Larry Bird
“The Hick from French Lick” is the only person in NBA history to win the NBA MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year. In 2017, Larry Bird stepped down from his last official NBA role after a 13-year NBA career and 25 years in administrative roles with the Indiana Pacers.
Bird first rose to basketball prominence during the three years he spent with the Indiana State Sycamores. The forward became the Naismith College Player of the Year en route to the 1979 NCAA championship game. The Boston Celtics drafted Bird No. 6 overall in the 1978 NBA Draft. As the NBA Rookie of the Year, he brought the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Over the next 12 years, Bird became a three-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP, and earned the overall MVP two more times. Bird will be remembered for many things, including his legendary rivalry with Magic Johnson.
- Birthday: December 7, 1956
- Hometown: French Lick, Indiana
- College: Indiana State University
- Height: 6’9″
- Spouse: Dinah Mattingly (m. 1989), Janet Condra (m. 1975–1976)
- Children: Corrie Bird, Connor Bird, and Mariah Bird
- Jersey: No. 33
- Number of NBA championship wins: three
- Number of NBA championship appearances: five
Visit Larry Bird’s profile on Basketball-Reference.com.
Read the latest articles about Larry Bird:
When Larry Bird led the Boston Celtics to an NBA championship in 1984, he dedicated the title to the people of Terre Haute, Indiana.
It’s a tough task, but we picked our top five Larry Bird moments from his 13-year career with the Boston Celtics.
Larry Bird’s toughness ranks right up there with his basketball skill.
Bill Laimbeer quickly became Steve Glassman during the 1985 playoff series against the Boston Celtics.
It’s tough to see Larry Bird losing his spot as a top-10 NBA player in history any time soon.
Larry Bird was named MVP for the third straight time in 1986, but he also had plenty of help.
Jayson Tatum can learn a lot from Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird.
You could say Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird was somewhat selfish during halftime of Game 6 of the 1986 NBA Finals.
Len Bias was supposed to lead the next wave of Boston Celtics stars. He never got the chance.
Think that the Dream Team’s Monaco scrimmage was a peak basketball moment? Allow Larry Bird to explain why that’s not the case.