Larry Bird Resigns as President of the Pacers, Will Re…
On Monday, NBA veteran Larry Bird formally resigned as the Indiana Pacers’ president; however, he will continue to serve as an advisor to the team. The franchise’s basketball operations will be managed by Kevin Pritchard.
Bird stated, “I felt it was time to go aside in a full-time position.” “This is unrelated to our team or my health. Now that I am sixty, I want to pursue interests other than basketball. I will make a few appearances, scout for the Pacers, NBA, college, and overseas teams, and continue to advise senior basketball management. I adore the Pacers since I was raised around them and have always looked up to them. I would want to express my gratitude to the supporters of my work. I also want to express my gratitude to Herb Simon, the owner, for his many years of support and for letting me continue working with the team in a different capacity.
The important question is how Bird’s choice will affect Paul George’s future, a talented forward with one guaranteed year left on his present contract.
Despite a lot of conjecture leading up to the trade deadline, the 60-year-old executive—who made 12 All-Star appearances and won three NBA titles during his long playing career—made it clear he had no intention of trading George, according to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times.
However, if the Pacers make it through the offseason and the deadline for the following season without a deal or contract in place, they will be playing a risky game.
This week, Mitch Lawrence of Sporting News revealed that George, a California native, “never made his long-term plans a secret” when having talks with the Pacers locker room about his ultimate goal to play for the Los Angeles Lakers.