Larry Bird Was A Player During The 1980s Rough and tumble, But He…
The 1980s were an NBA golden age, but every era had its stars. Of course, Michael Jordan made his professional debut; other notable athletes include Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. And then there came the Boston Celtics, led by Larry Bird.
Larry Bird is not living in the past, even with those stars and the different styles of play—in the 1980s, games could turn into physical battles of attrition, especially in the paint. Indeed, he finds the style of play in the modern NBA game to be very appealing.
Larry Bird is practically a living legend these days. But the forward’s career encountered an early setback in college.
Following an outstanding high school career, Bird was awarded a University of Indiana scholarship. The forward left Bloomington before ever taking a game with the Hoosiers because he did not feel at home on campus.
It seemed like Bird had given up on basketball and had returned to French Lick, where he worked as a sanitation man. But Bill Hodges, the basketball coach at Indiana State University, was never able to ignore the forward’s abilities. After visiting with Bird, he persuaded the forward to go back to the hardwood.
Bird became a real star with the Sycamores. In his three seasons of NCAA competition, he scored 30.3 points per contest on average. In addition, the forward won the 1979 National Player of the Year award. He also guided Indiana State to the 1979 NCAA championship game, where they were defeated by Magic Johnson and Michigan State.
The Boston Celtics selected Larry Bird with the sixth overall pick in the 1979 NBA draft, capitalizing on his dominance at the NCAA level. Bird eventually signed on the dotted line, despite some contractual drama—the forward could have gone back to college and, barring an injury, become the first-overall pick in 1989.
The Celtics had great success as a result of that choice. Bird won Rookie of the Year after averaging 21.3 points per game in his rookie NBA season, but that achievement was just the start.
Overall, Larry Legend played for 13 seasons in Boston; despite a slowdown due to injuries, the forward finished his career with a lifetime scoring average of 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. In addition, the forward earned three straight Larry O’Brien Trophies and three NBA MVP crowns.
