To celebrate Larry Bird's 60th birthday, we have 33 facts that you may or may not know about the Boston Celtics' legend.
1. Born in West Baden, Ind.
2. Middle name is Joe.
3. Dropped out of Indiana University shortly after beginning his freshman year.
4. Sixth overall pick by the Celtics in the 1978 NBA draft.
5. Attended Springs Valley High School in French Lick, Ind.
6. First person to ever win NBA MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year awards.
7. Rivalry with Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson began in college when their schools — Michigan State and Indiana State — faced off in the 1979 NCAA championship.
8. Twitter's logo is named Larry the Bird.
9. The Celtics won 61 games in Bird's rookie year — up from just 29 the year before.
10. Nicknamed Larry Legend and The Hick from French Lick.
11. Attended Indiana State University for three years.
12. Scored a career-high and Celtics franchise-record 60 points against the Atlanta Hawks in 1985.
13. Only played 13 NBA seasons but was a 12-time All-Star.
14. Selected to nine All-NBA First Teams.
15. Current president of the Indiana Pacers.
16. One of three players (Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain) to win back-to-back-to-back MVP awards.
17. Led the NBA in free-throw percentage four times.
18. Has the fifth-most triple-doubles in NBA history (59).
19. A victim of the era in which he played, Bird's 649 made threes rank 189th on the NBA's all-time leaderboard.
20. Played all 13 of his NBA seasons with the Celtics.
21. Averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists over the course of his career.
22. Won the first three NBA three-point competitions (1986-88).
23. Recorded 14 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in his NBA debut.
24. Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998.
25. Won three NBA championships with the Boston Celtics (1981, '84. '86).
26. Named NBA Finals MVP twice (1984, '86).
27. Won a gold medal with the Dream Team at the 1992 Olympics.
28. Only played six games in the 1988-89 season after undergoing heel surgery.
29. Named Rookie of the Year with 21.3-point, 10.4-rebound, 4.5-assist averages.
30. Indiana State University unveiled a statue in his honor in 2013.
31. Appeared on the big screen in Blue Chips and Space Jam.
32. His No. 33 jersey was retired by the Celtics during a ceremony on Feb. 4, 1993.
33. Dealt with back issues late in his career that eventually led to his retirement.
Check out Bird's full bio at NBA.com.
Follow AJ Neuharth-Keusch on Twitter @tweetAJNK
