American basketball legend Larry Joe Bird was a member of the NBA’s “Boston Celtics.” With his impressive career stats and several records, he is regarded as a legend in the National Basketball Association. It makes sense why he is sometimes referred to as “Larry Legend.” Larry is among the top NBA players of all time because of his long record of accomplishments. In addition to winning three NBA tournaments, he has received five MVP awards.
Larry is considered the greatest shooter, intimidator, and scorer of all time, having won 12 NBA All-Star titles and nine All-NBA First Team accolades. In addition to winning NBA Executive of the Year and Best Coach honors, he enjoyed a prosperous post-retirement career. Although his immense self-assurance has enabled him to accomplish several amazing feats on the court, it has also somewhat disgraced him as he is known for being a big-time trash talker.
Biography:
Born: December 7, 1956 in West Baden, Indiana, USA
Birth name: Larry Joe Bird
Nicknames: Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope
Height: 6′ 9″ (2.06 m)
Childhood & Personal Life:
Larry Bird was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana on December 7, 1956. He was raised in this settlement, which is close to French Lick, a town. Claude Joseph “Joe” Bird, Larry’s father, relocated to French Lick in search of employment when his family broke up. Georgia, Larry’s mother, was having a hard time raising him and his five siblings back in the hamlet.
He has a sister named Linda and three brothers named Mike, Mark, Jeff, and Eddie. Georgia was able to make ends meet by working two separate jobs.
Larry played a variety of sports and had a lifelong interest in them. By the time he got to high school, his only focus was basketball.
He worked really hard to hone his talents after realizing one day that he can be a good basketball player.
His parents parted at this time since they were going through a difficult moment. Larry was impacted by their divorce and left his family behind. This gave him the ideal chance to commit to basketball full-time. He took on a lot of odd jobs to help maintain his family. In French Lick, Larry was also employed as a garbage truck driver.
In his personal life, Bird married his high school sweetheart, Janet Condra, with whom he has a daughter, Corrie, and had a brief marriage. His father killed himself a year after the divorce. Larry Mattingly wed Dinah Mattingly in 1989 and adopted Conner and Mariah.
Net Worth:
Larry Bird possesses a $75 million net worth. Larry Bird was a legendary player on both offense and defense because of his extraordinary basketball IQ, accurate shooting, and unwavering work ethic.
With three NBA Championships (1981, 1984, 1986), two NBA Finals MVP crowns, and three consecutive NBA MVP awards (1984–1986), his career was filled with honors that cemented his status as a member of basketball royalty. A 12-time All-Star, he is still one of the select few players whose exceptional shooting efficiency has earned him a spot in the exclusive 50-40-90 club.
As he made the move from playing to coaching and front-office positions most notably as coach of the Indiana Pacers and then as its President of Basketball Operations Bird’s notoriety also stretched beyond his playing career. His epic rivalry with Magic Johnson, which started in college and continued into their professional careers, helped to further propel his notoriety and established him as an iconic personality in sports history in addition to being a recognized player.
Awards & Honours:
- 3× NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986)
- 2× NBA Finals MVP (1984, 1986)
- 3× NBA Most Valuable Player (1984–1986)
- 12× NBA All-Star (1980–1988, 1990–1992)
- NBA All-Star Game MVP (1982)
- 9× All-NBA First Team (1980–1988)
- All-NBA Second Team (1990)
- 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1982–1984)
- NBA Rookie of the Year (1980)
- NBA All-Rookie First Team (1980)
- 3× Three-point Shootout champion (1986–1988)
- 2× NBA three-point field goals leader (1986, 1987)
- Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996
- No. 33 retired by Boston Celtics
- NBA All-Star Game head coach (1998)
- NBA Coach of the Year (1998)
- NBA Executive of the Year (2012)
Fun Facts:
- Larry Bird wore a basketball jersey with the number 33 while playing for the Boston Celtics, in college, and in high school.
- Won the NBA championship three times, with the Boston Celtics.
- Won three NBA MVP trophies in a row, from 1984 to 1986.
- MVP of the NBA Finals twice.
- NBA MVP, NBA Coach of the Year, and NBA Executive of the Year were all firsts awarded to him.
