Larry Bird Events

1956 Dec 7 Larry Bird is born
Dec. 7, 1956 Larry Joe Bird is born at Bedford (Ind.) Medical Center, the fourth of six children (five boys, one girl) of Joe and Georgia Bird of West Baden, which is adjacent to French ...
1970
to 1974
Larry Bird attends Springs Valley High School and leaves as the all-time scoring leader
In spite of his domestic woes, by the time he was a high school sophomore, Bird had become one of the better basketball players in French Lick. He started for French Lick/West Baden's hig...
1974 Apr 24 Larry Bird signs letter of intent to play for Bob Knight and Indiana University
April 24, 1974 Signs a letter of intent to play basketball for Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers, choosing the Bloomington school over Purdue and Indiana State.
1974 Oct Larry Bird drops out of Indiana University
Oct. 1974 After just 24 days at IU, Bird hitchhikes back to French Lick. The smalltown boy was overwhelmed by the school's large campus. He would spend the next nine months working as a ...
1975 Jun Larry Bird enrolls at Indiana State
He played AAU basketball for Hancock Construction and, after that year, decided to enroll at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, where he was coached by Bob King. King suffered a st...
1978 Boston Celtics draft Larry Bird with the 6th pick of the NBA Draft
June 9, 1978 Drafted sixth overall as a junior-eligible by the Celtics, behind Mychal Thompson (Portland), Phil Ford (Kansas City), Rick Robey (Indiana), Micheal Ray Richardson (New Yor...
1979 Mar 26 1979 NCAA Basketball Championship: Magic Johnson of Michigan State defeats Larry Bird of Indiana State
Last Monday night, in the championship game, Michigan State confirmed a notion that had been gaining credence as the NCAA tournament progressed and State rolled to one easy win after anot...
1979 Jun 8 Larry Bird Signs 5-Year Deal with Boston Celtics
June 8, 1979 Signs a five-year, $3.25 million contract with the Celtics shortly before he would've reentered the NBA Draft. At the time, it was the largest rookie contract in sports his...
1980 May 29 Larry Bird is Named Rookie of the Year
May 29, 1980 Named NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 21.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists, and leading the Celtics to a then-record 32-game improvement (29-53 to 61-21). Also ...
1981 May 5
to 1981 May 14
 1981 NBA Finals - Celtics Defeat Rockets
The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1980-81 NBA season, pitting the Boston Celtics against the Houston Rockets. For the 1980-81 season Houston Rock...
1982 Jan 31 Larry Bird is Named MVP of the All-Star Game
Jan. 31, 1982 Named MVP of the All-Star Game for the only time in 12 appearances. Scored 19 points, with 12 rebounds and five assists in the Eastern Conference's 120-118 win.
1984 May 27
to 1984 Jun 12
 1984 NBA Finals- Celtics Defeat Lakers
The 1984 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1983-84 NBA season. In 1984, the Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in a seven-game Finals, winning Ga...
1984 Jun 25 Larry Bird is Named League MVP
In 1984, the Celtics defeated the Lakers in a seven-game Finals, winning game seven 111–102. Bird averaged 27.4 points on .484 shooting and 14 rebounds a game during the series, earning t...
1985 May 27
to 1985 Jun 9
 1985 NBA Finals - Lakers Defeat Celtics
The 1985 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1984–85 NBA season. The Boston Celtics were looking to repeat as NBA Champions for the first time since the 1968-...
1985 Jun 3 Larry Bird Wins Second Straight League MVP
In 1985, however, the Lakers avenged the loss, defeating the Celtics in game 6 of the Finals in the Boston Garden. In a losing effort against Los Angeles, Bird averaged 23.8 points on .44...
1986 May 26
to 1986 Jun 8
 1986 NBA Finals- Celtics Defeat Rockets
The 1986 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1985-86 NBA season. It pitted the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics against the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets....
1986 Jun 2 Larry Bird Wins Third Straight MVP
Joins Bull Russell (1961-63) and Wilt Chamberlain (1966-68) as the only players in NBA history to win three consecutive MVP awards. Averaged 25.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.0...
1987 Jun 2
to 1987 Jun 14
 1987 NBA Finals - Lakers Defeat Celtics
The 1987 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1986-87 NBA season. The match took place between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. The Lakers won 4–2, beating the Celti...
1989 Sep 30 Larry Bird Marries Dinah Mattingly
Sept. 30, 1989 Marries longtime girlfriend Dinah Mattingly, whom he met when both were students at Indiana State. The couple will adopt two children: son Connor and daughter Mariah.
1992 Aug 18 Larry Bird Announces Retirement
Following his Olympic experience, on August 18, 1992, Bird announced his retirement as an NBA player. He finished his career with averages of more than 24 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assist...
1993 Feb 4 Boston Celtics Hold Larry Bird Night at the Garden
Feb. 4, 1993 In an unprecendented move, the Celtics hold Larry Bird Night at the Garden—with no game scheduled—to celebrate Bird's career and retire his number. Scalpers would get as muc...
1997 May 12 Larry Bird is Introduced as Indiana Pacers Head Coach
May 12, 1997 Frustrated with his largely ceremonial duties as special assistant to Celtics owner Paul Gaston, Bird begins to pursue other options. On this date, he is introduced as head ...
1998 May 12 Larry Bird is Named NBA Coach of the Year
May 12, 1998 Named NBA Coach of the Year, having led the Pacers to a 58-24 record, the best in franchise history. He is the fourth first-year coach to win the honor, joining Harry Gallat...
1998 Jun 29 Larry Bird Elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame
June 29, 1998 Elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Along with Hawks coach Lenny Wilkens, Harlem Globetrotter Marques Haynes, longtime NBA/ABA coach Alex Hannum, 13-year NBA veteran A...