Regarding per game stats, Bird is averaging 6.8 dimes and 9.6 rebounds. He was a two-time consensus first-team All-American in 1978-79, the College Player of the Year in 1979, a two-time MVC Player of the Year in 1978-79, and had his No. I didn't say that Bird was the best college basketball player of all time. Benson, of course, was a God in Indiana. Navigation Toggle NBA. Bird was nicknamed Larry Legend and The Hick from French Lick, after his hometown in Indiana. So it is a moot point. Body Measurement Of Larry Bird. 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. When the doubleheader was over, hed finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs while recording nine putouts from first base in the second game. He was brilliant against the Razorbacks with a a 31-point, 10-rebound game in the regional finals. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Larry Bird's college stats were as incredible as his mustache he averaged more than 30 points and 13 rebounds in his collegiate career. Bird was often checked by Magic Johnson in Michigan State's 2-3 matchup zone in theepic clash of two all-time greats. Extremely high basketball IQ, pure heart and hustle. Han slutade spela i NBA 1992. and even better, he did it mostly because of a dare, Mike Hayes, a Kentucky Wesleyan player, recounted the game. Bird won 3 MVP Awards, was selected to play in 12 All-Star Games, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1998. Indiana State star Larry Bird makes his way through the crowd of players and fans getting congratulations after his team defeated Arkansas, 73-71, to win the NCAA Midwest Regional tourney crown in . Games. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. 1 in Birds senior year that is, until a Michigan State team featuring a 6-foot-9 guard named Earvin Magic Johnson knocked them off in the 1979 NCAA Championship Game, one of the most widely watched showdowns in basketball history. When I started here, I wanted to see the high school, college and professional basketball worlds come together, and Bird symbolizes that. 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) . While he wouldve competed for playing time with 6-7 forwards Steve Green (16.6 ppg), May (16.3 ppg) and Tom Abernethy to start the year, Bird grew taller than May at 6-9, 220 pounds, making him a viable replacement once May went down with his injury. 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. . The next season, 1974-75, is where two of the greatest What ifs in IU basketball collide: What if Bird had stayed and what if Scott May, the teams second-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, hadnt broken his arm against Purdue in late February? Indiana State coach Bill Hodges, by the way, wasnt just in his first year as Indiana States head coach. 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. The following season . It was Bird's first experience with Knight in a gym setting. TV stations showed film clips of Bird instead of commercials. I just think when a man is open, he should get the ball whether it's 30 feet out on the wing or underneath. He was named NBA Head Coach of the Year in 1998. Bird always held a chip on his shoulder over that, even decades later. He's a 3-time NBA Champion, a 12-time all-star, and he was named to countless NBA teams during his roughly 13 years on the Celtics. Larry Bird once played college baseball as a dare, and he was actually good, The Clippers Russell Westbrook experiment is off to a terrible start. Larry Bird, playing for Indiana State, and Magic Johnson, playing for Michigan State, were two of the best basketball players during this time and were about to go head-to-head in a competition that sparked a rivalry between them that lasted throughout the 1980s. Is there room for eight banners on the south wall of Assembly Hall? In a first-round series that year, Bird badly bruised his face in a second-quarter fall in Game 5 against Indiana. Bird was too insecure for the atmosphere there and Magic hated how Knight yelled and screamed and bullied players so he went to Mich State. Celtics Wire. College basketball conference tournament predictions: Picks for every mens league. 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. Layed him out cold. IU had three . Do you have a blog? His Mom and Dad divorced while Bird was in HS, His dad shot and killed himself a year later. 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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. What if IU hired Jerry Tarkanian instead of Bob Knight, What if IU had solved Syracuses zone in 2013. I could play baseball, Bird responded, taking the coach by surprise. RotoWire names five under-the-radar players who could add value to your rosters as we approach fantasy playoffs. Larry Bird redshirted (sat out) his freshman year, and therefore, like Maravich, Robertson, and Hayes, his totals were also achieved in only three . But he has said many times over the years that he would have never been able to play for Bob Knight. After the 2011-12 season, Bird stepped down as the Pacers president of basketball operations, citing health issues. Gender: Male. Magic Johnson was in the class of 1977. You wont find much on Larry Birds short-lived baseball career, but those who were there wont soon forget. Wore the number 33 on his basketball jersey in high school, college and with the Boston Celtics. 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 . And the rest is history. 2 Notre Dame, No. But Los Angeles won the series in six games. In reality, he spent most of the next five years in Florida, playing golf and taking it easy. His Mom and Dad divorced while Bird was in HS, His dad shot and killed himself a year later. But even those legendary players didnt fill Boston Garden, wowing fans and dominating games as Bird did. Tiago Splitter solid in NBA playoff debut Beginning with favorable, Pagns TIME is normally 2 . Larry Bird - Stats, Game Logs, Splits, and much more . He's an impressive figure with incredible rivalries, but there are still tons of things that younger NBA fans should know about Larry Legend. This was easy to see when you noticed Bird's basketball stats. The Boston Celtics selected Larry Bird with the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft. Check out 50 great assists by Larry Bird. He just hammered him for being lackadaisical off of the screen and made him leave the open gym session. This type of behavior was par for the course with Knight, but a new experience alltogether for Bird. 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. Far from it. Home-game attendance hovered around 3,100 when Bird arrived at Indiana State, but as he had done in Springs Valley, Bird single-handedly packed the house and elevated his team to respectability and more. Larry Bird's college career. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998. Started collecting garbage upon his return to French Lick. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? His Mom and Dad divorced while Bird was in HS, His dad shot and killed himself a year later. The Whole Bird thing reminds me of that old country song"I overlooked and orchid while searching for a rose"! 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. Now the Sycamores are 33-0, they are ranked No. Bird once again led the team in points (21.2 ppg), rebounds (10.9 rpg), steals (161), and minutes (3,239). Durant, a four-time scoring champion, now sets his sights on Hakeem Olajuwon in 12th place. Career NBA statistics; Points: Rebounds: Assists: Stats at Basketball-Reference.com: . Hodges is credited with recruiting Larry Bird to Indiana State and coached Bird in the famous 1979 NCAA Final against Michigan State. Do you have a blog? Take an inside look at Larry Birds iconic steal from Isiah Thomas during Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference finals. Bird, now 30 years old and with worsening back condition and foot problems as well, would not win a fourth championship ring. "He's 6-9, was the nation's second leading scorer and that's not all," wrote The Evening Sun's Bill Tanton. Do you have a sports website? I think they may even have been on the floor together. He also owns Larry Birds Boston Connection, a hotel/restaurant in Terre Haute that also serves as a museum for many of his trophies and awards. Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. IU would have definitely won 1 or 2 more titles had Bird stuck around and become the player he eventually did. He was a superstar in college basketball, in essence. He did some commercials and appeared in a few films, including Michael JordansSpace Jam. His last-second heroics, ranging from seemingly impossible reverse layups to miraculous 35-foot bombs over multiple defenders, never ceased to amaze those who followed his career. A disk was removed from his back after the season, but it didnt help all that much. Jobbade sedan i Celtics frn 1992 till 1997 och coachade sedan Indiana Pacers frn 1997 till 2000. But everyone knows why Indiana State is where it is. ), We did a great deal of checking before he made his decision and the college allowed him to enroll, Northwoods academic dean Jim McElhiney told The Indianapolis News in September 1974. ", The Evening Sun's Bill Tanton: "At the beginning of the season, Indiana State was picked third or fourth in its own conference. 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.). where they fell to the Michigan State Spartans. Larry Bird SF #33. Larry Bird was originally in the recruiting class of 1974. Couldn't have happened. 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. 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! The Celtics, however, fell to the Pistons in the conference finals. 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. Indiana State nearly became the most recent undefeated national champion, reaching the 1979 national title game with a 33-0 record. NCAA Tournament. Larry Bird - net worth, private life. Real men play with balls this size, Warn said, glaring at Bird. Larry Bird stats. 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. Bird passed Otis Birdsong to become the NCAA's fifth-leading scorer of all-timewith a free throw early in the championship game. IU had three one-possession losses in the 1976-77 season and three defeats by two possessions. He was such a deadly shooter that he sometimes practiced 3-pointers with his eyes closed. The Hoosiers went 14-13 in 1977, later having their record adjusted to 16-11 after Minnesota was forced to forfeit two wins. What if Larry Bird hadnt transferred from IU? Hoosiers survive Big Ten tournament quarterfinal test. 5 ranking than their final record that was just one game above .500, having not cracked the AP poll after December 20. It looked almost like a straight uppercut. The massive strike zone should have given pitchers a field day, but they soon realized Bird wasnt there to goof around. Larry Bird, AKA "Larry Legend," was selected by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft. He was particularly hard on freshmen players, such as a young Larry Bird. Bird and Johnson were already playing their first year in the NBA by then. This blog is forever grateful for the meme template that sweet, sweet banner gave us. 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. Bird's stats are about as crazy as one would expect one the greatest players of all time to be if they played in a mid-major conference. Bird also won his third consecutive 3-point shootout title, a feat later matched by Chicago Bulls Craig Hodges from 1990-92. McHale just destroyed him. Data Provided By OT: Larry Bird College Statistics. Career information head-to-head including championships won, season and playoff stats, honors and awards and more. Birth Country: United States. 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. Knight could only shake his head at what he had lost. 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.. We had guys last year who didn't care about passing. 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". On February 6, 1988, Larry Bird won his 3rd consecutive 3-point Contest while still wearing his warm-up jacket. Three-time NBA champion with Boston Celtics - 1981 . Larry Bird played in the NCAA tournament just once, in 1979, but he made the most of it. 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. 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. The Cavaliers won in seven games; Boston lost three of the four games couldnt play because of his back. The Top 11 Ranked. By that time Birds scoring average had reached the mid-20s, and he was averaging upwards of seven assists. IU went 21-8 that season, finishing second in the Big Ten. Larry Bird averages for the NBA season and Playoffs, including points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and other categories, year by year and career numbers. A pioneering sixth man, Kevin McHale won three titles with the Celtics in the 1980s. Bird returned home to become the head coach of the Indiana Pacers in 1997 and led them to the conference finals. It's because of Bird. Finally, Bird enrolled at Indiana State, which had posted 12-14 records in each of the two previous years and where the pressure was not quite the same as at Indiana a perennial Big Ten power and national title contender. 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. 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? Birth Year: 1956. Celtics Jamal Mashburn recalled how Larry Bird responded to trash-talk at a 'Dream Team' practice in 1992 "Hey Larry, you ain't hit a jumper since '84." Thanks Jimmie. That came in spite of Bird playing with a fracture in his left thumb in the Final Four after getting hurt against Arkansas. Then, however, a loud voice suddenly halted play. So he cut the ties and went home. What if Sam Wyche didnt leave IU after only 1 season? Bird missed 22 games in 1990-91 because of a compressed nerve root in his back, a condition that eventually forced his retirement. Even though he had never coached a game in his life, the Pacers had no qualms about turning over the reins to Bird. As it turned out it created one of the greatest rivalries in sports between Magic and Bird. They thought scoring was more important, but passing is important.". * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). Bird literally despised him for the way he treated him at Indiana, and he has never been shy to remind people of the opposite trajectories of their respective careers. Editors note: This is part of a series of stories revisiting the biggest what-ifs in IU history. Or write about sports? Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. FIBA Senior Team Events Stats. 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. Net Worth, Salary & Earnings of Larry Bird in 2023. The following year Bird posted the third-longest free-throw streak in NBA history, hitting 71 consecutive attempts. I also really believe he can be a heck of a coach. He thought he had been playing pretty damn good that day. As of today, his net worth is around $75 million. (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. Bird played with a total of eight Hall of Fame players, though a couple played only a few games alongside him. You can watch the full replay of the '79 title game below. Larry Joe Bird (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick) Bats Left, Throws Left; Height 6' 9", Weight 220 lb. The Sycamores went 81-13 during Birds three-year career. Larry used BB to escape from his family problems! How does Larry Bird compare with other great NBA players? Here you have the answers. The small forward had just led Indiana State to a 33-1 season, with the team's sole loss coming to Magic Johnson . . Become an Annual VIP member today and get access to VIP content, ad-free forums & more. Under the leadership of Hodges, Bird and Co. went undefeated during the 1978-79 season and advanced to face Magic and his Spartans. They got married in 1989 and adopted two children: Connor and Mariah Bird. Larry Bird Net Worth. Looking at his stats alone, he is known as one of the greatest pure shooters in . 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. Birth State: Indiana. 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. May 12, 1997: Hired as Head Coach by the Indiana Pacers. Im new at this (coaching) game but I feel I can get the job done, he said. 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. ", 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. Season-ticket sales tripled. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. We present them here for purely educational purposes. He was named the NL's Freshman of the Year after playing in his first All-Star game.

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