Under the leadership of Hodges, Bird and Co. went undefeated during the 1978-79 season and advanced to face Magic and his Spartans. Larry Bird - Stats, Game Logs, Splits, and much more . When the Celtics named Rick Pitino as the franchises new president and coach, Bird knew any role for him in Boston would be a limited one. 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. "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. Larry Joe Bird (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope) Born: December 7, 1956 in West Baden, Indiana High School: Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana College: Indiana State University Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1998 As Player: 897 G, 24.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 6.3 APG (Full Record) Carreira Basquete universitrio. Only a few photos exist from the game, but seeing it live would have been legendary. Is there room for eight banners on the south wall of Assembly Hall? In regard to per game stats, Bird averages 6.8 assists and 9.6 rebounds. Bird once again led the team in points (21.2 ppg), rebounds (10.9 rpg), steals (161), and minutes (3,239). Name: Larry Bird. Join our linker program. One newspaper in Indiana vaguely described the reason as personal dissatisfaction. He then enrolled at Northwood Institute, a two-year school with roughly 200 students in West Baden, Indiana, near his hometown of French Lick. Bird had a double-double in all five NCAA tournament games he played in that year. Larry Bird was originally in the recruiting class of 1974. He said he was prepared to leave the team after the 2010-11 season with the Pacers headed in the right direction. 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.. IU had three . Larry Bird played in the NCAA tournament just once, in 1979, but he made the most of it. Larry Legend dragged a coach to the national championship game who later had a five-win season and a three-win season in something called the Trans America Athletic Conference while coaching Mercer. Career NBA statistics; Points: Rebounds: Assists: Stats at Basketball-Reference.com: . We present them here for purely educational purposes. Magic Johnson was in the class of 1977. Once every generation or so, a player comes along who can truly be called a superstar. From his killer jump shot to his famous trash-talking, Bird could seemingly do it . Here are some of Larry Bird's notable career achievements and statistics: Three-time NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986) Two-time NBA Finals MVP (1984, 1986) . His Mom and Dad divorced while Bird was in HS, His dad shot and killed himself a year later. Having collected 7,217 defensive boards and 1,757 on the offensive end of the court, Bird has accounted for 8,974 total boards in his career. (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope), Born: December 7, 1956 in West Baden, Indiana, High School: They both finished their college playing careers in the spring of 1979. The Top 11 Ranked. Lets pick a winner in every mens college basketball conference tournament. Hodges allowed Bird to sleep in, which annoyed the folks who sponsored the brunch and the award, and some in the media. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Larry Bird Net Worth. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Its also fair to speculate that the south wall of Assembly Hall might be a little more crowded if Larry Bird had never transferred from IU. He definitely had a softball swing, Hayes recalled. Or does he simply become the most famous figure from the 1976 squad, adding another Indiana-to-NBA success story and making, I dont know, hand-me-down Larry Bird Sacramento Kings jerseys the most popular commodity at Goodwills in Monroe County in the 1990s and early 2000s? 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. Bird was 20, 21 and 22 years old when he eventually played college ball for Indiana State. I ran across this short narrative while reading Bobby Knight's book- "Knight-My Story", and thought it might be interesting to share to the board. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998. The .500 batting average still exists in Indiana State history books as one of the highest ever recorded by a player for the team. Andy Wittry has written for Stadium, SI.com, Sporting News, the Indianapolis Star, Louisville Courier-Journal and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Durant, a four-time scoring champion, now sets his sights on Hakeem Olajuwon in 12th place. With Bird in the mix, IUs 1978 team wouldve been built around him, Woodson and Radford. Russell Westbrook is being left wide open on offense, and hes still hurting the Clippers. Bird returned home to become the head coach of the Indiana Pacers in 1997 and led them to the conference finals. A crafty defensive player, Birds most famous steal came in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals against Detroit. ", In Bird's own words, here's the value he placed on ball movement: "My feeling about passing is that it don't matter who's doing the scoring as long as it's us. He scored 136 points in five NCAA tournament games, leading the Sycamores to the national championship game, where they fell to the Michigan State Spartans. That story is largely lost to time and even better, he did it mostly because of a dare. He pulls people together. He averaged a career-high 29.9 points that year, falling just five points short of averaging 30 per contest. Career Stats Game Log Splits. In addition to his three championship rings, Bird piled up an awesome collection of personal achievements. Larry used BB tThe internet said that Bird's mother worked 2 jobs to care for Larry and his 5 siblings. The small forward had just led Indiana State to a 33-1 season, with the team's sole loss coming to Magic Johnson . The small forward had just led Indiana State to a 33-1 season, with the teams sole loss coming to Magic Johnson and Michigan State. The story was news to me. 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. College: Indiana State (1976-1979) NBA draft: 1978 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall: . Thats what a coach has to do.. Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson Stats. 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. Learn more and register, International Stats at Basketball-Reference.com, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Bird was the embodiment of Celtics Pride. He was a classy, confident, hardworking player who thrived on pressure and inspired teammates to excel. He wasnt named to the Associated Press six-player All-State first team or nine-player second team, despite averaging 30 points and 20 rebounds, once putting up 55 points in a game for Springs Valley High School and 34 rebounds in another. On The Players Tribune's "Knuckleheads" podcast, former NBA All-Star Jamal Mashburn said Rogers had talked trash to Bird after a day of practice between the 1992 College Select Team and the 1992 Dream Team.. After a practice, as a group of players were standing around, Mashburn said . Wins over No. Larry Bird Rookie Year Stats. Complete NBA coaching record for Larry Bird, including regular season and postseason games. What if Knute Rockne came to Bloomington in 1914 and changed the trajectory of IU football? "He's a great passer and an excellent rebounder. They battled against Earvin "Magic" Johnson -- Bird's rival throughout his professional career -- and Michigan State in the championship game, falling 75-64. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:03AM. Former professional NBA player, coach, and NBA executive Larry Bird is well known globally. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Twelve of the top 14 picks in that years draft were seniors, with the other two non-seniors being juniors Kenny Carr and Bernard King, so staying all four years of college was still very much the norm then. They teamed with Bird and veteran Cedric Maxwell in a frontcourt that carried the Celtics to the championship in 1981. Despite being 6 feet 9 inches and 206 centimeters tall, he weighs just roughly 220 pounds and 100 kilograms. Although Johnson also turned in an impressive first season for the NBA-champion Los Angeles Lakers, Bird was named Rookie of the Year and made the first of his 12 trips to the All-Star Game. The pair made an agreement: A non-conference doubleheader was looming against Kentucky Wesleyan, a perfect low-risk opportunity to put Bird in a baseball uniform. games played = 41.4 ppg This is going off of their college career . Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is a former American professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bird returned to his role with the Pacers in 2013 before stepping down in 2017 to assume an advisory role for the franchise. 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. If I could, I'd like to play with him forever.". Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. 0%, great for twelfth throughout MLB between eligible remedies. The following season . He was a superstar in college basketball, in essence. 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? ---------------------------------------------------- The 1977 Hoosiers were led by senior center Benson (19.8 ppg, 10.5 rpg) and freshman guard Mike Woodson (18.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg), while just up the road, Bird was averaging 32.8 points on 54 percent shooting, along with 13.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.8 steals per night in his first season with Indiana State. Carr was his best teammate. The players looked up to see Coach Knight, just recently returned from an out of state trip, having an absolute cow and cussing up a storm, throwing shit and marching across the floor from the open doorway he had been peeking through. We present them here for purely educational purposes. RotoWire names five under-the-radar players who could add value to your rosters as we approach fantasy playoffs. 2 Notre Dame, No. Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana, Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1998 (Full List), As Player: 897 G, 24.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 6.3 APG (Full Record), As Executive: IND franchise, 2003-2017 (Full Record). Larry Joe Bird (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick) Bats Left, Throws Left; Height 6' 9", Weight 220 lb. It's because of Bird. Both Dinah and Larry studied at Indiana State University. Or write about sports? Hodges is credited with recruiting Larry Bird to Indiana State and coached Bird in the famous 1979 NCAA Final against Michigan State. 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. Bird also won his third consecutive 3-point shootout title, a feat later matched by Chicago Bulls Craig Hodges from 1990-92. But everyone knows why Indiana State is where it is. If the answer was yes, then theres a chance there would be national championship banners from 1975 and 1976 hanging inside Assembly Hall right now. Larry Bird's college stats were as incredible as his mustache he averaged more than 30 points and 13 rebounds in his collegiate career. Bobby would have won another NC with Bird. It was Bird's first experience with Knight in a gym setting. 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. If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. Boston survived a memorable Eastern Conference finals against Philadelphia in which the Celtics bounced back from a 3-1 deficit and posted come-from-behind victories in each of the last three games, then took the title over Moses Malone and the Houston Rockets in a six-game NBA Finals. Birth Country: United States. Bird missed 22 games in 1990-91 because of a compressed nerve root in his back, a condition that eventually forced his retirement. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. However, he was eligible to be drafted without applying for "hardship" because his original college class at Indiana University had graduated. An obsessive perfectionist, Bird was idolized by Celtic fans and basketball purists of all allegiances. Everyone knew Bird was destined for greatness in the NBA, but that didnt stop Indiana State baseball coach Bob Warn from roasting him. Larry Bird has helped define the way a generation of basketball fans has come to view and appreciate the NBA, said Commissioner David J. Stern when Bird retired due to a painful back condition in 1992, after capturing a gold medal with the original Dream Team at the Olympics in Barcelona. The Sycamores went undefeated and reached No. A disk was removed from his back after the season, but it didnt help all that much. The Hick from French Lick. Birth Year: 1956. Bird's Pacers fell in the East finals in '98 and '99, then came up short in the NBA Finals in 2000 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketballers of all time, it . Let me be clear, college basketball would look and feel the same if Bird never transferred from IU to ISU, but the 1979 national championship game Bird vs. Magic is still the highest-rated college basketball game of all-time, with a 24.1 rating for a game in which 38 percent of all TVs in the country that were turned on at the time were tuned into Indiana State vs. Michigan State on NBC. Their 9-9 Big Ten record was bumped to 11-7, making a tough transition year appear a little less harsh in the history books. 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. May 12, 1997: Hired as Head Coach by the Indiana Pacers. Bird, the Coach of the Year in 1997-98, resigned as Pacers coach after Indianas Finals appearance. But even though one might expect that he, a superstar, would live a high life of splashing cash every day, that wasn't at all the case with Larry. Larry Bird. That came in spite of Bird playing with a fracture in his left thumb in the Final Four after getting hurt against Arkansas. So it is a moot point. 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Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? 'Can I stay in bed?' Check out 50 great assists by Larry Bird. So he cut the ties and went home. By. Few played tougher than Bird, who would leap into crowds and over press tables for loose balls. RotoWire considers the best player values in Yahoo fantasy leagues for Friday's 10-game slate. He even plays defense, although that's not what's causing the NBA Boston Celtics to salivate over him.". The Hoosiers were still very good, winning national titles in 1976 and 1981, and maybe Bird gives the Hoosiers another in 1975 or 1978, making that three chips in a six- or seven-year span. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. The Boston Celtics selected Larry Bird with the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft. Playing in all 82 contests, Bird led the team in scoring (21.3 ppg), rebounding (10.4 rpg), steals (143), and minutes played (2,955) and was second in assists (4.5 apg) and 3-pointers (58). Body Measurement Of Larry Bird. Become an Annual VIP member today and get access to VIP content, ad-free forums & more. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Bird scored a team-high 19 points for the Sycamores in the 1979 national championship game but it wasn't his most efficient performance as he was just 7-of-21 from the field and 5-for-8 from the free-throw line. They both finished their college playing careers in the spring of 1979. ; School Indiana State University; Born December 7, 1956 in West Baden, IN USA; Biographical Information []. Talking trash to Larry Bird rarely ever ended well, as former NBA player Rodney Rogers found out the hard way. Home; Tickets; Schedule. It determined the balance of power in the NBA throughout the 1980s, arguably the most important era in NBA history, helping to reestablish the Celtics as the best team in the Eastern Conference during this time. We talked Hoosiers with our buddy at Hoopla. 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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The experience shook Bird. He was named the NL's Freshman of the Year after playing in his first All-Star game. The hours he had spent working on his shot as a youngster paid big dividends in the NBA. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. What if Larry Bird hadnt transferred from IU. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. 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.). When the doubleheader was over, hed finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs while recording nine putouts from first base in the second game. Following a sophomore season that was shortened by a broken ankle, Bird emerged as a star during his junior year. . forty-five, the most effective larry bird [] NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, NBA Legends: Profiling the league's greats, Ex-NBA player Morrow facing assault charges, Durant passes 'Big O' for 13th in career points, NBA Fantasy: Under-the-radar additions for playoffs, Magic's Isaac (torn adductor) out for rest of season, Triple-double win streak shows Jokic dominance, NBA DFS Picks: Yahoo plays and strategy for March 3. Bird enjoyed a phenomenal collegiate basketball career at Indiana State (30.3 points per game in a three-year career that included a trip to the national championship game). 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. Knight said that when Bird came to campus in the Fall of 1974, and the team would organize pick up games, that Bird would commonly get left out and would not be picked Layed him out cold. Birds status as an Indiana sports legend was cemented by the spring of 1979. UNLV 77, Duke 79, Kentucky 103, Duke 104, Notre Dame 91, UConn 89, Texas A&M 63, Stanford 62. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Larry Bird goes to the basket against DePaul in the 1979 Final Four. Do you have a sports website? Or write about sports? IU had three one-possession losses in the 1976-77 season and three defeats by two possessions. Benson was an all time great college player, but really just a servicable pro. Indiana State went 81-13 during the three seasons in which Larry Bird played for the Sycamores. Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.He is the only person in NBA history to be named Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, Finals . Extremely high basketball IQ, pure heart and hustle. ", The Evening Sun's Bill Tanton: "At the beginning of the season, Indiana State was picked third or fourth in its own conference. Thanks Jimmie. And in the 2000 NBA Finals, the Pacers succumbed in a six-game series to the Lakers, led by Shaquille ONeal and Kobe Bryant, for the Lakers first of three consecutive titles. He's an impressive figure with incredible rivalries, but there are still tons of things that younger NBA fans should know about Larry Legend. Indiana vs. Michigan State: Womens basketball game notes, how to watch, more, Everything you need to know about the Champs Big Ten tournament quarterfinal matchup, Three Things: Indiana mens basketball loses to Iowa 90-68, Indiana mens basketball collapses against Iowa 90-68, Indiana womens basketball: Big Ten awards announced. 7 Michigan State, No. UCLA beat Montana by just three points in its second tournament game, proving the Bruins were a resilient, but mortal, champion. We present them here for purely educational purposes. He also hit nearly 90 percent of his free-throw attempts. "He's 6-9, was the nation's second leading scorer and that's not all," wrote The Evening Sun's Bill Tanton. not larry bird basketball shorts 9%, the greatest considering that 2019 plus great for 90th percentile amongst certified remedies in most associated with football. He was selected to play in 12 All-Star games. Springs Valley went 19-2 and young Larry became a local celebrity. As a senior, Bird became the schools all-time scoring champion and about 4,000 people attended his final home game. Larry Bird was 1 of the NBA's most clutch players ever, amassing 3 MVPs while leading the Celtics to 5 Finals and 3 titles in the 1980s. The three-time NBA champion played 94 games with the Sycamores. In his other eight seasons as a DI head coach, he won just 96 games and compiled a .384 winning percentage. Years later Bird admitted.."if i had it to do all over again, I'd have gone back to Bloomington, after he had gone home". 1988 Men's NCAA, 2019 Women's NCAA, 1940 Men's NCAA, 2006 Women's NCAA, 1981 Men's NCAA. 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. 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 . They thought scoring was more important, but passing is important.". What if Phil Dickens and IU football hadnt gotten the whole dang department sanctioned? Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The guy had absolutely nothing. The Celtics' legendary playmaker is the only person in NBA history to win MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year in a career. 1 ranking. When Bird elected to return to Indiana State for one more year, the Celtics dipped to 29-53. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. As per reports, Bird made around $24 million over the course of his career. Forward Larry Bird played 13 seasons for the Celtics. ", Indiana State teammate Carl Nicks: "It's a tremendous feeling to play with him he brings out the best in everybody. Hodges said of Bird, "His only personal goal this year was to lead the nation in rebounds. And the rest is history. Player Season Finder . 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. Larry Bird was a co-star of one of the greatest college basketball national championship games ever - Bird vs. Magic, when the undefeated Indiana State Sycamores took on the co-Big Ten champion . 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. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Larry Bird was a co-star of one of the greatest college basketball national championship games ever Bird vs. Magic, when the undefeated Indiana State Sycamores took on the co-Big Ten champion Michigan State Spartans in the 1979 championship. Larry Bird was such a player. Bird chose IU because he likes coach Bobby Knight, the players, the fans and the way they have things set up there, according to The Noblesville Ledger. 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. Having collected 7,217 defensive boards and 1,757 on the offensive end, Bird has accounted for 8,974 rebounds in total in his career. 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. He earned the Rookie of the Year honours and also led a mediocre team . By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Neither Birds hometown of French Lick nor West Baden had a daily newspaper at the time, nor was either home to a radio or TV station. "By noon, Bird appeared at a press conference, a rarity in his scheme of things. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Attendance often reached 1,600 and they were all there to watch the blond-haired shooting whiz with a funny smile named Larry Joe Bird.
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