Larry Bird

Larry Bird is a retired Basketball Hall of Fame player who played for the Boston Celtics. He is widely considered one of the greatest all-around basketball players in the history of the game and is credited along with Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan for the emergence of the game in the 80's as one of the most popular sports in the world. He was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996 and was named to the 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. He is currently the President of the Indiana Pacers.

Larry Bird was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana, on December 7, 1956. He attended Springs Valley High School where he became the school's all-time leader in scoring. He went on to attend Indiana State University where he led the team to the NCAA Championship Game where they lost to Magic Johnson and Michigan State University

With the sixth pick in the 1979 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics selected small forward Larry Bird. In his first season he won the NBA Rookie of the Year over future Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. It would be the first of many accolades in his illustrious career. He was an NBA Champion in 1981, 1984 and 1986, winning the Finals MVP in 1984 and 1986. He also was the regular season MVP for three straight seasons from 1984-1986. He was a 12-time all-star, a member of the Olympic gold medal winning Dream Team and was named to the All-NBA First team nine times.

Bird and Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers had a rivalry that began back in college. The two met in the 1979 NCAA Championship game, then began a routine of meeting in the NBA Finals regularly. While Bird and his Indiana State University squad lost to Johnson's Michigan State Spartans in '79, Bird and the Celtics took the opening salvo between them and the Lakers, winning in seven games. In game seven, Bird lead his team to a 111 to 102 win, scoring 20 points and gathering 12 rebounds.

Larry Bird was named the Finals MVP, averaging 27.4 points and 14.0 rebounds per game. He was also named the NBA's MVP for the first of three consecutive years in this season.

Bird and Johnson met three times in the NBA Finals. The Celtics won only the 1984 series against the Lakers; they lost the series in 1985 and 1987.

After Bird retired from the NBA in 1992 he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of fame in 1996. He went on to become the head coach of the Indiana Pacers in 1998 where he was named the NBA Coach of the Year in his first season. He would later lead the team to the finals in 2000, where they would lose to Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers. He is currently the President of Basketball Operations for the Indiana Pacers.

• December 7, 1956: Born
• 1979: Debuts with Boston Celtics
• 1983: NBA MVP
• 1981: Won NBA Championship
• 1984: Won NBA Championship
• 1984: NBA MVP
• 1985: NBA MVP
• 1992: Olympic Gold Medal
• 1986: Won NBA Championship
• 1997: Coach of Indiana Pacers
• 1998: Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, NBA Coach of the Year
• 2003: President of Basketball Operations, Indiana Pacers