Larry Bird (Basketballer)

posted by Scott Andrew Bird

Larry Bird was one of the greatest basketballers to play with the Boston Celtics.

At 6'9 and weighing 220 lbs Larry was destined to play basketball. Although a little slow around the court, and not known for jumping ability, he was a fierce competitor and always a crowd pleaser. He was perhaps the best shooting big man ever to play the game, a clever player and had great court vision. Perhaps most importantly he kept everyone else in the team involved in the game.

His career began with the Celtics in 1980, at the end of which he was named 'Rookie of the Year', and lasted 13 seasons; all with the Celtics. During that time he attained some incredible statistics, including an 88.6% success rate from the foul line and 37.6% from the 3 point area.

During his last two seasons he was plagued with back problems, and was often seen on his back during a game whilst not actually playing. He retired in 1992, aged 36.

Larry was a member of the Dream Team who won gold in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

After retiring, Larry spent 5 years working as a Special Assistant for the Celtics Front Office. In 1997 he returned to his home state of Indiana to coach the Indiana Pacers. He was named Coach of the Year in his first year coaching at any level, and led the Pacers to a second place finish in the Eastern Conference, losing to Jordan's Bulls.

In 1998, his first eligible year, he was elected into the Hall of Fame.