Larry Bird

Larry Joe Bird (december 7, 1956) is a former American basketball player.

Bird was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana, from marriage between Georgia and Joe Bird. He grew up in West Baden Springs and the nearby town of French Lick, giving him the nickname The hick from French Lick ("the Hillbilly from French Lick") was granted. Bird began his basketball career in the Springs Valley High school team, where he is still known as the most productive player who ever played for Springs Valley High.

In the year 1974 Bird for Indiana University where he chose in the team of the famous basketball coach Bobby Knight came. Bird, however, felt absolutely out of place and decided to leave again after a month this University, to come back after a while at college level at the Indiana State University Sycamores (ISU).

In 1978 already did Bird participated in the NBA draft. He was then as 6th player in the draft selected by the Boston Celtics. Bird, however, then decided to continue playing for another year the Sycamores. The Celtics, however, retained the exclusive right to him to recruit a year later.

Sycamores are led In 1979 Larry Bird to the final of the NCAA-Championship, where he in one of the most legendary college games ever lost to Michigan State Universitycurrently led by Earvin Magic Johnson. A contest in which Bird 19 points scored compared to the 24 by Magic Johnson. Of this contest is to this day, claimed that this was the beginning of the March Madness (contemporary ' madness ' around the NCAA Championships that take place in March.

At the end of the basketball year 1979 was Bird named NCAA player of the year, with averages of 30.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.

After the bitter loss against Michigan State University Bird decided to make the switch to the ' big ' guys in the NBA, where he ended up at the draft of the 1978 Boston Celtics.

Bird was by his extraordinary leadership skills, game insight, fit and an insanely jumpshot right away have a major impact on the game of the Celtics. He was immediately in the year 1979 chosen as Rookie of the year, at the expense of high-performing Magic Johnson, who in that same year also had made the move to the NBA and first in the NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers was chosen. Bird played in particular the small-forward and power forward positions.

Bird had in his rookie year averages of 21.3 points per game, 10.4 rebounds per game and 4.5 assists per game. In 1979, so if Bird was selected for the rookie already, Eastern Conference Allstar Team, a feat that would repeat the next 12 subsequent years ever.

Bird played it ready to, inter alia, with NBA legends like Robert Parish and Kevin McHale in a total of three times to win the NBA Championship. Along with Magic Johnson, he led the popularity of NBA basketball, which up to that moment what deadlock, weather to new heights. This they did for years, particularly through the existing rivalry between the Celtics of Bird and the Lakers of Magic to revive.

During his NBA career earned Larry Bird the very impressive averages of 24.3 points per game, 10.0 rebounds per game and 6.3 assists per game.

On the 1992 games he won the Gold Medal with the first and most legendary Dream Team.

Bird is still seen as one of the very best players in the history of the NBA and is incorporated into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. Bird was elected in 1996 one of the 50 greatest NBA players ever.

After his sports career, he worked at the Celtics from 1992 to 1997. From 1997 to 2000 was Bird head coach for the Indiana Pacers In this team also played the DutchmanRik Smits. In the season 1997-1998, Bird named coach of the year. In his last season as coach, the team reached the NBA Finals, in which it lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.

In 2003, he was president of basketball operations for the Pacers. In may 2012, he was named Executive of the Year by a panel of his colleagues in the NBA. This Bird was the first athlete to player, trainer and driver of the year has been declared. In June 2012, it was announced that Bird his position as president would resign by August 2012. His health was mentioned as a reason. ==Trivia<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==
 * In October 2005, Eric James Torpy from Oklahoma City convicted of attempted murder and robbery and he asked if his punishment could be changed from 30 years to 33 years, the Jersey number of Bird. His request was assigned.
 * Larry has appeared in three movies, Blue Chips, the 1994 Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. film Space Jam with Michael Jordan and Bill Murray from 1996 and Celtic Pride with Dan Aykroyd, Daniel Stern, andDamon Wayans, also from 1996.