; School Indiana State University; Born December 7, 1956 in West Baden, IN USA; Biographical Information []. They got married in 1989 and adopted two children: Connor and Mariah Bird. We present them here for purely educational purposes. He's an impressive figure with incredible rivalries, but there are still tons of things that younger NBA fans should know about Larry Legend. Anytime you have Bird on the floor, anything can happen, Portlands Clyde Drexler told theBoston Heraldafter the game. Learn more and register, International Stats at Basketball-Reference.com, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Become an Annual VIP member today and get access to VIP content, ad-free forums & more. 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. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Martin Fennelly Former Sports columnist. 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. Having grabbed 7,217 defensive rebounds and 1,757 offensive, Bird has accumulated 8,974 total rebounds during his NBA career. That came in spite of Bird playing with a fracture in his left thumb in the Final Four after getting hurt against Arkansas. And then there is a lesser known Bird, the college baseball . 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. Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. His back was also hurting, but Bird came back in the third period to help lift the Celtics to an emotional 124-121 victory. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is a former American professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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 Los Angeles won the series in six games. 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. Larry Bird Comparisons: ( players sorted by last name ) - A-Larry Bird vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. College: Indiana State. 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. Editors note: This is part of a series of stories revisiting the biggest what-ifs in IU history. Published Jan. 28 . 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). This type of behavior was par for the course with Knight, but a new experience alltogether for Bird. According to a warrant for Morrow's arrest, he's facing charges of assault by strangulation, second-degree kidnapping and communicating threats. At Indiana State here is what Bird did: 1976-77..aveged 32.8 ppg, 1977-78..averaged 30 ppg and 1978-79 ..28.6 ppggiving him a 3 years career average at indiana State of 30.3 ppg. Career NBA statistics; Points: Rebounds: Assists: Stats at Basketball-Reference.com: . Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. In order to finish his college degree, Larry Bird was working at Ballinger's school as a physical education student-teacher just weeks before becoming an . Bird returned home to become the head coach of the Indiana Pacers in 1997 and led them to the conference finals. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Check out 50 great assists by Larry Bird. Thats what a coach has to do.. In Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals against Atlanta, Bird engaged in a memorable fourth-quarter shootout with the Hawks Dominique Wilkins. Find out more. Following a sophomore season that was shortened by a broken ankle, Bird emerged as a star during his junior year. 2 Notre Dame, No. What if Larry Bird hadnt transferred from IU? 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. (Larry Legend; The Hick from French Lick), Draft: Boston Celtics, 1st round (6th pick, 6th overall), 1978 NBA draft, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:03AM. He and owner Herb Simon had discussed his eventual departure for a few years. Bird was the embodiment of Celtics Pride. He was a classy, confident, hardworking player who thrived on pressure and inspired teammates to excel. As a senior at Springs Valley High School, Bird averaged nearly 31 points and 21 rebounds per game. It was the only time the Hoosiers had a record that was less than five games over .500 under Knights watch. You can watch the full replay of the '79 title game below. 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. There are lecture halls in Ballentine Hall that are bigger than Northwoods entire student body at the time, and the school briefly landed one of the 20 greatest scorers in college basketball history. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. They thought scoring was more important, but passing is important.". Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. He won the Rookie of the Year award, 3 MVP awards, 2 Finals MVP awards and 3 NBA championships. six players on the first team and . He has tallied 1,556 steals, as well as 755 blocks and 5,695 dimes. Check out the top highlights and plays from Larry Bird's storied NBA career. Looks like Bradley's coach on 2/10/79 tried to give Bird the same treatment . When the doubleheader was over, hed finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs while recording nine putouts from first base in the second game. In an effort to stop Bird, Bradley coach Dick Versace installed what was referred to as the "Bird's Nest Defense," where two defenders would guard Bird and the other three defenders would cover the four other Sycamores. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Larry Bledsoe, the schools basketball coach, remarked how he was extremely pleased to get a player of Birds caliber, according to the Mitchell Tribune. 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. A crafty defensive player, Birds most famous steal came in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals against Detroit. Do you have a blog? As many observed, he would see plays not as they were developing, but before they developed. All rights reserved. Larry Bird, AKA "Larry Legend," was selected by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft. RotoWire names five under-the-radar players who could add value to your rosters as we approach fantasy playoffs. Theres no guarantee Bird wouldve stuck around for his senior season if he had stayed at IU, but doing so couldve allowed him to be the featured scorer on the Hoosiers if he wanted a larger share of shots after playing alongside Benson, the No. He even plays defense, although that's not what's causing the NBA Boston Celtics to salivate over him.". Carreira Basquete universitrio. IU had three one-possession losses in the 1976-77 season and three defeats by two possessions. If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. 11 in the AP poll that season and finished the year ranked No. The avid outdoorsman who also has a passion for country music, auto racing, golf and the St. Louis Cardinals has many interests. UCLA beat Montana by just three points in its second tournament game, proving the Bruins were a resilient, but mortal, champion. Larry Bird was such a player. Bird was often checked by Magic Johnson in Michigan State's 2-3 matchup zone in theepic clash of two all-time greats. Larry Bird was born on 7 December 1956, making him 64 years old as of today, 2 August 2021. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. ---------------------------------------------------- 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. Former professional NBA player, coach, and NBA executive Larry Bird is well known globally. '", Indiana State coach Bill Hodges on the notion that man-to-man defenses might slow Bird down: "If we go against a UCLA or a Notre Dame later on and they play man-to-man, that's when you'll see how tough Larry really is. We present them here for purely educational purposes. A pioneering sixth man, Kevin McHale won three titles with the Celtics in the 1980s. As a senior, Bird became the schools all-time scoring champion and about 4,000 people attended his final home game. The Celtics won the physical, bitter series in seven games and advanced to the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive year, meeting the Lakers for the third time. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Bird would typically start offensive possessions on the right block, where he would utilize the right corner of the floor, the fre-throw line extended and the opposite wing. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. NCAA Tournament. He was there to prove a point. 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. Bird was raised in French Lick, Indiana, and attended Indiana State University, where he helped revive . He earned the Rookie of the Year honours and also led a mediocre team . There is no question about his eligibility.. He also owns Larry Birds Boston Connection, a hotel/restaurant in Terre Haute that also serves as a museum for many of his trophies and awards. The Top 11 Ranked. Bird passed Otis Birdsong to become the NCAA's fifth-leading scorer of all-timewith a free throw early in the championship game.

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