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. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions. Larry Joe Bird (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope) Position: Small Forward and Power Forward Shoots: Right 6-9, 220lb (206cm, 99kg) . 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. In the last 7 years, I've been covering everything related to the career and job seeking world. His focus was on the court. When the doubleheader was over, hed finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs while recording nine putouts from first base in the second game. Even the mild mannered Kareem Abdul Jabbar once decked Benson square in the jaw during a pro game, after being delivered one too mant rib shots by him. 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. Check out the top highlights and plays from Larry Bird's storied NBA career. With Larry Bird, the 77 Hoosiers are probably a 20-win team and closer to their preseason No. Join our linker program. The Official Store of the Larry Bird Indiana State Jersey for College. Looks like Bradley's coach on 2/10/79 tried to give Bird the same treatment . 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) . We present them here for purely educational purposes. six players on the first team and . I have all the confidence in the world that Ill be able to handle these guys and do the things that are necessary to win games.. This was easy to see when you noticed Bird's basketball stats. Do you have a blog? Larry Bird's best teammates included Robert Parish, Kevin McHale and Dennis Johnson. He was the heart and soul of the 1980s Celtics, leading them to three NBA championships while earning a reputation as one of the greatest players in league history. Larry Bird Ball was the most popular sport in Terre Haute. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Indiana womens basketball Q&A: HooplaWyatt on the Big Ten Tournament. Published Jan. 28 . Larry Bird averages for the NBA season and Playoffs, including points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and other categories, year by year and career numbers. In 1977-78 the Celtics had compiled a 32-50 record, their worst since 1949-50. Larry used BB to escape from his family problems! The internet said that Bird's mother worked 2 jobs to care for Larry and his 5 siblings. Birth State: Indiana. The Boston Celtics had selected him in the 1978 NBA Draft, hoping that Bird, who had become eligible for the NBA after his junior year, might forgo his senior season-but knowing he was worth the wait even if he didnt. Larry Bird vs Steven Adams. They battled against Earvin "Magic" Johnson -- Bird's rival throughout his professional career -- and Michigan State in the championship game, falling 75-64. Career NBA statistics; Points: Rebounds: Assists: Stats at Basketball-Reference.com: . But there were plenty more heroics yet to come. There is the Larry Bird people know, the Boston Celtics legend, the hick from French Lick, the Indiana State University basketball king. Home; Tickets; Schedule. Nicknamed "The Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.He was inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998.. Larry Bird, in full Larry Joe Bird, (born December 7, 1956, West Baden, Indiana, U.S.), American basketball player who led the Boston Celtics to three National Basketball Association (NBA) championships (1981, 1984, and 1986) and is considered one of the greatest pure shooters of all time. When Bird enrolled in Bloomington, he joined the reigning Big Ten champions, an IU team that had gone 23-5 and missed the NCAA tournament after a loss to Michigan but won the Collegiate Commissioners Association Tournament to close out its 1973-74 campaign. Benson, of course, was a God in Indiana. 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 . Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson Stats. IU peaked at No. 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. It may have also hurt him in his transition to a big state school, where he lasted a matter of weeks after the start of the school year. Durant, a four-time scoring champion, now sets his sights on Hakeem Olajuwon in 12th place. 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 theres a chance that Bird filling Mays minutes wouldve led to one of the first Is the backup better than the starter? conversations, now famous on message boards regarding college quarterbacks. Birds 19 points in the 1982 NBA All-Star Game, including 12 of the Easts last 15, earned him the games MVP trophy. In the final, they played Michigan State, led by "Magic" Johnson, and together their rivalry would eventually be responsible for the resurgence of the NBA in the 1980s. 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. . "By noon, Bird appeared at a press conference, a rarity in his scheme of things. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? There may not be a folding chair in the state that would be left un-flung. 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). 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. 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. Larry Bird Comparisons: ( players sorted by last name ) - A-Larry Bird vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Their coach, Bill Hodges, is in his first year, the first rookie ever to take an undefeated team to the tournament final. Imagine Thomas, Bird and Magic on the same team. Born in 1956, in the state of Indiana, this player is known as the biggest reason behind why the Boston Celtics were led to the NBA championship in 1981, 1984, and 1986. 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. Bird also won his third consecutive 3-point shootout title, a feat later matched by Chicago Bulls Craig Hodges from 1990-92. Like many great national championship teams, IU faced a rebuild or a reload or whatever you want to call it the next year. Forward Larry Bird played 13 seasons for the Celtics. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. So he cut the ties and went home. He led the league in free-throw percentage four times. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. The Orlando forward played only 11 games this season after missing two years with a torn ACL. Hardly a change of clothes each day. It was Bird's first experience with Knight in a gym setting. The Hoosiers went 14-13 in 1977, later having their record adjusted to 16-11 after Minnesota was forced to forfeit two wins. 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. In 1987-88, Bird was the first Celtic ever to record a 40-20 game, with a 42-point, 20-rebound effort against Indiana. 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 . He also hit nearly 90 percent of his free-throw attempts. 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. Now the Sycamores are 33-0, they are ranked No. But Bird, ever the competitor, wanted to prove a point. In his other eight seasons as a DI head coach, he won just 96 games and compiled a .384 winning percentage. 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. Or write about sports? Talking trash to Larry Bird rarely ever ended well, as former NBA player Rodney Rogers found out the hard way. The team didnt have equipment big enough to accommodate Birds 69 frame, so they stretched out the longest pair of pants they could find, procured the largest hat on campus, and trotted out onto the field one of the greatest basketball players of all time. 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. He was unflappable and virtually unstoppable. His career averages were 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in 897 regular season games. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is a former American professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Would an 18-year-old Bird have been ready to take a complementary, if not starring, role as a freshman in the second or third weekend of the NCAA tournament? Mike Hayes, a Kentucky Wesleyan player, recounted the game, vividly remembering Birds bizarre, ungainly swing. What if Phil Dickens and IU football hadnt gotten the whole dang department sanctioned? Im new at this (coaching) game but I feel I can get the job done, he said. 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 recalls in his Book "Drive"--which he wrote late in his playing career-- how he never missed an opportunity to take it to Benson during their NBA days. (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. 11 in the AP poll that season and finished the year ranked No. Bird, the Coach of the Year in 1997-98, resigned as Pacers coach after Indianas Finals appearance. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. . 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. Birth date: December 7, 1956. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The College Jersey Store consists of a significant selection of Indiana State Larry Bird Jerseys, such as Mens, Womens and Kids, swingman, limited, Authentic and throwback jerseys for all, Away Larry Bird Indiana State Jersey at Out Online Retail Outlet 24-7. It would have been easy for the story to end here, with a healthy round of shit-talking and little else. 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. That was excellent. NAISMITH AWARDS: Player of the Year | Coach of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year, While Bird was most known for his scoring, he had a well-rounded game that included double-digit rebound totals and unselfish passing. Taking a look at the numbers behind Nikola Jokic's historic season for the Nuggets. What if former IU football coach Clyde Smith hadnt resigned after an open and undercover campaign to oust him? Despite losing leading scorer Steve Green and John Laskowski after the 75 season, IU got the band back together in 1976 and finished what the Hoosiers came three wins away from achieving the previous year: an undefeated, national championship season as they became the NCAAs #1 All-Time March Madness team. He missed 37 games because of the continuing back problems. Adding Bird to that IU team is almost an embarrassment of riches, giving the sports last undefeated champion a player who was named one of the top 15 players ever in the NCAA tournament during the 75 Years of March Madness Celebration in 2013. not larry bird basketball shorts 9%, the greatest considering that 2019 plus great for 90th percentile amongst certified remedies in most associated with football. His Mom and Dad divorced while Bird was in HS, His dad shot and killed himself a year later. He said he was prepared to leave the team after the 2010-11 season with the Pacers headed in the right direction. Bird won 3 MVP Awards, was selected to play in 12 All-Star Games, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1998. Season-ticket sales tripled. 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. His Mom and Dad divorced while Bird was in HS, His dad shot and killed himself a year later. Andy Wittry has written for Stadium, SI.com, Sporting News, the Indianapolis Star, Louisville Courier-Journal and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. . Larry Bird was originally in the recruiting class of 1974. Couldn't have happened. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Larry Bird goes to the basket against DePaul in the 1979 Final Four. The high school senior was drawing interest from top programs across the country, especially after he added six inches and 50 pounds in roughly two years, but he was focused on the in-state schools recruiting him. By. FIBA Senior Team Events Stats. 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. He was such a deadly shooter that he sometimes practiced 3-pointers with his eyes closed. The story was news to me. But Knight was not impressed. Indiana State went 81-13 during the three seasons in which Larry Bird played for the Sycamores. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. 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. src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=674090812743125&ev=PageView&noscript=1"/>. The following year was Birds last. He was a 12-time All-Star, a two-time NBA Finals MVP and a nine-time member of the All-NBA First Team. Stephen Curry has racked up 29,674 minutes and has played in 864 . Name: Larry Bird. Looking at his stats alone, he is known as one of the greatest pure shooters in . Larry Bird Net Worth. Larry Bird stats. Attended Indiana University for only 24 days. He missed the competition, and with each passing year the urge grew to get back into the NBA in a more active capacity. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. The small forward had just led Indiana State to a 33-1 season, with the team's sole loss coming to Magic Johnson . "He was named an Indiana All-Star.". They got married in 1989 and adopted two children: Connor and Mariah Bird. Fans always seemed to be willing to give a ride to Birds parents, who couldnt afford a car of their own. The 16th-leading scorer of all-time in NCAA mens basketball history scored 2,850 points in just three seasons an incredible 30.3 career scoring average after enrolling at Indiana University in the fall of 1974. Larry Bird. "He's 6-9, was the nation's second leading scorer and that's not all," wrote The Evening Sun's Bill Tanton. Player Season Finder . Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? 18 Alabama and No. When Bird elected to return to Indiana State for one more year, the Celtics dipped to 29-53. At different times, Bird has been quoted saying either Dennis Johnson or M.L. and even better, he did it mostly because of a dare, Mike Hayes, a Kentucky Wesleyan player, recounted the game. With five seconds remaining and the Celtics trailing 107-106, Bird stole an Isiah Thomas inbounds pass and fed Dennis Johnson, whose layup gave Boston the win. 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. Carreira Basquete universitrio. Or write about sports? Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. On the day after his uniform was retired in basketball, Larry Bird took the field for both games of a doubleheader in baseball for the Indiana State Sycamores. When talking about per game stats, Bird sports an average of 6.8 assists as well as 9.6 boards. As of 2023, Larry Bird's net worth is around $80 million; he has different income sources . ", The Evening Sun's Bill Tanton: "At the beginning of the season, Indiana State was picked third or fourth in its own conference. This guy is the epitome of everything Ive tried to do here, then-Pacers president Donnie Walsh said of Bird. IU had three one-possession losses in the 1976-77 season and three defeats by two possessions. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. 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. ; School Indiana State University; Born December 7, 1956 in West Baden, IN USA; Biographical Information []. Known as 'Chief', Parish played 21 seasons in the NBA and was one of the mainstays in Boston during the '80s, leading the Celtics to three titles. 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. According to The New York Times, Hodges once said his primary contribution during Indiana States national runner-up season was not messing up 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.