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Quick Facts
- NAME: Larry Bird
- OCCUPATION: Basketball Player, Coach
- BIRTH DATE: December 07, 1956 (Age: 56)
- EDUCATION: Indiana State University
- PLACE OF BIRTH: West Baden Springs, Indiana
- Full Name: Larry Joe Bird
- AKA: Larry Bird
- ZODIAC SIGN: Sagittarius
Best Known For
Larry Bird is a retired professional basketball player known for his years with the Boston Celtics and his deceptively nimble skills on the court.
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Play NowLarry Bird. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 07:23, May 21, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/larry-bird-9213087.
Larry Bird. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/larry-bird-9213087 [Accessed 21 May 2013].
"Larry Bird." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 21 2013, 07:23 http://www.biography.com/people/larry-bird-9213087.
"Larry Bird," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/larry-bird-9213087 [accessed May 21, 2013].
"Larry Bird," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/larry-bird-9213087 (accessed May 21, 2013).
Larry Bird [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 21] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/larry-bird-9213087.
Larry Bird, http://www.biography.com/people/larry-bird-9213087 (last visited May 21, 2013).
Larry Bird. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/larry-bird-9213087. Accessed May 21, 2013.
Bird's concentration and composure were unrivaled as well, and he established himself as one of the most unshakable and driven players in the NBA.
Contents
A Career for the Ages
Larry Bird led the Celtics into the NBA playoffs 12 of his 13 seasons—the team failed to make the playoffs in 1989—and with the team captured the championship three times, in 1981, 1984 and 1986. Bird made the All-Star Team 12 times and was named the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 1992. For three consecutive years, from 1984 to 1986, Bird was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player, and in 1990, he hit a scoring milestone—20,000 points over the course of his career. When Bird retired in 1992, he had accumulated 21,791 points, raking him 29th all-time scorer as of 2012.
The summer of 1992 marked the first time the United States sent professional athletes to the Olympic Games. Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and other NBA stars formed the American men's basketball team, which would become known as the "Dream Team." Bird and his teammates easily won the Olympic gold medal for the United States, and just a few weeks later, Bird announced his retirement from professional basketball.
Post-Retirement
The year of his retirement, Larry Bird began the next chapter of his life as a front-office special assistant for the Celtics, a post he held for five years. In 1997, Bird accepted the head coach position with the Indiana Pacers, in a move that returned him to his home state. Bird had no previous coaching experience, but he led the Pacers to a 58–24 record—the franchise's best at the time—in the 1997–98 season and was named the NBA Coach of the Year. Bird stepped down as head coach in 2000, but in 2003, returned to the organization as president of Basketball Operations. At the end of the 2011–12 season, he was named NBA Executive of the Year, making him the only person to be named the NBA’s MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year.
For his career efforts, Larry Bird was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. He was also listed 30th on ESPN SportsCentury’s top 50 athletes of the 20th century.
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View groupLeft-handed people are a rare breed—only 10 percent of the general population is a lefty. There isn't a definite scientific explanation of why people are left-handed, and although it might be an inconvenience for some, it's actually an advantage in sports. Legendary lefty athletes include baseball player Babe Ruth and basketball star Larry Bird. They're in good company with a wide variety of famous faces from President Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey to composer Wolfgang Mozart and entrepreneur Bill Gates.
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People with Animal Names
View groupBird, Bear, Crazy Horse and Kitty. Naturally, you'd think we're referring to animals, but actually, these are the names of famous people. Explore this unique category of individuals whose names are full of fur, feather and scales.
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