LARRY BIRD By: Nick Spring 2018 Childhood

Bird was born on December 7, 1956 in West Baeden Springs, Indiana. He had five siblings, four brothers and one sister. The Bird family was very poor and they had a hard time making ends meet. As a kid he liked softball and baseball. Once he got into high school, basketball was his primary sport. Throughout his time at French Lick High School, he played guard during his sophomore and junior years. College

Bird went to Indiana University for only twenty four days and dropped out before basketball season started. He dropped out because he didn’t have a lot of money and the school was too big for him. Bird decided to enroll at Northwood Institute, but soon dropped out because it would affect his NBA eligibility. During this time Bird worked as a sanitation worker to make money. While working, the scouts and coaches from Indiana State University became interested in him. Bird decideed to play at Indiana State. He led his team to the NCAA championship in 1979. What teams did Larry Bird play for?

In 1979 Larry Bird was drafted by the Boston Celtics. During Bird’s first season he was awarded rookie of the year. He had a 21.3 scoring average and a 10.4 rebounding average per game. While playing in the NBA Bird starred in 12 All Star games. He won the three pointer contest three times. In 1992 he played on the USA Olympic team with Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. Together they won gold! What team did he coach?

After retiring from the Celtics in 1992, Larry Bird became the special assistant of the team for six years. In 1997, the Indiana Pacers offered him their head-coaching job. After three years, Bird left the Pacers because of a heart problem. Three years later he came back to the Indiana Pacers as president. In 2017, he stepped down as president. Fun Facts

1. He stood 6’9” tall. 2. He wore the number 33 throughout high school, college and in the NBA. 3. There was a Broadway show called Magic/Bird about the friendship on and off the court of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. 4. Bird had multiple back surgery's.