Larry Bird was never the strongest, fastest or most agile on the court. But he was the smartest and most deadly when his team needed him most. Call it Boston Celtics or United States national team. With both he won the disputed title. ‘Larry Legend’.
The legend – and a member of the Hall of Fame – celebrates his 64th birthday on Monday. In 13 seasons, he averaged 24.3 points, 10 rebounds and 6.3 assists. He also registered 49.6 percent in field goals and 37.6 in triples.
At 6’9 “tall (2.06 meters), Bird made his NBA debut with the Celtics in 1979 after a few months before winning the NCAA runner-up with Indiana State. That final that he lost to Michigan State was the first of his many legendary battles on the court with his now close friend Magic Johnson..
To Larry Bird, NBA Champion, MVP, Hall of Famer and a great friend, Happy Birthday and may God continue to bless you with many more!! pic.twitter.com/Iww5D82N66
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) December 7, 2020
Bird, who despite his height was an excellent passer and handled the ball better than or equal to any point guard in the league, won championships in 1981, 1984 and 1986. The latter is considered one of the best combined ever seen with a leading cast. apart from Bird, by Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Bill Walton, among others.
His record includes 12 selections to the All-Star Game, where he won the Most Valuable award in the 82nd edition, a Rookie of the Year, three consecutive league MVPs from 1984 to 1986 and two Finals. He also conquered the first three NBA triples contests. He had 59 triple-doubles, which is consistently used as a benchmark in the Luka Doncic-Larry Bird comparison.
He said goodbye to basketball as a player at just 35 years old in 1992 after his back problems. His last time on a court was with the US Olympic team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He won gold.
After his retirement, he managed the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000. If he did not win the championship it was by crossing with Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and the best New York Knicks of modern times. He was named Coach of the Year in the 1997-98 season, a tournament in which he ‘led’ Jordan’s Bulls, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Then he returned to the same stage the following year, falling to the Knicks. In 2000 he advanced to the Final succumbing to the Lakers of Kobe and Shaq.
In 2003, he was named the Pacers president of operations, a position he held until 2012, when he won the Executive of the Year award. He then returned to Indiana from 2013 to 2017.
Talent, to a large extent, is a matter of persistence. And nobody worked harder than Larry. Since he was a child on his family’s farm, as well as in the best basketball pavilions in the world. One of a kind. Immortal.
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