On October 12, 1979, the NBA was changed forever when legendary Boston Celtics small forward Larry Bird took the court for his first game. That game also marked the first time Bird's Celtics teammate Chris Ford made an official three-point shot.
But that historic three-pointer, for all its fame, pales in importance in comparison to the long and impressive legacy of the French Lick native (as Bird was sometimes called), who had one of the greatest careers of all time while with Boston: Three championships (1981, 1984, 1986), three MVP awards between 1984 and 1986, two Finals MVP awards (1984 and 1986), 12 NBA All-Star selections, one All-Star MVP award, 10 All-NBA nominations and three selections to the All-NBA Defensive Second Team, making Bird one of the greatest players in basketball history.
If you want to see some of Bird's play from that fateful first game, check out the clip embedded below, provided by our friends at CLNS Media's YouTube channel, “NBA History & Legends on CLNS.”
If you like this podcast, be sure to check out “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” “Celtics Lab” and many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast below:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
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