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? Bird took just two shots that night and made both, according to the Philadelphia Daily News, while he helped teammates Carl Nicks and Steve Reed score 50 combined. He led the league in free-throw percentage four times. The end of Birds career was at hand, but not before one last achievement: a gold medal with the 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream Team, which dominated the competition at Barcelona and won millions of fans for the sport with its brilliance. An offseason trade with Golden State which that many consider the most lopsided in NBA history brought center Robert Parish and a future first-round pick (which became Kevin McHale) to Boston. 1 ranking. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Larry Bird, AKA "Larry Legend," was selected by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Larry Bird goes to the basket against DePaul in the 1979 Final Four. Hall of Fame Boston Celtics forward Larry Joe Bird is considered one of the greatest to play the game (never mind for the Celtics) because of how clutch a player he was. An undefeated IU team with a healthy Scott May or Larry Bird, let alone both, wouldve made for a compelling matchup with Woodens final UCLA team. Russell Westbrook is being left wide open on offense, and hes still hurting the Clippers. where they fell to the Michigan State Spartans. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Or write about sports? He thought he had been playing pretty damn good that day. 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 . Learn more and register, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. Mike Hayes, a Kentucky Wesleyan player, recounted the game, vividly remembering Birds bizarre, ungainly swing. A pioneering sixth man, Kevin McHale won three titles with the Celtics in the 1980s. "At 9 o'clock yesterday [Bill] Hodges went to wake up Bird for a brunch at which he was to receive the Player of the Year Award. He's a 3-time NBA Champion, a 12-time all-star, and he was named to countless NBA teams during his roughly 13 years on the Celtics. Nearly 30 years ago, then-college basketball star Jamal Mashburn saw Larry Bird in a hotel prior to a week of scrimmages between The Dream Team and some of the country's top college players. Larry Bird age, height, weight, net worth 2023, wife, kids, gay The Larry Bird Draft Story | SQUAD, LLC Larry Bird stats. Larry Bird Thought He Would Be A Construction Worker Instead Of A Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Finally, with the Celtics in a decline that hit bottom in 1996-97, Bird decided to take the plunge. Carr was his best teammate. Coming out of Springs Valley, Bird chose IU over Indiana State and Purdue after being pursued by more than 50 schools, according to The Herald (Jasper, Ind.). And then there is a lesser known Bird, the college baseball . As of today, his net worth is around $75 million. Larry Bird Rookie Year Stats. With Bird as the focal point of a well-rounded squad, the Celtics won three NBA titles and 10 Atlantic Division crowns. when they were picking teams! Complete NBA coaching record for Larry Bird, including regular season and postseason games. Bird was one of the best scorers in the country, a big forward who led the way for the Sycamores from the Missouri Valley Conference to the biggest national stage. (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope), Born: December 7, 1956 in West Baden, Indiana, High School: On February 6, 1988, Larry Bird won his 3rd consecutive 3-point Contest while still wearing his warm-up jacket. He did some commercials and appeared in a few films, including Michael JordansSpace Jam. He definitely had a softball swing, Hayes recalled. Larry Bird - net worth, private life. 10 Things Younger NBA Fans Should Know About Larry Bird - TheSportster Benson, of course, was a God in Indiana. Taking a look at the numbers behind Nikola Jokic's historic season for the Nuggets. School: Indiana StatePosition: ForwardHeight: 6-9Weight: 220 poundsYears active: 1976-79NCAA tournament record: 4-1Career averages: 30.3 points per game, 13.3 rebounds per game, 4.6 assists per game, 53.3% shooting. But even those legendary players didnt fill Boston Garden, wowing fans and dominating games as Bird did. 'Coach, I'm dead,' moaned Bird. 10 Bird Was A Part Of The Most Watched College Game Ever The Sycamores went 81-13 during Bird's three-year career. Get to know Larry Bird: Stats, records and more - RSN The Hoosiers went 14-13 in 1977, later having their record adjusted to 16-11 after Minnesota was forced to forfeit two wins. Find out more. An obsessive perfectionist, Bird was idolized by Celtic fans and basketball purists of all allegiances. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. This blog is forever grateful for the meme template that sweet, sweet banner gave us. In a nationally televised game against Portland in March, Bird pulled off one final miracle performance he scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, including the Celtics last nine points and a game-tying 3-pointer with two seconds left. With five seconds remaining and the Celtics trailing 107-106, Bird stole an Isiah Thomas inbounds pass and fed Dennis Johnson, whose layup gave Boston the win. Here are some of the records and historical rankings that Larry Bird achieved at Indiana State: Michigan State coach Jud Heathcote after watching him in the Final Four: "I could not believe The Bird. LeBron James Vs Larry Bird: A Statistical Comparison - Sportskeeda Join our linker program. As the NBA celebrates it's 75th Anniversary Season, get to know dozens of star players who helped make the NBA what it is today. Bird helped rebuild a Celtics franchise that had been suffering from sub-standard play and poor attendance in the late 1970s. His career averages were 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in 897 regular season games. Under the leadership of Hodges, Bird and Co. went undefeated during the 1978-79 season and advanced to face Magic and his Spartans. We had guys last year who didn't care about passing. Larry Bird was born on 7 December 1956, making him 64 years old as of today, 2 August 2021. 31.8 - HOF Larry Bird - Indiana State - 30.3 . All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Do you have a blog? 5 ranking than their final record that was just one game above .500, having not cracked the AP poll after December 20. But mostly he was bored. If I could, I'd like to play with him forever.". But he has said many times over the years that he would have never been able to play for Bob Knight. January 19, 2023 3:00 am ET. Having grabbed 7,217 defensive rebounds and 1,757 offensive, Bird has accumulated 8,974 total rebounds during his NBA career. Even if we dont rewrite Mays season-ending injury in this post, could Larry Bird have gone from being snubbed by the 15-player AP All-State Team one spring to a March Madness hero the next? Bird finished with 49 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists and four steals. Larry Bird - BR Bullpen - Baseball-Reference.com Learn more and register, International Stats at Basketball-Reference.com, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. He once saw to it that McHale went for 40+ against Benson, ordering the guys to just feed the ball into Mchale every time down the floor. Gambling problem? What if Larry Bird hadnt transferred from IU? Cathie. IU peaked at No. In Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals against Atlanta, Bird engaged in a memorable fourth-quarter shootout with the Hawks Dominique Wilkins. His NBA years : from 1980 to 1992 Larry Bird NBA Stats Summary : Larry Bird is recognized as one of the greatest NBA players of all time. Is there room for eight banners on the south wall of Assembly Hall? Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Benson was an all time great college player, but really just a servicable pro. Loved to watch him play. The Top 11 Ranked. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 4:50AM. May 12, 1997: Hired as Head Coach by the Indiana Pacers. Andy Wittry has written for Stadium, SI.com, Sporting News, the Indianapolis Star, Louisville Courier-Journal and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Do you have a sports website? Born: December 7, 1956 in West Baden, Indiana us College: Indiana State University High School: Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana IU had three . This type of behavior was par for the course with Knight, but a new experience alltogether for Bird. 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. Their top eight scorers eventually played in the NBA and they were a 31-1 juggernaut that ran through the Big Ten gauntlet unscathed and suffered their only loss of the season against Kentucky, 92-90, in the regional final. Larry Bird was a standout in Boston and one of the NBAs most iconic players ever. ; School Indiana State University; Born December 7, 1956 in West Baden, IN USA; Biographical Information []. As freshman and junior varsity statistics do not count toward official NCAA records, three playersPete Maravich, Oscar Robertson and Elvin Hayesonly had three seasons to compile their totals. Larry Bird then married Dinah Mattingly on September 30, 1989, who he met while studying at the Indiana State University. Warn noted that Bird played baseball with the same energy he brought to the court: He plays the game just as he does basketball, with every ounce he has. The Cavaliers won in seven games; Boston lost three of the four games couldnt play because of his back. In the final, they played Michigan State, led by "Magic" Johnson, and together their rivalry would eventually be responsible for the resurgence of the NBA in the 1980s. I'm going to assume this is legit because he lists about 20 million sources at the end of it. Ballinger had proof. Like Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, John Havlicek and Dave Cowens, the low-key Bird never forced the spotlight upon himself, but rather was a player who brought out the best in the players around him. 2 Notre Dame, No. It would have been easy for the story to end here, with a healthy round of shit-talking and little else. He has tallied 1,556 steals, as well as 755 blocks and 5,695 dimes. Birth date: December 7, 1956. Bird found the transition to college life difficult. As a senior at Springs Valley High School, Bird averaged nearly 31 points and 21 rebounds per game. He was remarking to one of the players before the game that he just wanted to do well; he didnt want to let the team down.. College: University of Hoosiers: Religion: Christian: Nationality: American: Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius: Gender: Male: Sexual Orientation: Straight: Marital Status: Married: . Then, however, a loud voice suddenly halted play. Larry Bird - bhavik blogs Imagine what he wouldve done with a Hall-of-Fame head coach and future NBA players as teammates! Do you have a blog? Once every generation or so, a player comes along who can truly be called a superstar. He started out as an Indiana Hoosier but later left the school and team coached by the legendary Bobby Knight. He even plays defense, although that's not what's causing the NBA Boston Celtics to salivate over him.". The three-time NBA champion played 94 games with the Sycamores. In 1975, John Woodens last season, UCLA won its 10th national championship to cap off an NCAA tournament run in which it needed overtime to beat Michigan in the opening round and Louisville in the Final Four. The Boston Celtics selected Larry Bird with the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft. All rights reserved. Following a sophomore season that was shortened by a broken ankle, Bird emerged as a star during his junior year. 0:05. 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? TV stations showed film clips of Bird instead of commercials. Bird also cites an instance during an off season open gym, soon after he arrived on campus, during a period of "no contact" between the players and coaches. 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. He was unflappable and virtually unstoppable. Larry Bird vs Stephen Curry Stats - Stats Pros Larry Bird - Wikipedia Birds status as an Indiana sports legend was cemented by the spring of 1979. Birds 19 points in the 1982 NBA All-Star Game, including 12 of the Easts last 15, earned him the games MVP trophy. Birds concentration and composure were unmatched. They both finished their college playing careers in the spring of 1979. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. On a grander scale, however, college basketball may have needed Birds run with Indiana State to really make March Madness the spectacle it is today. Talking trash to Larry Bird rarely ever ended well, as former NBA player Rodney Rogers found out the hard way. Bird nearly doubled the Sycamores win total year-over-year from 13 to 25 after sitting out just one year in 1975-76, rather than two, after IU signed papers for Birds release. Gambling problem? It wasnt just that Bird played; he stunned everyone watching that day. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Hardly a change of clothes each day. It was the only time the Hoosiers had a record that was less than five games over .500 under Knights watch. How Much Is A Larry Bird Basketball Card Worth "Larry Bird finishes things," said Dick Ballinger, the varsity head baseball coach at West Vigo High School in West Terre Haute, Indiana during the spring of 1979. Benson would do things like figure out which side of the court Bird was warming up on, for instance, then come over and take the ball away from him and order Bird off to the other end of the floor. What if Phil Dickens and IU football hadnt gotten the whole dang department sanctioned? My goal is to . They both finished their college playing careers in the spring of 1979. At Springs Valley High, Bird scored 1,125 career points, averaged 30.6 points and 20.5 rebounds," Dana Hunsinger Benbow recounted in the Indianapolis Star. 1 in Birds senior year that is, until a Michigan State team featuring a 6-foot-9 guard named Earvin Magic Johnson knocked them off in the 1979 NCAA Championship Game, one of the most widely watched showdowns in basketball history. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Though Larry Bird never won a scoring or rebounding title, he produced stats comparable to those of the NBA's best and brightest through his well-rounded play, dizzying . I heard this story once and I believe it is true. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. French Lick had a population of 2,059, most of whom came out to watch Springs Valley High Schools home games in a state that takes its schoolboy basketball very seriously. Larry Bird | Boston Celtics | NBA.com Birth Year: 1956. Other notable performances by Bird include his career-high 49 points against Wichita State in February 1979, scoring 29 points in the first half against Butler in December 1978, just 10 months after he dropped 47 on the Bulldogs on the road. 19 Minnesota showed the teams potential. . He and owner Herb Simon had discussed his eventual departure for a few years. Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson Stats Comparison | Career All Time Stats Home-game attendance hovered around 3,100 when Bird arrived at Indiana State, but as he had done in Springs Valley, Bird single-handedly packed the house and elevated his team to respectability and more. Dinah likes to keep a low profile, making rare public appearances with her husband at basketball games. Few played tougher than Bird, who would leap into crowds and over press tables for loose balls. Everyone remembers Michael Jordans decision to leave the Bulls and pursue a career in baseball, but it was Larry Bird who tried his hand at the game on April 28, 1979, and became a one-day legend in the process. Kent Benson was the bigest name in Indiana basketball back then, but an A1 arrogant asshole as well, at least by most accounts of those who knew him. Larry Bird Fast Facts | CNN He was also called Kodak by his first NBA coach, Bill Fitch, . He won the NBA Executive of the Year award in 2012 to become the only person in NBA history to win Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:03AM. It looked almost like a straight uppercut. The massive strike zone should have given pitchers a field day, but they soon realized Bird wasnt there to goof around. That may have been to his detriment when he was a senior in high school. UNLV 77, Duke 79, Kentucky 103, Duke 104, Notre Dame 91, UConn 89, Texas A&M 63, Stanford 62. When talking about per game stats, Bird sports an average of 6.8 assists as well as 9.6 boards. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited.