Bird, Larry

Bird, Larry (Joe)

(1956– ) basketball player; born in French Lick, Ind. A college player of the year at Indiana State University (1979), he joined the Boston Celtics in 1979 and was a perennial All-NBA (National Basketball Association) first team selection at forward. He led the Celtics to three NBA championships (1981, 1984, 1986), and three times was named the league Most Valuable Player (1984–86). After playing on the 1992 Olympics "dream team," he retired from professional basketball due to recurrent back problems.