One of the worlds greatest basketball player celebrated his 60th birthday last 7 December 2016.
Larry Bird was drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978. He started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish and forward Kevin McHale.
Bird was a 12-time NBA All-Star and was named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) three consecutive times (1984–1986). He played his entire professional career for Boston, winning three NBA championships and two NBA Finals MVP awards.
After retirement, the Celtics employed Bird as a special assistant in the team's front office from 1992 until 1997. In 1997, Bird accepted the position of coach of the Indiana Pacers and led them to a 58–24 record—the franchise's best as an NBA team at the time—in the 1997–98 season. He was named the NBA Coach of the Year for his efforts, becoming the only man in NBA history to have won both the MVP and Coach of the Year awards. He then led the Pacers to two consecutive Central Division titles in 1999 and 2000, and a berth in the 2000 NBA Finals.
In 2003, Bird returned as the Pacers' President of Basketball Operations, overseeing team personnel and coaching moves, as well as the team's draft selections. After the 2011–2012 NBA season, Bird was named NBA Executive of the Year.
On 27 June 2012, a day before the 2012 NBA draft, Bird and the Pacers announced that they would be parting ways later that summer. Almost exactly a year later, it was announced that Bird would be returning to the Pacers as president of basketball operations.
To celebrate his birthday, the NBA released and it is just too good not to share. It highlights the spectacular array of skill sets that made Bird one of the greatest if not the greatest basketball players in his time.
It's one thing to know Bird's numbers. It's another to see how spectacular of a scorer, passer and trash-talker he was.
Larry Bird was drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978. He started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish and forward Kevin McHale.
Bird was a 12-time NBA All-Star and was named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) three consecutive times (1984–1986). He played his entire professional career for Boston, winning three NBA championships and two NBA Finals MVP awards.
After retirement, the Celtics employed Bird as a special assistant in the team's front office from 1992 until 1997. In 1997, Bird accepted the position of coach of the Indiana Pacers and led them to a 58–24 record—the franchise's best as an NBA team at the time—in the 1997–98 season. He was named the NBA Coach of the Year for his efforts, becoming the only man in NBA history to have won both the MVP and Coach of the Year awards. He then led the Pacers to two consecutive Central Division titles in 1999 and 2000, and a berth in the 2000 NBA Finals.
In 2003, Bird returned as the Pacers' President of Basketball Operations, overseeing team personnel and coaching moves, as well as the team's draft selections. After the 2011–2012 NBA season, Bird was named NBA Executive of the Year.
On 27 June 2012, a day before the 2012 NBA draft, Bird and the Pacers announced that they would be parting ways later that summer. Almost exactly a year later, it was announced that Bird would be returning to the Pacers as president of basketball operations.
To celebrate his birthday, the NBA released and it is just too good not to share. It highlights the spectacular array of skill sets that made Bird one of the greatest if not the greatest basketball players in his time.
It's one thing to know Bird's numbers. It's another to see how spectacular of a scorer, passer and trash-talker he was.
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