Larry Bird
Biography by: Zane R
Early life
Middle school through college
NBA
Bird's $3 million dollars contract over 5 years was the highest paid salary for any rookie in any sport. His career as a Celtic begins in 1979. The year before Bird joined the Celtics, they were 32 - 50. Bird was the guy to turn the team around. Bird was tested his rookie year. Bird won rookie of the year award over Magic Johnson with a score of 63 - 3. The very next year Bird found himself playing for the NBA championship against Houston. His dream was winning came true on game 6. His drive for a second championship started. His Celtic team constantly battled for the top spot for almost every season of his 13 year career in the pros. Throughout these years, Bird played through many injuries. The injuries ranged from broken collar bone, torn ligaments, broken knuckles, fractured cheekbone, a broken nose, bone spurs on his heels, and back problems. His back is what seemed to give him the biggest trouble. In 1992, Bird announced his retirement from the NBA. The pain was too much. Just before he played his final game, he played in the Olympics in Spain. He was shocked to see that he was known around the world. As modest as Larry was, he didn't think that he deserved the attention.
When asked who is the best player of the NBA, very few people would say BIrd. He was not fast or a jumper like Michael Jordan. He was not showy. He was a hard working, consistent athlete. If his shooting was off for the night, BIrd found it his mission to find the open man. His passing was just as spectacular as the rest of his game. When you top this with the time he spent studying the game and his opponents, he was a total package. Bird knew where his opponents strengths and weaknesses were and he played them. Magic Johnson said it well. "Larry Bird achieved his success the old-fashioned way. He worked, and worked, and then worked some more. To most players, basketball is a job. To Larry, it was his life."
citations
Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web.
Beyer, Mark. Larry Bird. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 2002. Print.
Digital image. NESN. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 May 2015.
Digital image. Http://www.best-basketball-tips.com/. N.p., n.d. Web.
Digital image. SKEPTICAL SPORTS ANALYSIS. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 May 2015.