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"I don't think I've dropped that much" - When 34-year-old Larry Bird ranked himself as still one of the NBA's most dominant players
"I don't think I've dropped that much" - When 34-year-old Larry Bird ranked himself as still one of the NBA's most dominant players originally appeared on Basketball Network. Larry Bird was turning 35 ahead of his final NBA season, but not one bit had changed in his mentality as a player. Despite being plagued by injuries, Indiana native remained confident that he was still one of the best players in the league. Bird played through the pain in the 1990-91 season, having dealt with a chronic back injury. Nevertheless, Larry Legend still averaged 19.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.8 steals in 60 regular-season games. The Boston Celtics finished second in the East but were eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern semifinals. Despite that, the aging yet fierce Bird did not waver. Instead, he approached the following season with remarkable competitive spirit and self-assurance. "There are five or six guys who I think are dominant players in this league," Bird said at the time. "And I'd say I'm about sixth or seventh. I don't think I've dropped that much." Everybody knew Larry still got it It was no secret that Bird had been nursing a back injury since 1985. Moreover, he also underwent surgery on both his heels to remove the bone spurs that had been bothering his Achilles tendon. Everybody in the NBA was well aware of Bird's age and condition. However, not one person in the league ever doubted what Larry Legend was capable of whenever he stepped onto the hardwood. "If anybody can do it, it would be Larry Bird," said then-Houston Rockets coach Don Chaney before this season. "I don't think Larry will be as dominant as he was earlier, because of his age and the surgery," he further assessed. "It's tougher for him to beat people with fakes off the dribble. But he'll use more picks and figure out a way to get from point A to point B just as effectively with assistance from his teammates. He won't allow his game to suffer, because his mind will overcome what has happened to his body." Even with him hurt, the Celtics were still viewed by many as championship contenders that season. However, some also couldn't help but notice that Bird had been dwindling as the season unfolded. Knowing Larry, what naysayers say about him was unsurprisingly the least of his concerns. "I don't get up every day and worry about what people say," Bird pointed out. "All I care about is playing basketball, doing my job the best I can, and trying to live with it." Bird's love for the game was stronger than aging The three-time MVP lived up to his assessment and still averaged 20.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game in his final NBA season. However, he was limited to just 45 games. This was the fewest games he has played in his entire career, barring the 1988-89 season, when he missed almost the entire year due to surgery. At 35, Bird knew that he was already approaching the twilight of his illustrious NBA career. However, that thought did not bother him. His love for the game remained intact and potent. For Bird, it was just another challenging season he had to endure, having overcome a series of obstacles in the past. Furthermore, Larry Legend implied that as long as he still enjoyed his job, he would still suit up and play his heart out on the court every single night. "I still get the same enjoyment playing when I'm pretty healthy," Bird said. "This year was probably the best training camp I had because of the fact I was pain-free, I was moving well, I was feeling good. I knew I had to work on my game. Shooting and work on my passing because I missed all summer and didn't play all summer, so I was really enjoying it. I was going along fine, and all of a sudden, I took a couple of falls, got banged up a little bit, and tried playing through pain, and it all caught up to me. It's not fun where I'm sitting right now, but it's fun when you play pain-free." "It doesn't matter how old you are, if you love to do something and you love to work out, and you love to play basketball, it really doesn't matter what is your age or how old you are," he final run was legendary Bird and the Celtics proved that they were still at the top of the food chain in '92. They won 51 games and finished second in the East once again. Even though he missed almost half of the regular season, Bird recovered and returned to play against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round. Unfortunately, things did not play out the way Bird and the Celtics faithful had expected. Instead, Larry Legend experienced a rude awakening. In that hard-fought seven-game series against Cleveland, Bird only played 26 minutes per outing and logged a playoff career-low 11.3 points in six games. The Celtics ultimately lost to the Cavs. The devastating defeat and the recurring back pain helped Bird decide his future. For him, it was time. Just when he thought he was out, basketball pulled him back in. In the summer of '92, Bird was recruited to join the legendary Dream Team and represent the USA in the Barcelona Olympics. The Dream Team run became Bird's one last hoorah before finally calling it quits. Sure enough, he officially retired after winning the gold medal for his story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
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"I was a little embarrassed about how the fans treated me" - Larry Bird on why it was tough coming to Boston as Pacers head coach
"I was a little embarrassed about how the fans treated me" - Larry Bird on why it was tough coming to Boston as Pacers head coach originally appeared on Basketball Network. For all his life, Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics have had a special connection. It was his franchise through and through. From the moment he stepped onto the parquet floor in 1979, drafted sixth overall after leading Indiana State to the NCAA title game, Bird had made Boston his basketball home. If there was ever a path to coaching, many assumed it would begin right where everything else had, with the Celtics. That never happened. Instead, Bird's return to the sideline came from a different corner of the NBA map. In 1997, five years after retiring from playing and a brief stint working in Boston's front office, Bird became the head coach of the Indiana Pacers, his home-state team. And though the move was widely celebrated in Indiana, the thought of leading any franchise against the Celtics brought with it an uncomfortable emotional weight. Facing the Boston fans Bird had spent over a decade creating unforgettable moments in the Boston Garden. From battling Magic Johnson in the Finals to delivering clutch shots with ice in his veins, his playing days in green were the stuff of legends. So, when he returned to the city, not as a Celtic but as the head coach of the Pacers, it was deeply personal. "I was a little embarrassed about how the fans treated me," Bird confessed. "I knew how they feel about me, because I played so hard for them and had some success. Coming back and coaching a different team, that's difficult but I loved every minute of it." Even in a visiting suit, Boston fans treated Bird like one of their own. They cheered during his introductions, offered standing ovations and made it clear that his years in green hadn't faded from memory. But for Bird, it was a bittersweet experience, being honored in a place he once ruled, while now plotting against it. His path to Indiana began after a turbulent stint with Boston's front office. Named special assistant to the Celtics in 1992, Bird had hoped to stay connected to the team post-retirement. But the organization was mired in instability during that era, lingering from the tragic loss of Reggie Lewis in 1993, questionable draft decisions and a disconnect between former players and upper management. Bird's role was largely undefined and as power dynamics shifted within the franchise, so did his influence. It became clear over time that a return in a larger capacity — such as head coach or executive — wouldn't happen in Boston. The separation was decisive. Indiana offered something different. It was home, it was familiar and above all, it offered him full control. When Donnie Walsh approached him about taking over coaching duties in 1997, Bird agreed on one condition that it would be for no more than three return Bird's three years on the Indiana sidelines were anything but quiet. He stepped into a roster already rich with talent, led by the mercurial Reggie Miller, and swiftly molded them into contenders. In his very first season as head coach, the NBA recognized what the Pacers already knew: Bird was special. He took the team to a 58-24 record and pushed all the way to the Eastern Conference finals, earning NBA Coach of the Year honors in the process. It was his calm demeanor or sharp basketball mind that won respect so fast and the way he held everyone to a standard, unwavering and clear. He built a competitive, hungry team. But one kind of game always gnawed at him — a road matchup against his Celtics. It was a battle he never truly wanted to face. "To come back to Boston is always tough for me," Bird admitted. He had the Pacers playing like serious contenders. In the 1998 Eastern Conference finals, they went toe-to-toe with Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls, pushing them to seven games in what many consider one of the best conference finals of that era. A year later, in 1999, Bird took the Pacers back to the conference finals again, this time falling short to the New York Knicks in a gritty series. In his third and final season, Bird led Indiana all the way to the NBA Finals, where they faced off against the newly formed Los Angeles Lakers duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. Though the Pacers fell in six games, it showed Bird's ability to inspire and execute at the highest level, even from the bench. Then, true to his word, he stepped away. No drama and second thoughts, just a quiet exit, much like the one he made in Boston years earlier. Bird's coaching career ended as it began, on his own terms. Yet every time he walked back into TD Garden, he felt the weight of history. The cheers and banners all reminded him of what Boston meant and still story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
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Magic Johnson believed Michael Jordan struggled to be the face of the NBA after he and Larry Bird retired: "Michael wasn't enjoying himself anymore"
Magic Johnson believed Michael Jordan struggled to be the face of the NBA after he and Larry Bird retired: "Michael wasn't enjoying himself anymore" originally appeared on Basketball Network. For most of the 1980s, the NBA was a two-man empire. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird changed and defined the league. Their rivalry, one of the most iconic in sports history, transformed into mutual respect, and their overlapping dominance kept the league relevant and rising. But everything shifted in the early 1990s. Magic abruptly retired in 1991 after revealing his HIV diagnosis. Bird, plagued by chronic back injuries, played through pain before quietly walking away in 1992. And suddenly, the burden of carrying the league fell on Michael Jefferey Jordan. New face of the league It wasn't immediate, but the impact was real. Jordan had already established himself as a singular force with consecutive scoring titles, MVP awards, and an obsessive hunger that burned brighter than anyone else's. However, transitioning from being one of the stars to the star of the NBA was entirely a different responsibility. He became the face of an entire sport and a walking headline. It took a toll initially. "At that time, Michael wasn't enjoying himself anymore," Johnson said in 1996. "See what happened, Larry [Bird, who was in his last season] and I left and we left him. He's the one sitting there. Now it's just him." There had always been a sense of camaraderie among the league's elite. Johnson and Bird had each other, plus seasoned stars like Isiah Thomas and Charles Barkley to share the weight. But when the torch was passed, Jordan found himself alone in the spotlight. With the old guard gone and no equal in sight, every win, shot, and mistake fell squarely on his shoulders. The joy that once energized his game began to fade into the background, buried because of the pressure and relentless scrutiny. Even before Bird's retirement, Jordan had begun to shift from hungry young star to cultural icon. After clinching his first title in 1991, he ascended into a new realm of fame, where sneakers outsold jerseys and fans mimicked his fadeaway on playgrounds worldwide. But that kind of spotlight scorches. As Johnson recalls, Jordan had to conform to be the new face of the league. He had to maintain the aura of invincibility by winning, and his leadership style became what many described as harsh and demanding. The smile that once lit up press conferences began to vanish. His teammates noticed it, coaches felt it, and the entire league saw it. And the more titles he won, the lonelier the mountaintop became. Jordan's burden of superstardom In the late '80s, Jordan was the media darling. Everyone loved him, even when the championships didn't come. But as the '90s came around and Bird and Johnson began to fade from the spotlight, Jordan was thrown into the fire. "Then, wham, wham Every move, 'Oh, Michael's in Atlantic City," Johnson said. "Everything got magnified, whatever he did, I'm talking about wherever he went. It was bigger than life. So now what happened, Michael set in. He was introverted because of all the attention. The league turned to Michael." In 1993, just months before shocking the sports world with his first retirement, Jordan found himself in Atlantic City during the Eastern Conference finals. A late-night gambling trip turned into a national scandal. It didn't matter that he showed up to Game 2 on time or that he dropped 36 points. The narrative had already been written. That season, his father was frequently seen courtside. Just weeks after Jordan's third championship, the elder Jordan was murdered in North Carolina, and the grief hit deeper than the public could understand. Jordan stepped away from basketball entirely. He suited up for the Birmingham Barons in minor league baseball, a detour some saw as bizarre, but those closest to him recognized it as survival. The microscope was never kind, but in Jordan's case, it was blinding. His life had become public property. Every personal or professional decision was consumed, dissected, and debated. And unlike Johnson and Bird, who had each other to absorb the media storm, Jordan had to weather it alone. Yet from the ashes of that pressure, Jordan reinvented himself. He returned to the league in 1995, won three more titles, and cemented his status as the greatest to ever play. But those early '90s years served as a reminder that greatness comes at a story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
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"You guys are out having a good time, I'm in the gym working" - Grant Hill said the encounter with Larry Bird in 1992 taught him how to be a pro
"You guys are out having a good time, I'm in the gym working" - Grant Hill said the encounter with Larry Bird in 1992 taught him how to be a pro originally appeared on Basketball Network. Before Grant Hill stepped foot in the NBA, he had the opportunity to rub elbows with not just ordinary professional ballers, but the supreme legends of the sport. In the summer of 1992, the Duke standout, along with college stars Chris Webber, Penny Hardaway, Allan Houston, Jamal Mashburn and others, were selected to play a scrimmage against the original Dream Team. Meeting Larry Legend Hanging out with the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, Clyde Drexler and other legends taught Hill a lot about the sport, from a technical, tactical and physical standpoint. Among all his encounters with the 1992 Dream Team, his random meeting with Boston Celtics Larry Bird was the most unforgettable. In just a few words, Bird taught them what it took to be a legend in basketball. "The thing that I saw was just the competitiveness and the work ethic. I remember, we had practice one day and then we all went to the beach -- we did something as players -- and we got back and we were getting on the elevator, and Larry Bird gets on the elevator," Hill recalled, per ESPN. "He's the oldest guy on the team. But he just came from the gym. He was shooting. And he was talking trash. He was like, 'You guys are out having a good time, I'm in the gym working.' And the next day he came and put on a clinic. He just was on fire," Grant stated. Hill and the others understood the assignment. Bird was at the tail end of his career then. He had back problems and all sorts of injuries. But this did not stop him from putting in the work. It didn't matter if he was expected to play limited minutes. Larry Legend stayed ready by warming up his hand every chance he the Dream Team Hill said their encounter with Bird boosted their confidence. It was what powered them to defeat the Dream Team in that infamous scrimmage that sent the nation into a frenzy. Americans expected the Dream Team to annihilate every foe placed in front of them. And so they were nothing but disappointed when word got out that a bunch of college kids destroyed them. However, it was revealed later that Jordan, easily the best scorer in the squad, did not play as much in the Dream Team vs Select Team scrimmage. Chuck Daly made a tactical choice to humble his team. Meanwhile, the Select Team's stock plummeted, and many claimed their victory wasn't worth celebrating. Webber clapped back against such arguments. "I thought it was such a disrespect," Webber said. "If I was Scottie Pippen, if I was Karl Malone, if I was John Stockton, it's such disrespect to say, 'Oh, they were winning. But I looked on the side and noticed Michael Jordan was sitting down.'" "Y'all the best players in the world, what Jordan got to do with this? First of all, even with Jordan and if Jordan didn't play, it's still a story," Chris added. Indeed, the Select Team should be properly acknowledged for defeating the 1992 Dream Team. But that alone should not define them as players. Hill, Webber and the other players part of that young squad established their own names later on when they stepped foot in the story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
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"It's still in me a little bit" - Larry Bird admitted coaching in the NBA again crosses his mind
"It's still in me a little bit" - Larry Bird admitted coaching in the NBA again crosses his mind originally appeared on Basketball Network. There are some things a person never shakes, no matter how many years pass or how far they wander from the game. Larry Bird, at 68, wears that truth plainly. His coaching days are behind him now, but the gym still calls to him — faintly, stubbornly — in a way that only the hardwood can. A return to the sidelines? Sitting back and reflecting on his time running teams, Bird didn't talk like a man haunted by unfinished business. He talked like a man who loved the work, knew when to walk away. And still catches himself feeling the pull when summer rolls around. "I enjoy watching the guys work out all summer, so it's still in me a little bit," Bird said, probably with a quiet grin. "But as far as a full-time gig with a GM or a coach or something like that, I don't have no energy, man." His words carry the weight of someone who's seen everything — championships, collapses, the frenzy of an NBA Finals run and the quiet indignity of rebuilding seasons. Bird coached the Indiana Pacers to the Finals in 2000 and though they came up short against Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers, he thinks the strength of that Lakers' team didn't allow his guys to show their true worth. "Well, you build teams hopefully to get an opportunity to play in the Finals and they were definitely good enough," he said. "Even though we went to the Finals in 2000, I think that team was better. They didn't get to show us how good they were." Those words hang heavy because Bird has always spoken about his teams the way a craftsman speaks about his tools with both affection and a hint of frustration over what they could have days Through the years, the Boston icon has developed a kind of gentle philosophy about the role he wants basketball to play in his life. He enjoys popping into practices, spending time at summer workouts, catching up with players and coaches. But he's careful not to let that enjoyment turn into obligation. "Well, I enjoyed all that," Bird once explained of his time with the Pacers' front office. "I knew my time was going to come when we needed a change, a fresh voice, just like a coach and I've always felt that. A lot of guys like to hang around for the last minute. But I enjoy my life and I feel good and I don't have to be there all that time. I can go out and do other things." Bird's "other things" are simple and quiet. Winters in Florida, summers back home, trips to basketball camps and events around the world. Every so often, he'll drop by a gym and watch younger players — his eyes still sharp, still scanning the floor like the old days — and then leave just as easily, satisfied to watch from a distance. He doesn't need to pace the sidelines anymore. He doesn't need the clipboard or the long nights of film. But anyone who's ever known Bird can still see it — the faint glint in his eye when the ball hits the floor, the way his gaze lingers just a little longer when a player makes the right cut. "It's still in me a little bit," he said. And you believe him. Because he's Larry Legend. And when he puts his mind to something — ask the Showtime Lakers; ask Magic; ask Jordan; ask Isiah; ask Barkley — he'll get it story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
