Wilt, Jerry, Kareem, Magic, Michael, Shaq, Kobe, LeBron, Giannis…
These are all some of the greatest players in NBA history generation-by-generation and you don’t even need their last name to know who each of them are!
The same can be said for Larry.
On this day in 1992, Larry Bird announced his retirement from the NBA after 13 seasons, all of which were spent with the Boston Celtics.
While his career was short-lived compared to today’s standards, Bird accomplished everything that he could have in his 13 seasons.
He was an All-Star every single season of his career other than during the 1988-89 season due to having bone spurs surgically removed from both of his heels, he was named to the All-NBA team ten different times, he helped elevate the Celtics to championships in 1981, 1984 and 1986, being named Finals MVP in ’84 and ’86, and he was named the league’s Most Valuable Player from 1984-86.
Bird is just one of eight players in NBA history to have won at least three regular season MVP awards and he is one of three players to have won back-to-back-to-back league MVP awards, along with the late, great Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
In addition to his accomplishments as a player over the course of his 13-year career, Larry Bird was also a member of the 1992 United States Men’s Olympic Basketball Team, also known as the “Dream Team,” which went on to have the most dominant run to the gold medal in the history of the Olympics.
Passing Darrell Griffith for the Most Three-Pointers Made in NBA history during the 1985-86 season, Larry Bird was ultimately surpassed by Dale Ellis for No. 1 all-time during the 1988-89 season. Making 649 career three-pointers, Bird retired ranking fourth all-time in NBA history in three-pointers made.
Due to the increase and demand for three-point shooting, Bird currently ranks 271st on the NBA’s all-time three-pointers made list.
Overall though, Larry Bird was one of the very first and one of the most dominant three-point shooting threats in NBA history. Quite honestly, you could make a very strong case that he was one of the best pure scoring talents the league has ever seen.
When Bird had the ball in his hands, very rarely did his shot not fall and he had one of the smoothest looking jump-shots in league history.
Following the announcement of his retirement, Bird joined the Celtics as a special assistant in the team’s front office from 1992 until 1997. Then in 1997, he became the head coach of the Indiana Pacers, coaching them to a 147-67 record over the course of three seasons and leading them to three straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances, as well as an appearance in the NBA Finals in 2000 where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
After stepping down as head coach following this Finals appearance, Bird was hired as the Pacers’ president of basketball operations in 2003 and then he was named the NBA’s Executive of the Year for the 2011–2012 NBA season, becoming the first person in league history. to have won the NBA MVP award, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year.
An icon for the game of basketball, Larry Bird is no longer involved or affiliated with the Indiana Pacers organization and was recently named a member of the league’s 75th Anniversary Team this past season.
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