Learn more and register, International Stats at Basketball-Reference.com, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. This blog is forever grateful for the meme template that sweet, sweet banner gave us. He was a 12-time All-Star, a two-time NBA Finals MVP and a nine-time member of the All-NBA First Team. 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. Larry Bird Net Worth. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Larry used BB tThe internet said that Bird's mother worked 2 jobs to care for Larry and his 5 siblings. Bird played with a total of eight Hall of Fame players, though a couple played only a few games alongside him. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Bobby said at this same time he (Knight) made a very huge mistake with having Bird room with an exceptional sophistcated player, with a very vibrant personalitythe complete opposite of Bird ..it was a very bad match-up..and Bird left school even before pre-season practice had started..He hitchiked home.and stayed! Here are some of the awards Larry Bird won in college: However, Bird was all business in spite of the awards he won and the fanfare he received. 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. Larry Bird SF #33. Bird was often checked by Magic Johnson in Michigan State's 2-3 matchup zone in theepic clash of two all-time greats. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, former coach and former executive. forty-five, the most effective larry bird [] Anytime you have Bird on the floor, anything can happen, Portlands Clyde Drexler told theBoston Heraldafter the game. IU went 21-8 that season, finishing second in the Big Ten. Larry Bird. When I started here, I wanted to see the high school, college and professional basketball worlds come together, and Bird symbolizes that. 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. Larry Bird redshirted (sat out) his freshman year, and therefore, like Maravich, Robertson, and Hayes, his totals were also achieved in only three . Even though he had never coached a game in his life, the Pacers had no qualms about turning over the reins to Bird. 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.). Loved to watch him play. 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. 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. Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson Stats. He earned the Rookie of the Year honours and also led a mediocre team . We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. You can watch the full replay of the '79 title game below. Become an Annual VIP member today and get access to VIP content, ad-free forums & more. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. He has compiled 1,556 steals, in addition to 755 blocks and 5,695 assists. It was Bird's first experience with Knight in a gym setting. Larry Joe Bird, "Larry legend", fdd 7 december 1956 i West Baden Springs i Indiana, r en amerikansk fre detta basketspelare och fre detta baskettrnare.. Draftad av Boston Celtics r 1978, spelade small forward och power forward i tretton ssonger. He led the league in free-throw percentage four times. . / NBA. Talking trash to Larry Bird rarely ever ended well, as former NBA player Rodney Rogers found out the hard way. Indiana State coach Bill Hodges, by the way, wasnt just in his first year as Indiana States head coach. Celtics Wire. In one of the only noteworthy gaffes of his career, Bird missed a routine layup in overtime that would have tied Game 4 of a playoff series with Cleveland that spring. 1 pick in the 1977 NBA Draft, and Woodson. Do you have a blog? With Bird as the focal point of a well-rounded squad, the Celtics won three NBA titles and 10 Atlantic Division crowns. 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. 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. Born: Dec 7, 1956 (66 years old) . 13, but spent most of the season outside of the AP poll. 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. So, what will Larry Bird's age, height, and weight be in 2021? 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. He was there to prove a point. Larry Bird's wife, Dinah Mattingly, is his high school sweetheart who got engaged and married the former NBA legend in 1989. Among Birds contemporaries, perhaps only Earvin Magic Johnson was considered a better passer and was a player who he would inextricably be linked with forever. Looks like Bradley's coach on 2/10/79 tried to give Bird the same treatment . Bird poured in 20 points in the final period to outdo his counterpart and lead the Celtics to victory even though he had bronchial pneumonia. 5 ranking than their final record that was just one game above .500, having not cracked the AP poll after December 20. 11 in the AP poll that season and finished the year ranked No. 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. They teamed with Bird and veteran Cedric Maxwell in a frontcourt that carried the Celtics to the championship in 1981. As of 2023, Larry Bird's net worth is around $80 million; he has different income sources . Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. Maybe Bird wouldve spent the summer of 1975 celebrating the first of back-to-back national titles at IU, rather than playing for Hancock Construction, a state-champion AAU team sponsored by the mayor of Mitchell, Indiana, which was the only team capable of knocking off the mighty Indiana All-Stars in an exhibition. 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. 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). Bird, the Coach of the Year in 1997-98, resigned as Pacers coach after Indianas Finals appearance. Check out the detailed 1977-78 Indiana State Sycamores Roster and Stats for College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com I could do that. Benson was an all time great college player, but really just a servicable pro. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. A disk was removed from his back after the season, but it didnt help all that much. Bird passed Otis Birdsong to become the NCAA's fifth-leading scorer of all-timewith a free throw early in the championship game. 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. Maybe in ways that we cant totally appreciate, measure or describe, the NCAA tournament might just be five percent less today if Bird never winds up in Terre Haute. In his first season, the Pacers with Reggie Miller as their main weapon were defeated by the defending-champion Chicago Bulls and Jordan in a tough seven-game conference finals series. It wasnt until 1983-84, however, that the Celtics returned to the NBA Finals. Indiana womens basketball Q&A: HooplaWyatt on the Big Ten Tournament. Larry Bird then married Dinah Mattingly on September 30, 1989, who he met while studying at the Indiana State University. They got married in 1989 and adopted two children: Connor and Mariah Bird. 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. When Bird maximized his potential at Indiana State in the 1978-79 season, he took a Sycamores team that had a first-year head coach and was picked to finish third or fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference in 1979 and carried it all the way to the national championship game with an undefeated record and the countrys No. They battled against Earvin "Magic" Johnson -- Bird's rival throughout his professional career -- and Michigan State in the championship game, falling 75-64. He pulls people together. 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). All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. He started his college career in the fall of 1979. Bird signed autographs for fans in attendance and Kentucky Wesleyan players before walking off the field that day. ", The New York Times' Dave Anderson: "[Bill] Hodges likes to say that his primary contribution to the Sycamores this season has been 'not messing up Larry Bird. Looking at his stats alone, he is known as one of the greatest pure shooters in . Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. 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. Knight went on"at 6-'6" and 180 lbs, I could not envision Bird being what he became, but I could see where he could become a "darned" good player for us". Knight signed Bird up to play at Indiana in the spring of his senior year.! Here you have the answers. I also really believe he can be a heck of a coach. Martin Fennelly Former Sports columnist. 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. The couple has two adopted children named Conner Mariah.. Family. Everyone knew Bird was destined for greatness in the NBA, but that didnt stop Indiana State baseball coach Bob Warn from roasting him. View Comments. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. At one point, Kentucky was the first school to do the heavy recruiting, according to The Heralds Jerry Birge. Larry Bird's Wife Dinah Mattingly. Check out the top highlights and plays from Larry Bird's storied NBA career. In regard to per game stats, Bird averages 6.8 assists and 9.6 rebounds. 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. 1 ranking. 'Coach, I'm dead,' moaned Bird. He was out to embarrass him from the beginning buzzer to the end buzzer of every meeting. They both finished their college playing careers in the spring of 1979. Ballinger had proof. 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. 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. Taking a look at the numbers behind Nikola Jokic's historic season for the Nuggets. He was seemingly able to get almost any shot he wanted whether it was 30 seconds after the tip or with as much time left on the clock . "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. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. As a senior at Springs Valley High School, Bird averaged nearly 31 points and 21 rebounds per game. Odds & lines subject to change. IU had three . Bird was 20, 21 and 22 years old when he eventually played college ball for Indiana State. (If youre looking for a new throwback jersey to wear at darties whenever all this is over, get your hands on a Larry Bird Northwood jersey. In a first-round series that year, Bird badly bruised his face in a second-quarter fall in Game 5 against Indiana. Published Jan. 28 . . Gambling problem? Started collecting garbage upon his return to French Lick. Larry Bird was born on 7 December 1956, making him 64 years old as of today, 2 August 2021. He was also called Kodak by his first NBA coach, Bill Fitch, . We present them here for purely educational purposes. Bird and Johnson were already playing their first year in the NBA by then. All rights reserved. He's an impressive figure with incredible rivalries, but there are still tons of things that younger NBA fans should know about Larry Legend. NCAA Tournament. 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. Only a few photos exist from the game, but seeing it live would have been legendary. You wont find much on Larry Birds short-lived baseball career, but those who were there wont soon forget. 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. It began as gentle ribbing, poking fun at Birds propensity to spend a majority of his free time getting ice and massages in the ISU training room.