Larry Bird’s impact on NBA basketball history was immediate. For the 1980 season, Larry Bird led the Celtics to the legacy of stardom. Bird was named the league’s Rookie of the Year and was elected to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team. He was honored with this title throughout the twelve seasons of his NBA career. He scored 12 points per game, 10 rebounds per game, 143 steals and second in assists.
In Bird’s second professional season, he led the Celtics to the NBA Playoffs. Larry Bird helped the Celtics deficit by helping them overcome and win the last three games, propelling the Celtics to the NBA Finals. They defeated the Houston Rockets in six games.
In 1984 Bird won the Most Valuable Player award by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in a seven-game final. The following year, the Boston Celtics would have another incredible winning year by defeating the Rockets in six games. Bird was again honored with that year’s Finals MVP award, averaging 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
In 1987, Bird made his last appearance for the Celtics against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Detroit Pistons. That year the Celtics ended up losing to the unrivaled Lakers in six games and to the Detroit Pistons in 1988.
Bird’s body continued to deteriorate to injuries, debilitating back problems and bone spurs on the heels. Both conditions would eventually lead to his retirement in 1992. Unwilling to stop due to injuries, he joined Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan to play on the United States basketball team for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Name the “Dream Team”: They defeated their competition to win the gold medal for the United States Olympic Basketball Team.
Larry Bird’s honors in the NBA include; inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1988), NBA Champion (1981, 1984, 1986), NBA Finals MVP (1984, 1986), NBA MVP (1984, 1985, 1986) , NBA First Team Nine Times (1980-88), NBA Second Team (1990), Defensive Second Team (1982, 1983, 1984), NBA Rookie of the Year (1980), Top Fifty Players in NBA History (1996), Olympic Gold Medalist (1992).
