Larry Bird
Childhood & High School Career
Larry Bird was born on December 7, 1956, in West Baden Springs, Indiana. He was raised in a town nearby his birthplace called French Lick. Bird was very successful at basketball at an early age. Bird attended Spring Valley High School in 1970. He was a key player on the basketball team. By the time Bird graduated in 1974, he was the team's all-time scorer. His high school stats led to recieve an athletic scholarship to the University of Indiana. Bird was going to play for the legendary coach Bob Knight. But instead of going there, Bird went to Indiana State the following year.
College Career
In Larry Bird's senior year of college, he led his team to the NCAA Championship. There, the Indiana State Sycamores faced off against the Michigan State Spartans. This game was the first time Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson went against each other. Their rivalry led into their NBA careers. Johnson and the Spartans defeated Bird and the Sycamores. That year Larry Bird left Indiana State with the USBWA College Player of the Year Award, the Naismith Award, and the Wooden Award. Bird was also the fifth-highest scorer in NCAA history, even though he only played three years.
NBA Career
In 1978, Larry was drafted to the Boston Celtics as the no.1 pick in the NBA Draft. He signed a contract of $650,000 a year. As a rookie, Bird averaged 21.3 points per game and became the NBA Rookie of the Year. He also led the Celtics in rebounding.He averaged 10.4 rebounds per game. In Bird's second season with the Celtics, they had a 61-21 record and won the first NBA Championship against the Houston Rockets. That was the first NBA Championship of Bird's career. Overall, Larry Bird won three NBA Championships for the Boston Celtics- in 1981, 1984, and in 1986. Bird made the NBA All-Star Game 12 times, won the NBA's Most Valuable Player three years in a row, and was named the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 1992. In the summer of 1992, the United States sent professional athletes to play in the Olympic Games. Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and other NBA players made up the American men's basketball team. They would be called the "Dream Team" a few years later. Larry Bird and the team won the gold medal very easily. After that, Larry Bird retired from the NBA. But he would soon later coach the Indiana Pacers. He also was the President of Basketball Associations. Lastly, he won Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year