 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
Lick. His size at birth—23 inches; 11 pounds, 12
ounces—portends a basketball
career.
| | Dec. 25,
1960
Receives his first basketball for
Christmas.
|
Dec.
1971
Two games into the junior-varsity season in his sophomore
year at Springs Valley High School, Larry breaks his ankle.
Unable to shake the basketball bug, he works on his
shooting and passing while
recuperating.
| | March
1973
The 6' 3" Bird completes his first season on the
varsity, averaging 16.0 points, 9.9 rebounds and 6.2
assists and leading the Black Hawks to a 19-3
record.
|
March
1974
As a 6' 7" senior, Bird averages 30.6 points, an
astounding 20.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists as Springs Valley
goes 21-4. Bird's high-school career ends with a 63-58 loss
to Bedford in the regional final. Despite his numbers, Bird
is only honorable
mention
all-state.
| | 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.
|
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 garbage collector and playing AAU
basketball.
| | Feb. 3,
1975
With Georgia at work on the other end of the phone, Joe
Bird, despondent over financial and marital woes (he and
Georgia had divorced two years earlier), uses a shotgun to
commit
suicide.
|
June
1975
Moves to Terre Haute to begin school at Indiana State.
He will have to sit out the 1975-76 season as a
transfer.
| | Nov. 8,
1975
Marries hometown sweetheart Janet Condra, whom he has known
since first
grade.
|
Oct. 31,
1976
Divorces Condra after less than a year of marriage. During
a period of reconciliation later in the year, Condra
becomes
pregnant.
| | Nov. 27,
1976
Posts a triple-double (31 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists)
in his debut with the Sycamores, an 81-60 win over Chicago
State. He would average 32.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 4.4
assists in his first
season.
|
 Aug. 14,
1977
A daughter, Corrie (pictured at left in 1998), is born to ex-wife
Condra.
| | 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 York),
and Purvis Short (Golden State). The NBA would later change
the rule to
require players to declare their intention to turn
pro.
|
March 29,
1979
Leads 33-0 Indiana State to NCAA final, where the Sycamores
lose to Magic Johnson-led Michigan State 75-64. Bird is
held to 19 points (7-21 FG), with 13 rebounds, two assists
and six turnovers. He had already been named player of the
year by virtually
every outlet, and would finish his senior season averaging
28.6 points, 14.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.5
steals.
| | April 29,
1979
The night after his No. 33 is retired, Bird takes the field
to help publicize the Sycamores baseball program. In the
opener of a doubleheader against Kentucky Wesleyan, he
comes in to play first base in the fifth inning and strikes
out in his only at
bat. He then starts at first in the second game, driving in
two runs with a single in the first inning. He is removed
after three innings, finishing his college baseball career
1-for-2 with two RBIs and nine putouts. "Would Larry
make it in baseball?" ISU
coach Bob Warn wondered. "That's hard to say, but he
certainly has a lot of athletic ability and it would have
to be proved to me he couldn't make
it."
|
May
1979
Breaks his right index finger in a softball game, resulting
in a permanently bent
digit.
| | 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
history.
|
Oct. 12,
1979
Makes NBA debut in a 114-108 win over the Houston Rockets
at Boston Garden. In 28 minutes he scores 14 points (6-12
FG, 2-2 FT), with 10 rebounds and five
assists.
| | Nov. 23,
1979
Records the first of his 69 (including playoffs) career
triple-doubles—a 23-point, 19-rebound, 10-assist
effort in a 115-111 win against
Detroit.
|
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 is
named to the All-Rookie Team and first-team All-NBA;
finishes third in MVP
voting.
| | Jan. 2,
1981
Held scoreless in a 121-106 loss at Golden State—his
first shutout since junior high. His 0-for-9 performance
becomes known as "eight bricks and a
block."
|
 May 5,
1981
Makes one of his most famous shots in Game 1 of the NBA
Finals, a 98-95 Celtics win over the Rockets in which he
finishes with 18 points and 21 rebounds. After missing a
jumper from the right wing, he swoops to the baseline,
jumps to grab the rebound,
and in one motion switches the ball to his left hand and
floats it into the basket as he's drifting out of
bounds.
| | May 14,
1981
Leads Celtics to the first of three NBA championships,
scoring 27 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in a 102-91 Game
6 win over the Rockets. Houston cuts a 17-point
fourth-quarter deficit to three on three different
occasions, but Bird hits a
three-pointer with 1:36 remaining to put the Rockets
away.
|
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.
| | March 30,
1983
Breaks Sam Jones's 18-year-old team regular-season
single-game scoring record (51) with a 53-point outburst
(21-30 FG, 11-11 FT) in a 142-116 rout of the
Pacers—one night after Boston got crushed 130-101 at
Indiana. Sets a since-tied Celtics record with
24 points in the third
quarter.
|
Feb. 16,
1984
Hands out a career-high 17 assists in a 125-115 win at
Golden State. It's the second highest one-game total by a
forward in NBA history (Rick Barry dished 19 in
1976).
| |  June 12,
1984
Celtics win their 15th NBA Championship with a 111-102 win
over the Lakers in Game 7 at the Garden. Bird is named
Finals MVP after averaging 27.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.9
assists and 2.3 steals in the
playoffs.
|
June 25,
1984
Named league MVP for the first time, having averaged 24.2
points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists during the
season.
| | Nov. 9,
1984
The celebrated scuffle with Julius Erving breaks out when a
frustrated Dr. J goes after Bird in the third quarter. At
the time of their ejections, Bird had outscored Erving
42-6, shooting 17-for-23 to the Doctor's
3-for-13.
|
Text by Albert Lin
Photos by (top to bottom): Courtesy of L.V. Smith, Donna Ferrato, Andy Hayt, Jerry Wachter |
