Larry Bird is one of the biggest legends in the history of the NBA. Bird played in the NBA for a relatively short amount of time but achieved an incredible amount of success while playing at an incredibly high level. Bird is one of the greatest of all time, and because of this, he was incredibly well compensated.
Across his career, Larry Bird earned $24 million in his career. While that number may seem marginal right now, Bird was one of the best-paid players in the NBA during his time. But it appears despite his incredible financial success, Bird would have been equally content if he had some of the smaller things in life.
In an interview he had after he retired, Larry Bird spoke about how he enjoys a simple life. Bird explained how he was more concerned with having his basics and essentials available and didn’t care too much for indulging in the excesses of life. As long as his essentials were taken care of, he knew that he could live a happy and satisfying life.
“The one essential thing I want is a clean, comfortable place to live. Other than that, money is not that big of a deal to me. I know it’s easy to say that when you have some, but I mean it. If I have enough money for some Coke, some beer, something to eat, and a nice place to live, I don’t need much more.”
Bird’s love for beer has been well documented. An iconic picture from his time in Barcelona with the 1992 Dream Team, where he sat on the floor drinking beers while Michael Jordan played ping pong went viral a couple of months ago. On top of that, Charles Barkley shared a hilarious experience he had about drinking beers with Larry Bird.
Clearly, Bird didn’t feel the need to live a lavish lifestyle, and just wanted a simple living. Bird has been wildly successful, and most players who have been compensated to the level that he has been across his career usually want to live a luxurious life. But for Bird, his essentials are all that he needs to have a happy life.
Bird stayed active in the basketball world after retiring, working a front-office job for the Indiana Pacers. He was with the organization well into the 2000s, before walking away and living a quiet and private life in retirement.
Credit for idea: SportsCasting
