Larry Bird Biography - Celtics

Larry Bird Biography

Even though Larry Bird has long since retired, he is still one of the most popular people in Boston (or the entire NBA for that matter). Not bad for a basketball player from rural Indiana who many people thought would never make it in the big time. Larry Bird surprised them all. Almost single-handedly, he took the Boston Celtics from being a second rate team to being the team to beat in the 1980's. Bird's unselfish style of play, plus his down home attitude endeared him to fans throughout the country, helping to popularize the sport as no one had done before. With Larry Bird at the helm, the NBA went from being just a basketball league to a world class entertainment spectacle.

Larry Bird made basketball exciting. Although he didn't appear to be a gifted athlete that didn't stop Bird from dominating the game of basketball. Bird couldn't soar like Michael Jordan and he wasn't as graceful as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird was a player that would do whatever it would take to win. From dribbling and pulling down rebounds, to hitting three pointers and making free throws, Bird could always make it happen. Bird's uncanny court sense, along with his exceptional passing ability, made him the ultimate team player. Everyone looked better when Larry Bird was on the basketball court.

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No wonder the Boston Celtic fans embraced him. When he joined the Boston Celtics in 1979, the team had a dismal 29-53 record. Two years later, he led Boston to an NBA championship berth with the Celtics three times. It was a clash that pitted the game's best against one another -- "Magic versus Larry"-- and began one of the greatest rivalries in NBA history. Actually the Bird / Magic rivalry is a continuation of a rivalry that began in college when Larry Bird took little known Indiana State to the NCAA finals where he met Magic Johnson and powerhouse Michigan State.

Michigan State won that match, but the stage was set for a battle that would captivate the fans for the next decade. Fierce competitors on the court, the two developed a deep friendship off the court based on mutual respect and admiration of eachother. When Larry Bird retired, Magic Johnson was among the many well wishers who knew the game would never be the same without Larry Bird on the Basketball court.

A quote about Larry Bird :

"Larry Bird was the only player in the league that I feared."
Magic Johnson

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