Decades after he hung it up as a player, Boston Celtics iconic small forward Larry Bird’s legacy lives on, but an entire generation of NBA and Celtics fans may be a little fuzzy on the origin story of how he joined the league where he forged his Hall of Fame career.
While his ascension to the NBA was all but certain at some point, Bird’s decision to transfer from the University of Indiana playing under legendary NCAA head coach Bob Knight to Indiana State opened up a loophole in the NBA rules at the time which allowed a player to be drafted in the draft after their graduating class matriculated.
That transfer opened up the door to Bird becoming a Celtic, though it was far from settled business up until the penultimate hour, with Larry Legend’s cagy agent securing the biggest contract a rookie had ever been given to keep Bord from simply waiting another year to join the league with his second college’s seniors.
Watch the video embedded above to hear the whole tale courtesy of NBC Sports Boston.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
