He went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award and was also selected to the All-NBA Second Team in his rookie season. He would retire a Celtic in 1992 after 13 seasons with the team, his jersey number retired by Boston immediately after his retirement. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his college class graduated. Nevertheless, on April 1979, he signed a five-year, US$3.25-million contract with the Celtics, which made him the highest-paid rookie in the history of team sport at that time. [7] Phil Ford from the University of North Carolina was selected second by the Kansas City Kings. [20] After retiring as a player, he coached the Portland Trail Blazers and the Philadelphia 76ers for four and a half seasons each. WhatIfSports. Larry Legend’s first game in the NBA came against the Houston Rockets, and fittingly happened to also be the night of the first-ever recorded 3-point field goal in league history as Celtics shooting guard Chris Ford connected from deep in Bird’s debut. It's amazing. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. Although he only played one year with the team in 2007-08, his contribution off the bench was key in both the regular season, where he averaged 7.4 points, 4.4 points, a steal and nearly a block per game, and in the playoffs, where he averaged 6.7 points, 3.6 boards, and a steal per game. Bird would play his senior season with Indiana State, going all the way to the NCAA title game he would lose to career-long rival and friend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, then join Boston that October. The draft rules allowed a team to draft a player in his 5th year after high school graduation, which Bird was at that point. Stephen Savoia, Associated Press, Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics with Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers during Larry Bird Night at the Boston Garden on February 4, 1993. His performance in Game Two of the 2008 NBA Finals (versus the Los Angeles Lakers), where his and Paul Pierce's free throws in the final 30 seconds of the... Start every day with our most popular content waiting in your inbox. After sitting out a year, he enrolled at Indiana State. He then coached the Detroit Pistons for the first portion of the 2013/14 NBA season but was fired before finishing his first season with the team. [6] The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 202 players. Homepage Mock Drafts. [9] [15] Bird se [2] The Indiana Pacers won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Kansas City Kings, who obtained the New Jersey Nets' first-round pick in a trade, were awarded the second pick. —- behind winner Kareem, Dr. J & George Ice Man Gervin. This wrinkle made him draft eligible in what was his junior season at Indiana State, prompting Celtics team president Red Auerbach to exploit the loophole to draft Bird with the sixth overall pick of the 1978 NBA Draft. Mychal Thompson from the University of Minnesota was selected first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers. NBA Players: Larry Bird Profile and Basic Stats Larry Bird information including teams, jersey numbers, championships won, awards, stats and everything about the NBA player. He coached the Indiana Pacers for three seasons, leading them to an NBA Finals appearance. In a 1988 interview with Sports Illustrated, Bird recalled how hi… [5] Prior to the start of the season, the Buffalo Braves relocated to San Diego and became the San Diego Clippers. The fascinating story of how Larry Bird wound up being selected, and signed, by the Celtics. Draft Lottery History 2020 Live Picks And Analysis Content. [16] Despite being eligible for the draft, he stated that he would return to college for his senior season. https://celticswire.usatoday.com/lists/nba-boston-celtics-larry-legend-debut-3-pointer-history/, Brown, Green, Ojeleye potential returns vs. Magic; Edwards OUT, Magic vs. Celtics: Prediction, point spread, odds, over/under, betting picks, WATCH: Boston Celtics' Kemba Walker back in practice readying for return, Magic vs. Celtics: How to watch, TV channel, start time (January 15th), Danny Ainge: 'wasn't the time ... wasn't the price' for a Celtics Harden trade, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Let’s take a look at his career in pictures. However, that offseason Bird left the team right before the 2012 NBA Draft, citing health issues. Bill Russell, C, San Francisco. Paul R. Benoit, Associated Press, Larry Bird takes a jumper in a 1986 game against the Washington Bullets. Larry Bird leaves Katie Lou Samuelson speechless with post-draft video message. ^ 1:Even though Larry Bird was a junior, he was eligible to be drafted because he was already four years out of high school and therefore he did not need to apply for early entry. Cassandra Negley ... Samuelson was projected as a top-5 draft … Andrew D. Bernstein, NBAE/Getty Images, Sign up for the Celtics Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. [3] The Pacers then traded the first pick to the Portland Trail Blazers before the draft. Larry Bird became an Indiana Pacers front office decision-maker shortly after the 2003 NBA draft. Larry Bird, in full Larry Joe Bird, (born December 7, 1956, West Baden, Indiana, U.S.), American basketball player who led the Boston Celtics to three National Basketball Association (NBA) championships (1981, 1984, and 1986) and is considered one of the greatest pure shooters of all time. He averaged 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game with the team. [22][23][24] Michael Cooper, the 60th pick, won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1987 and was selected to eight consecutive All-Defensive Teams. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each conference, with the order determined by a coin flip. Bird would return to the job in 2013, but stepped down again in … Can you name who had the 2nd-most such seasons? SimLeague Basketball lets you put Kobe, Magic, Kareem, Bird & Duncan on the court at the same time! He spent his entire 12-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers and won five NBA championships. It was the first time in history any athlete of any sport had won both awards at the same time, and happened at the apex of Larry Legend's prime years. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was eligible for selection. Charles Krupa, Associated Press, This is a November 1991 file photo showing former Boston Celtics stars Robert Parish, left, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, right, together on the bench during a game at the Boston Garden in Boston. [25] After retiring, he coached the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for eight seasons, leading them to two consecutive WNBA championships in 2001 and 2002. SimLeague Basketball. Summary for 1978 NBA draft. Draft Larry Bird Today! Phenom Larry Bird sparked a record 32-game improvement as a Celtic rookie, improving from 29 wins to a league-best 61. Celtics with 23 points and 8 assists in the first half of their rookie season... Larry Bird - November, 1979 Payton Pritchard - January, 2021 End of list. A product of Louisiana's Centenary College, Parish would be drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the eighth overall pick of the 1976 NBA draft, and would come to the Celtics in a trade in 1980. 1956 Draft, Round 1 — St. Louis Hawks. On this day in 1979, the Boston Celtics debuted their highly-regarded new prospect drafted the summer prior out of Indiana State, a Hick from French Lick, Indiana — Larry Bird. [10][13] He also won the Coach of the Year Award in 1998. "Larry Bird loved me." Please check your email for a confirmation. Larry Bird was such a player. It may even have been a bit of a jinx if you believe in that sort of thing, as it ended up being the first time in five seasons the Celtics did not make it... On this day in 1994, Boston Celtics champion center Robert Parish scored the 22,000th point of his career. [4] These players had applied and gave evidence of financial hardship to the league, which granted them the right to start earning their living by starting their professional careers earlier. You'll now receive the top Celtics Wire stories each day directly in your inbox. [10], Draft selections and draftee career notes, player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game, player who has been selected for at least one All-NBA Team, "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees", "If Blazers draft Bird, they won't wait year to sign him", https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1978.html, http://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/past_drafts/1978, "Nets Get Phil Jackson as Part Of a Settlement With Knicks; Nets' Other Concessions Another Indemnity Nets Sign Jackson as Part Of a Settlement With Knicks Top Choices", "Golden State Warriors 2009–10 Media Guite: Draft & Transactions", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1978_NBA_draft&oldid=991111578, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game, This page was last edited on 28 November 2020, at 09:25. Andrew D. Bernstein, NBAE/Getty Images, This is a November 1991 file photo of Boston Celtic legend Larry Bird driving against Charlotte Hornet forward J.R. Reid in a game at the Boston Garden in Boston. Not many would have thought that Larry Bird would have had such a tremendous career ahead of him when no less than five other teams passed on him during the 1978 NBA Draft. Click to Learn More about WhatIfSports! So how has he fared on draft night? He was also selected to ten All-NBA Teams and thirteen consecutive All-Star Games. The "Larry Bird rule" is part of the language of the NBA salary cap that allows a team an exception to the salary cap when re-signing a veteran with over three consecutive seasons with a team. In 2009, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird discussed the anniversary of their national title game matchup in 1979 between Michigan State and Indiana State. Before the draft, five college underclassmen were declared eligible for selection under the "hardship" rule. [21] Micheal Ray Richardson, the fourth pick, Larry Bird, the sixth pick, Reggie Theus, the ninth pick, and Mike Mitchell, the fifteenth pick, are the only other players from this draft who were selected to an All-Star Game. [26] He also served as an interim head coach of the Denver Nuggets in the 2004–2005 season. After a strong performance at the Draft Combine, Bird called and said Brogdon need not work out for everyone. Boston Celtics coach … Larry Bird might be the most well-known Celtics player of all time, and his incredible career led to him being dubbed with an iconic nickname: Larry Legend. : Aug 1, 1979 - Larry Bird signed a multi-year contract with the Boston Celtics. D raft E xpress. New quizzes emailed daily. Larry Bird vs. Kevin Durant Comparison Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Kevin Durant and Larry Bird that includes championships won, honors and awards obtained, regular season and playoffs stats and other data put side by side. In this March 25, 1979 file photo, Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson, left, of Michigan State, and Larry Bird of Indiana State during a news conference in Salt Lake City. [10][15] He initially enrolled at Indiana University in 1974 but dropped out before the season began. [32][33], ^ 1: Even though Larry Bird was a junior, he was eligible to be drafted because he was already four years out of high school and therefore he did not need to apply for early entry. [28][29][30][31], The following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game. Once every generation or so, a player comes along who can truly be called a superstar. Sin embargo, era elegible sin necesidad de aplicar la regla de "necesidad" debido a que su clase original en la Universidad de Indiana ya se había graduado. [14], Before the draft, Larry Bird had just finished his junior year at Indiana State. Larry Bird DraftExpress Profile: scouting reports, videos, stats and logs. On this day in 1956, Boston Celtics small forward legend Larry Joe Bird was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana. The 1978 NBA draft was the 32nd annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). However, when they failed to persuade him to leave college early, they traded the first pick to the Blazers, who also failed to convince him into signing.

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