Written by Scott Sargent
French Lick, Indiana’s Finest suited up for thirteen seasons with the Boston Celtics only to win the NBA Championship on three occasions – ultimately getting inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Bird was a member of the legendary 1992 Olympic “Dream Team,” which won the gold medal in the men’s basketball competition held in Barcelona, Spain. One of the NBA’s 50 greatest players, Bird announced his retirement from the game of basketball shortly after the Olympic stint.
He finished with career averages of 24 points, 10 rebounds and six assists per game and his #33 jersey proudly hangs from the rafters in Boston.
Bird had a prominent role with the Celtics from 1992 to 1997, where he was a special assistant in the front office. "Larry Legend" took over the role of head coach for the Indiana Pacers in 1997, where he would be named Coach of the Year in 1998 and then led the team to the Eastern Conference championship series in 2000. He retired from coaching in 2000 and returned to the Pacers in 2003, where he currently possesses the role of President of Basketball Operations.
