Larry Bird’s Contract Breakdown: From $650,000 As A Rookie To Career Earnings Of $24 Million

As a professional basketball player, coach, and executive, Larry Bird will always be associated with the NBA. Bird is the only player in NBA history to be named Rookie of the Year, MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year. After a stellar career at Indiana State University, where he was the National College Player of the Year, the Boston Celtics used the No. 6 overall pick to select Bird, and the rest was history. 

Larry Bird played his entire professional career of 13 seasons with the Celtics. He led the team to the NBA Finals five times and won three championships. From 1984 to 1986, Bird was the league MVP and remains the last player to ever win three straight MVP Awards. With 12 All-Star selections and nine consecutive appearances on the All-NBA First Team, Bird has a great argument for being the best player of the 1980s. With greatness comes money, and Bird’s contract breakdown features that summary right now.

Here is the contract breakdown for “Larry Legend.”

1979-80 NBA Season – $650,000 Salary

Stats: 21.3 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.6 BPG

When the Celtics selected Bird in the 1978 NBA Draft, he didn’t sign with the Celtics right away. Instead, he went back to Indiana State and led the team to the NCAA Championship Game. It’s one of the greatest stash picks ever, which is something the NBA doesn’t allow anymore. In 1979, Bird nearly entered the 1979 NBA Draft, but both parties negotiated a five-year, $3.25 million contract. The deal made him the richest rookie player in NBA history.

Bird is part of the reason why draft eligibility rules were changed. After this deal, the NBA prevented teams from drafting players before they were ready to sign. This rule became known as the Bird Collegiate Rule. The wait was worth it, as Bird helped the Celtics turn into a title contender. The Celtics made the Conference Finals, and Bird was named Rookie of the Year.

1980-81 NBA Season – $650,000 Salary

Stats: 21.2 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 5.5 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.8 BPG

Before the season, the Celtics drafted forward Kevin McHale and acquired Robert Parish. These players would quickly become two staples of the 80s. With a trio of future Hall of Famers, it began a journey that featured a frequent contender for coming out of the East. With Bird’s leadership and an upgraded roster, the Celtics made it back to the Conference Finals.

After falling behind 3-1 to the 76ers, the Celtics won the next three games to qualify for the NBA Finals. The Celtics would win the championship in six games over the Rockets. Bird averaged 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in the Finals. That capped off a postseason where Bird averaged 21.9 points, 14.0 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 2.3 steals per game. While there might have been some worry about giving Bird a high amount of money this early in his NBA career, Bird lived up to the investment with a title in his second season. 

1981-82 NBA Season – $650,000 Salary

Stats: 22.9 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 5.5 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.8 BPG

Coming off a championship, the Celtics were viewed as one of the best teams again. Bird lived up to being the face of the league as he finished the season runner-up to Moses Malone in the MVP voting. Bird was the All-Star Game MVP after scoring 19 points. He also made his first All-Defensive First Team.

The playoffs featured a matchup with the 76ers for the third consecutive season. The Celtics lost to the 76ers in seven games in the rematch. Boston had won the regular season series 4-2, but the team kept Bird in check offensively. Bird tied Parish for the game-high in points (24) in Game 1 but did not lead all scorers in the final six games.

1982-83 NBA Season – $650,000 Salary

Stats: 23.6 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.9 BPG

For the same salary, the Celtics received the same superstar player. Bird set the new record for single-game scoring with 53 points against the Pacers. That output surpassed the old mark set by Sam Jones in 1965. The Celtics won 56 games but finished second in the Atlantic Division to the 76ers. The team’s season lost to the Bucks in the semifinals in four games.

What stands out the most was this season featured an average second half of the season. The Celtics went a combined 21-16 in the final three months of the season. With that said, Bird did what he could to carry the Celtics. He finished second in the MVP voting for a second year in a row to Malone.

1983-84 NBA Season – $650,000 Salary

Stats: 24.2 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.9 BPG

After two years of being second-best, that was no more, starting in 1984. Bird was named the MVP after a stellar season. Bird led the Celtics to 62 wins and a first-place finish in the Atlantic Division and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Bird capped off the perfect season by also leading the Celtics to the NBA championship and a Finals MVP Award.

In the playoffs, the Celtics needed every win possible. The team battled the New York Knicks to seven games and then took the Lakers to seven games in the NBA Finals. With Bird’s play leading the way, the team was able to push past Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy. Bird averaged 27.4 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in the seven-game series.

1984-85 NBA Season – $1,800,000 Salary

Stats: 28.7 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.2 BPG

Another season meant another MVP season from Bird. That included a new franchise record for points in a game. Bird scored 60 points on March 12th against the Hawks. It came nine days after Kevin McHale broke Bird’s old record by scoring 56 points. Obviously, Bird couldn’t let his teammate have all of the glory.

At the end of the season, Bird has crowned the best player in the league, and he led the Celtics back to the NBA Finals. That led to another meeting with the Lakers in the NBA Finals after beating the Cavaliers, Pistons, and 76ers in the playoffs. This time, the Lakers came out on top in a six-game series.

1985-86 NBA Season – $1,800,000 Salary

Stats: 25.8 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 6.8 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.6 BPG

In the offseason, Bird injured his back shoveling crushed rock to create a driveway for his mother’s house. This led to back problems in the present and the future. With that said, Bird remained the league’s best. The team traded for former Finals MVP Bill Walton, who had a previous injury history. Walton became one of the league’s best bench players. With the surrounding cast, the Celtics won a league-best 67 games. 

At the All-Star Game, Bird won the Three-Point Contest and famously asked who was going to finish second before winning the shootout. At the end of the season, Bird became the third player ever to win three straight MVP Awards. In the playoffs, the Celtics lost once in the first three rounds to make the NBA Finals against the Rockets. Bird recorded a triple-double of 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists in Game 6 to win the series. Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 9.5 assists to win Finals MVP.

1986-87 NBA Season – $1,800,000 Salary

Stats: 28.1 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 7.6 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.9 BPG

For the first time in three years, Bird was not named the MVP despite averaging a stat line that might have been deserving. Instead, his rival Magic Johnson was crowned the league best. The Celtics won 59 games in the regular season and were first in the division and the Eastern Conference. The team returned to the NBA Finals for a rematch with the Lakers, but it would be Johnson that got the last laugh.

It was the first time that the Celtics did not have a home-court advantage when playing in the Finals with Bird. The Lakers took the series in six games. This would be the final time that Bird played in the NBA Finals.

1987-88 NBA Season – $1,800,000 Salary

Stats: 29.9 PPPG, 9.2 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.8 BPG

This season featured the best scoring average of Bird’s career. The Celtics won 57 games and won the division, and were the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the team did not make it back to the NBA Finals, and it was a grueling stretch even to get there. In the first round, the Celtics beat the Knicks in three games. Then, the team trailed the Hawks 3-2 but won the seven-game series over Dominique Wilkens in seven games. That included shooting 90% in the fourth quarter with 20 points.

It was the fifth consecutive season that the Celtics made the Eastern Conference Finals. However, the “Bad Boys” Pistons were on the uprising, and the team defeated Bird in six games. Bird never led all scorers in the series, something both Robert Parish and Kevin McHale did. Bird led all players in rebounding four times and was second to McHale’s 26.8 points per game in the series by averaging 19.8 per game.

1988-89 NBA Season – $1,800,000 Salary

Stats: 19.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.8 BPG

For the first time, the salary did not match the production. While the numbers look great on paper, Bird played in six games. After six games, Bird needed surgery on both of his heels due to bone spurs. Bird returned to the team in 1989, but his declining back and an aging Celtics roster prevented him from getting back to All-Star form. The team finished eighth in the conference with 42 wins and was swept by the Pistons in the first round.

While this season was a failure, it was truly the first time that Bird ever had to not play for the team. Bird had played in at least 77 games in his first eight seasons. His ninth season was 74 games before his 10th season featured a major injury.

1989-90 NBA Season – $2,750,000 Salary

Stats: 24.3 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 7.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.8 BPG

After healing from surgery, Bird played in 75 games this season, which would be the final time he would play in over 70 games. With Bird back in the fold, the Celtics looked competitive again. The team battled adversity as first-round draft pick Brian Shaw left the team to play overseas, but the team finished second in the division, fourth in the conference, won 52 games, and Bird was named to the All-NBA Second Team.

Despite having Bird, McHale, and Parish lead the team, this was not the same team as five years ago. All three players were All-Stars, but the team didn’t make a deep run in the playoffs. The Knicks defeated the Celtics in five games after the Celtics took a 2-0 lead to open the series. That led to head coach Jimmy Rodgers getting fired at the end of the season.

1990-91 NBA Season – $1,500,000 Salary

Stats: 19.4 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 7.2 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.0 BPG

This is the first season that features data on NBA salaries for players. Bird’s contract was the 54th highest-paid contract in the league. Bird was getting paid the same amount of money as Alex English and Kendall Gill and was $10,000 short of tying Bill Laimbeer for 53rd. With that said, Bird was starting to decline due to age and injuries. Bird missed 22 regular season games, and the team struggled without him.

With that said, the Celtics won the Atlantic Division and finished with the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the Pistons continued to play at a high level. The team was the back-to-back NBA champions and looked to three-peat. On their way to the Conference Finals, the Pistons defeated the Celtics 4-2 in the semifinals. Bird missed the first game of that series but could not get the team going.

1991-92 NBA Season – 7,070,000 Salary

Stats: 20.2 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 6.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.7 BPG

The seven million salary that Bird received made him the highest-paid player in the NBA during this season. It was not even close when it came to salaries either. The next highest-paid player was Hot Rod Williams at $3.7 million. Bird’s salary for this season was equivalent to $15.4 million if you compared it to modern-day salaries.

This season was the last dance for Bird’s career. In his final season, the Celtics won 51 games and won the division, and were the No. 2 seed in the East. One of the highlights was a 49-point performance in double overtime against the Trail Blazers. It was the most points for Bird since 1988. In the playoffs, the Celtics pushed the Cavaliers to seven games in the semifinals before losing Game 7. This would ultimately be the last season the Celtics would win a playoff series for 10 years.

1992-93 NBA Season – $2,300,000 Salary

Stats: None

Before the season, Bird announced that he would retire from the NBA. Quickly after, the Celtics retired his No. 33 jersey. Even though Bird retired, he still received a salary. The salary was the 42nd highest salary in the league.

One could argue that it was a waste of money this season; there is not a single fan in Boston that would be upset about Bird getting his money here. This player sacrificed his body for this team for many years and helped the team go to the NBA Finals five times with three titles. If anything, it’s considered a bonus.

Career Earnings – $24,070,000

Bird was a versatile player that could play both forward positions because he was able to play inside and outside. He was one of the first players to take advantage of shooting outside. While his three-point shooting was not the greatest in the league, it solidified his game from all aspects of the court. Even when we entered a new Millenium and Bird was out of the league for almost 10 years, he was still considered the greatest small forward ever.

To this day, Bird holds the record for triple-doubles (59), while the advanced stats records feature him with the most offensive win shares and value over a replacement player. It doesn’t matter what lens you look at it, Bird remains one of the greatest all-time Celtics ever. If Bird played in this era, this number would have been in the $300 million. Instead, he made a salary for one year for a role player for his entire career. 

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