Larry Bird is a bonafide legend for the Boston Celtics, having played for the team from 1979 to 1992. During this time, especially in his prime, Bird had a case for being the best in the league, winning three championships and three MVPs.
But Larry Legend had some serious injury issues later in his career. And in 1986, the Celtics selected Len Bias, who was compared to Michael Jordan in college. However, Bias tragically passed away before he could play. But Bird once revealed that if Bias had joined, he would have retired earlier.
“I would have left in 1988,” Bird said, “I would have retired in 1988. I was starting to have ankle problems, and they were going to have to detach my Achilles to get these [bone] spurs out. I knew I was going to miss the whole year. If he (Len Bias) was there, I would have just shut it down.”
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After the end of the 1987-88 season, Bird had to deal with his injuries, having to get bone spurs removed from both of his heels. He played only six games that season and even though he would return a year later, back problems stopped him from getting back to being a dominant force in the NBA.
Len Bias was one of the most highly touted college prospects expected to come into the league in the 80s, but he passed due to a tragic drug overdose before he could join the team. By 1988, he would have blossomed into a successor for the franchise star and it’s a massive shame that fans never got to see it happen.
Larry Bird Struggled Massively Later In His Career By His Standards
In his prime from 1982 to 1988, Larry Bird averaged 26.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game. He won two Finals MVPs and three consecutive MVPs, as well as two championships during that era. Many thought he would become the best, but he was never the same after his injuries.
After missing most of the 1988-89 season, Bird would return to play three more seasons for the Celtics. But his average fell by over five points per game; he was only averaging 21.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.
These are still elite numbers but, by Bird’s standards, not good enough. So it’s no surprise that he wanted to retire. He would eventually leave $4.5 million on the table when he did retire, which shows how serious he was about it all. That would have been a wild turn of events.
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