The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. He was a 2x 1st team All American, future #1 overall lottery pick and 1976 NCAA player of the year, leading the 76 IU team to the only undefeated national title of the next 40 years. Take an inside look at Larry Birds iconic steal from Isiah Thomas during Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference finals. We had guys last year who didn't care about passing. And the rest is history. NCAA Tournament. He was named the NL's Freshman of the Year after playing in his first All-Star game. "At 9 o'clock yesterday [Bill] Hodges went to wake up Bird for a brunch at which he was to receive the Player of the Year Award. 13, but spent most of the season outside of the AP poll. Larry Bird was originally in the recruiting class of 1974. He missed the competition, and with each passing year the urge grew to get back into the NBA in a more active capacity. Even if we dont rewrite Mays season-ending injury in this post, could Larry Bird have gone from being snubbed by the 15-player AP All-State Team one spring to a March Madness hero the next? Looking at his stats alone, he is known as one of the greatest pure shooters in . An obsessive perfectionist, Bird was idolized by Celtic fans and basketball purists of all allegiances. Bobby would have won another NC with Bird. Bird returned home to become the head coach of the Indiana Pacers in 1997 and led them to the conference finals. Larry Bird stats. Under the leadership of Hodges, Bird and Co. went undefeated during the 1978-79 season and advanced to face Magic and his Spartans. But none of those things kept him in Bloomington, as he was gone before homecoming his freshman year. Or write about sports? But there were plenty more heroics yet to come. 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? 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. The Celtics won the physical, bitter series in seven games and advanced to the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive year, meeting the Lakers for the third time. 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. not larry bird basketball shorts 9%, the greatest considering that 2019 plus great for 90th percentile amongst certified remedies in most associated with football. He pulls people together. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. 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. Indiana womens basketball Q&A: HooplaWyatt on the Big Ten Tournament. If I could, I'd like to play with him forever.". Bird earned an assortment of accolades during his time at Indiana State. Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins battled each other during a classic Game 7 in 1988. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is a former American professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Find out more. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Larry Bird's best teammates included Robert Parish, Kevin McHale and Dennis Johnson. 31.8 - HOF Larry Bird - Indiana State - 30.3 . Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. This type of behavior was par for the course with Knight, but a new experience alltogether for Bird. Loved to watch him play. Not at the same time. 7 Michigan State, No. 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. Larry Bird Rookie Year Stats. IU would have definitely won 1 or 2 more titles had Bird stuck around and become the player he eventually did. Knight said.." I first saw him play for Spring Valley HS, about 60 miles south of Bloomington physically he wasn't the Larry Bird everybody remembers..as a HS senior he was about 6-'6" and around 180lbs. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. Benson, of course, was a God in Indiana. Neither Birds hometown of French Lick nor West Baden had a daily newspaper at the time, nor was either home to a radio or TV station. Far from it. Larry Bird averages for the NBA season and Playoffs, including points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and other categories, year by year and career numbers. But his arrogant attitude is hardly a big surprise to those who know about Benson. Learn more and register, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. 1 ranking. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Indiana State went 81-13 during the three seasons in which Larry Bird played for the Sycamores. 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. The Celtics, however, fell to the Pistons in the conference finals. When I started here, I wanted to see the high school, college and professional basketball worlds come together, and Bird symbolizes that. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998. As of today, his net worth is around $75 million. Bird was nicknamed Larry Legend and The Hick from French Lick, after his hometown in Indiana. Anytime you have Bird on the floor, anything can happen, Portlands Clyde Drexler told theBoston Heraldafter the game. Among Birds contemporaries, perhaps only Earvin Magic Johnson was considered a better passer and was a player who he would inextricably be linked with forever. Here are some of the records and historical rankings that Larry Bird achieved at Indiana State: Michigan State coach Jud Heathcote after watching him in the Final Four: "I could not believe The Bird. If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. His Mom and Dad divorced while Bird was in HS, His dad shot and killed himself a year later. Birth date: December 7, 1956. Couldn't have happened. Everyone remembers Michael Jordans decision to leave the Bulls and pursue a career in baseball, but it was Larry Bird who tried his hand at the game on April 28, 1979, and became a one-day legend in the process. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:03AM. Isiah Thomas was in the high school class of 1979. 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. Bird nearly doubled the Sycamores win total year-over-year from 13 to 25 after sitting out just one year in 1975-76, rather than two, after IU signed papers for Birds release. Check out 50 great assists by Larry Bird. 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. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. 0:49. Started collecting garbage upon his return to French Lick. Do you have a sports website? 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. The 1977 Hoosiers were led by senior center Benson (19.8 ppg, 10.5 rpg) and freshman guard Mike Woodson (18.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg), while just up the road, Bird was averaging 32.8 points on 54 percent shooting, along with 13.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.8 steals per night in his first season with Indiana State. 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) . 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. Larry Bird then married Dinah Mattingly on September 30, 1989, who he met while studying at the Indiana State University. His back was also hurting, but Bird came back in the third period to help lift the Celtics to an emotional 124-121 victory. We present them here for purely educational purposes. The story was news to me. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? "Larry Bird finishes things," said Dick Ballinger, the varsity head baseball coach at West Vigo High School in West Terre Haute, Indiana during the spring of 1979. They both finished their college playing careers in the spring of 1979. Data Provided By As the 1992-93 NBA season approached, Bird decided he could not continue. What if Knute Rockne came to Bloomington in 1914 and changed the trajectory of IU football? "By noon, Bird appeared at a press conference, a rarity in his scheme of things. He was seemingly able to get almost any shot he wanted whether it was 30 seconds after the tip or with as much time left on the clock . Larry Bird Comparisons: ( players sorted by last name ) - A-Larry Bird vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Larry used BB to escape from his family problems! Bird was raised in French Lick, Indiana, and attended Indiana State University, where he helped revive . All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Michael Jordan has compiled 41,011 minutes and has participated . CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Posted on Mar 25th, 2016, 9:21 AM, , User Since 143 months ago, User Post Count: 15682, Posted on Mar 25th, 2016, 9:44 AM, , User Since 105 months ago, User Post Count: 1757, Posted on Mar 25th, 2016, 9:46 AM, , User Since 140 months ago, User Post Count: 6281, Posted on Mar 25th, 2016, 10:23 AM, V I P, User Since 219 months ago, User Post Count: 9143, Posted on Mar 25th, 2016, 10:42 AM, , User Since 143 months ago, User Post Count: 15682, Posted on Mar 25th, 2016, 5:40 PM, , User Since 145 months ago, User Post Count: 42940, Posted on Mar 25th, 2016, 5:44 PM, V I P, User Since 257 months ago, User Post Count: 92590, Posted on Mar 25th, 2016, 6:42 PM, , User Since 145 months ago, User Post Count: 4686, Posted on Mar 29th, 2016, 11:30 PM, , User Since 118 months ago, User Post Count: 717, Posted on Mar 30th, 2016, 7:09 AM, , User Since 143 months ago, User Post Count: 15682, Locked Topic - No more replies can be posted. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. The Celtics' legendary playmaker is the only person in NBA history to win MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year in a career. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. 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. No-Trouble Returns upon All orders. when they were picking teams! All rights reserved. As per reports, Bird made around $24 million over the course of his career. With Bird in the mix, IUs 1978 team wouldve been built around him, Woodson and Radford. The pair made an agreement: A non-conference doubleheader was looming against Kentucky Wesleyan, a perfect low-risk opportunity to put Bird in a baseball uniform. Best Known For: Basketball icon . Even though he had never coached a game in his life, the Pacers had no qualms about turning over the reins to Bird. Not just some guy. Add the best version of Larry Bird in college, one capable of averaging roughly 30 and 15 at Indiana State, and the Hoosiers might have had another title contender in 1978 if the Hick from French Lick was still in Bloomington. The Cavaliers won in seven games; Boston lost three of the four games couldnt play because of his back. Lost to most people in the basketball statistics for the Springs Valley team that year, however, was a short piece in a Bedford newspaper that noted, "The freshman free-throw trophy was presented to Larry Bird. Imagine what he wouldve done with a Hall-of-Fame head coach and future NBA players as teammates!

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