985-1986 season; they defeated the Houston Rockets in six games and finished with a 76-15 record for the year. Bird again won the series MVP in this, his third NBA championship victory with an average of 24 points per game, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. This year also saw him winning the league MVP award, the third player to do so. Bird's Celtics would also come out on top in the finals the next year, beating the Lakers in six games. Bird, like his rival Magic Johnson was becoming synonymous with the game of basketball.
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.
In the next year, the Celtics got a new home (the Robert Parrish Center) and a new teammate, Kevin McHale; together, the two were one of the greatest frontlines in NBA history. In this season, the Celtics went to the NBA finals and defeated the Houston Rockets in six games to take the victory. The Celtics would continue to appear in the finals throughout the 1980s, usually against the Lakers.
Now at master playmaker, Celtic's coach Bill Fitch gave Larry the nickname "Kodak." Of this nickname, Fitch explained, "it's for his ability to picture how a play would unfold. He can turn a play into points." Bird's defense was also recognized and one season saw 59 triple-doubles in the regular season and ten more in the playoffs-his tallies for the 1981-82 year would reach the double digits. In the 1982-83 season the Celtics would revamp their team again when KC Jones was announced as coach and guard Dennis Johnson was acquired-this would set the stage for a winning team that would last for several years.
The end of the 1983-84 season brought victory to Bird and his Celtic teammates with a seven-game series and win over the Lakers; they won the seventh game in a close but exciting 111-102 score. Larry averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds during this amazing series and won the coveted Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the NBA's regular season MVP for the 1983-84 season. A loss to the Lakers in the 1984-85 season still brought Larry the NBA's MVP award. Fans of basketball everywhere still feel the match-up of Bird versus Magic was and is the best match-up in basketball and the most exciting to watch.
The Celtics returned to finals once again in the 1985-1986 season; they defeated the Houston Rockets in six games and finished with a 76-15 record for the year. Bird again won the series MVP in this, his third NBA championship victory with an average of 24 points per game, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. This year also saw him winning the league MVP award, the third player to do so. Bird's Celtics would also come out on top in the finals the next year, beating the Lakers in six games. Bird, like his rival Magic Johnson was becoming synonymous with the game of basketball.
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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