Larry Bird SF #33. He starred in college at Indiana State, taking them to the NCAA final game in 1979, virtually as a one-man team. The experience shook Bird. They got married in 1989 and adopted two children: Connor and Mariah Bird. It wasnt just that Bird played; he stunned everyone watching that day. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. 2 Notre Dame, No. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is a former American professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Having collected 7,217 defensive boards and 1,757 on the offensive end of the court, Bird has accounted for 8,974 total boards in his career. Lost to most people in the basketball statistics for the Springs Valley team that year, however, was a short piece in a Bedford newspaper that noted, "The freshman free-throw trophy was presented to Larry Bird. Larry Legend dragged a coach to the national championship game who later had a five-win season and a three-win season in something called the Trans America Athletic Conference while coaching Mercer. When Bird elected to return to Indiana State for one more year, the Celtics dipped to 29-53. Among Birds contemporaries, perhaps only Earvin Magic Johnson was considered a better passer and was a player who he would inextricably be linked with forever. Play Index. He even plays defense, although that's not what's causing the NBA Boston Celtics to salivate over him.". Learn more and register, International Stats at Basketball-Reference.com, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Larry Bird has helped define the way a generation of basketball fans has come to view and appreciate the NBA, said Commissioner David J. Stern when Bird retired due to a painful back condition in 1992, after capturing a gold medal with the original Dream Team at the Olympics in Barcelona. Despite joking that he hoped he could get the Xs and Os right in the huddle, and that he didnt draw up any plays with himself in them, Bird approached his new role with typical aww-shucks aplomb. Bird soon realized that it was actually HE who was the target of Knight's ridicule--because of the way he had come off of a screen in a pick up game. One basketball coach, however, apparently missed the memo. Mike Hayes, a Kentucky Wesleyan player, recounted the game, vividly remembering Birds bizarre, ungainly swing. Larry used BB to escape from his family problems! The 1979-80 Celtics improved by 32 games to 61-21 and returned to the top of their division. After 897 games Bird retired with 21,791 points (24.3 ppg), 8,974 rebounds (10.0 rpg) and 5,695 assists (6.3 apg). Maybe the UCLA dynasty, which featured 10 national titles in 12 years under John Wooden, the last coming in 1975, would have passed the torch to a burgeoning era of IU basketball under Bob Knight. Bird recalls in his Book "Drive"--which he wrote late in his playing career-- how he never missed an opportunity to take it to Benson during their NBA days. Note: at Spring Valley HS in his senior year., Bird averaged 31 ppg, 21rebounds per game and 4 assists). Bird averaged 21.3 points, 10.4 assists, and 4.5 steals in 82 games during his rookie season in 1979-80. Its also fair to speculate that the south wall of Assembly Hall might be a little more crowded if Larry Bird had never transferred from IU. The Sycamores went 81-13 during Bird's three-year career. Han slutade spela i NBA 1992. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. But even though one might expect that he, a superstar, would live a high life of splashing cash every day, that wasn't at all the case with Larry. But everyone knows why Indiana State is where it is. In 1975, he enrolled at Indiana State. Following a sophomore season that was shortened by a broken ankle, Bird emerged as a star during his junior year. That story is largely lost to time and even better, he did it mostly because of a dare. Indiana State star Larry Bird makes his way through the crowd of players and fans getting congratulations after his team defeated Arkansas, 73-71, to win the NCAA Midwest Regional tourney crown in . Years later Bird admitted.."if i had it to do all over again, I'd have gone back to Bloomington, after he had gone home". 'Coach, I'm dead,' moaned Bird. Larry Bird Net Worth. Having grabbed 7,217 defensive rebounds and 1,757 offensive, Bird has accumulated 8,974 total rebounds during his NBA career. The .500 batting average still exists in Indiana State history books as one of the highest ever recorded by a player for the team. At one time I believe Knight had Bird, Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas in for recruiting. For one day, Bird got to prove he wasnt just a basketball player icing up in the locker room; he was a star at anything he wanted to try. Could you imagine Bob Knights reaction if, just three years after IU became the most recent undefeated national champion, the Hoosiers lost that distinction to an in-state school (and not even Purdue or Notre Dame, but Indiana State) that was led by an outbound IU transfer? Larry Bird. Durant, a four-time scoring champion, now sets his sights on Hakeem Olajuwon in 12th place. He has tallied 1,556 steals, as well as 755 blocks and 5,695 dimes. Fans were filling not only Boston Garden, which sold out the final 541 games of Birds career, but arenas all over the country to witness Birds exploits. Martin Fennelly Former Sports columnist. His last-second heroics, ranging from seemingly impossible reverse layups to miraculous 35-foot bombs over multiple defenders, never ceased to amaze those who followed his career. Larry Joe Bird (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick) Bats Left, Throws Left; Height 6' 9", Weight 220 lb. May 16, 2022. Both Dinah and Larry studied at Indiana State University. From his killer jump shot to his famous trash-talking, Bird could seemingly do it . Larry Bird's career NBA stats. 18 Alabama and No. Larry Bird - net worth, private life. Larry Bird's accomplishments and stats make him one of the greatest pure shooters of all time. I didn't say that Bird was the best college basketball player of all time. Birds concentration and composure were unmatched. ), We did a great deal of checking before he made his decision and the college allowed him to enroll, Northwoods academic dean Jim McElhiney told The Indianapolis News in September 1974. He was a two-time consensus first-team All-American in 1978-79, the College Player of the Year in 1979, a two-time MVC Player of the Year in 1978-79, and had his No. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. You wont find much on Larry Birds short-lived baseball career, but those who were there wont soon forget. In addition to his three championship rings, Bird piled up an awesome collection of personal achievements. Best Known For: Basketball icon . Bird was too insecure for the atmosphere there and Magic hated how Knight yelled and screamed and bullied players so he went to Mich State. Take an inside look at Larry Birds iconic steal from Isiah Thomas during Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference finals. It was interesting to me a I never knew that Larry Bird had signed to play for Indiana, and the story of how he ended up at Indiana Stateinteresting stuff! A brutal sucker punch in the OVC tournament stopped the game in its tracks. What if Larry Bird hadnt transferred from IU. Season-ticket sales tripled. The highlight of Bird's three-year collegiate career came in 1979, when he led the Sycamores to a 33-0 record and their first NCAA Tournament berth in the program's history. Birth Country: United States. Nicknamed "The Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.He was inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998.. When Bird maximized his potential at Indiana State in the 1978-79 season, he took a Sycamores team that had a first-year head coach and was picked to finish third or fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference in 1979 and carried it all the way to the national championship game with an undefeated record and the countrys No. College: Indiana State (1976-1979) NBA draft: 1978 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall: . By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Then one day, Warn called Bird a wuss for his seemingly endless postgame recovery and threw down the gauntlet when he picked up a baseball. And the rest is history. Hes very intense. forty-five, the most effective larry bird [] 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. But Knight was not impressed. Knight said(to the effect).."I didn't handle that well, I just let him goI had a lot of good players(at the time) who were happy to be where they wereto me, we had a great team shaping up and I didn; envision Bird playing much for us until he was a junior, anyway. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions. where they fell to the Michigan State Spartans. A defensive maven who stifled some of the best stars, Dennis Johnson was an All-Star, a Finals MVP and won three NBA titles. Thats what a coach has to do.. It was his first season ever as a college head coach. Does the most recognized team in Hoosier history double or even, gasp, triple, its national championship haul with Bird in Bloomington in the mid-to-late 70s? The Boston Celtics had selected him in the 1978 NBA Draft, hoping that Bird, who had become eligible for the NBA after his junior year, might forgo his senior season-but knowing he was worth the wait even if he didnt. On the day after his uniform was retired in basketball, Larry Bird took the field for both games of a doubleheader in baseball for the Indiana State Sycamores. Knight could only shake his head at what he had lost. For reference, the 2019 national championship game drew a 22 percent share. Andy Wittry has written for Stadium, SI.com, Sporting News, the Indianapolis Star, Louisville Courier-Journal and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. For 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics, from 1979-80 through 1991-92, Bird personified hustle, consistency and excellence in all areas of play as a scorer, a passer, a rebounder, a defender, a team player, and, perhaps above all, as a clutch performer. The Celtics beat the Houston Rockets in '81 with Maxwell and Larry Bird leading the way and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in 1984 when Maxwell confidently told his teammates "to get on my back, boys" in the decisive . Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:03AM. When Walsh moved on to a similar role with the Knicks before the 2008-09 season, Bird gained complete control of the teams basketball operations and helped the Pacers end a four-year playoff drought in 2010-11.
larry bird college stats
