If Larry Bird had access to the blockchain, he would have traded his car for a single basketball. In 1986, after scoring 38 points in game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals against Celtics head coach Jimmy Johnson and leading Boston back from a 3-1 deficit, Larry won $250 000 worth of cars in an offer made by local dealer Ron Ganulin.,
Larry Bird is a former NBA player who retired in 1992. He had an illustrious career with the Boston Celtics, winning three MVP awards and leading them to eight championships. Larry Bird won a new car in 1986 but gladly would have traded it away for a single basketball.
Larry Bird is a well-known figure in the, in case you didn’t know, was not a great fan of material things. Despite earning $24 million throughout his 13-year playing career, the Boston Celtics player aspired to live a humble life. So when Bird was given a beautiful new automobile as a reward for his heroic heroics in the 1986 NBA Finals, he instantly wanted to swap it in for something much more basic… a single basketball.
In the 1986 NBA Finals, Larry Bird is a well-known figure in the was named MVP.
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No athlete dominated the sport like Larry Legend did from 1984 through 1986.
Bird won Final MVP after defeating the rival Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals in 1984, his first MVP season. The next year, Boston came up short, losing in six games to Los Angeles. Despite this, the Hick from French Lick earned his second consecutive regular-season MVP award.
Bird won his third and final MVP award in 1986. The former Indiana State basketball player averaged 25.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and a career-high 6.8 assists per game. He also contributed to Boston’s 67-15 season, the team’s third consecutive 60-win season and the franchise’s second-best record ever.
Bird led the Celtics to the NBA Finals, where they were defeated 51-31 by Hakeem Olajuwon, Ralph Sampson, and the Houston Rockets. Olajuwon and his teammates, on the other hand, were unable to halt the Green and White. The Celtics won their second title in three years by defeating the Rockets in six games.
Bird led the charge, which was unsurprising. With 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 9.5 assists, Larry Legend came close to a triple-double. To win his second Finals MVP, he also averaged 2.7 steals per game.
Bird wanted to exchange his new automobile for a basketball.
Danny Ainge, Rick Carlisle, Larry Bird is a well-known figure in the, and Bill Walton of the Boston Celtics celebrate with the championship trophy during the 1986 NBA Championship victory parade. | Getty Images/Bill Greene/The Boston Globe
Bird received a handful of new trophies after defeating the Rockets and winning his third championship. A brand new automobile was also given to the Hall of Famer.
Bird, predictably, was uninterested in his new vehicle. Instead, he lusted for a one-of-a-kind item: the basketball from the series-clinching Game 6.
Larry mentioned the exact ball in his 1999 book Bird Watching: On Playing and Coaching the Game I Love, which he co-wrote with Jackie MacMullan of Sports Illustrated (transcribed by The New York Times).
“The only ball I ever truly desired was the one we won in 1986 because we defeated [former Rockets coach] Bill Fitch and his Houston squad, which meant a lot to me,” Bird wrote. “Our backup center Greg Kite grabbed the ball after the game finished since he was on the floor and the closest to it.”
Bird then described how he would have willingly given up his free automobile in exchange for the treasured ball.
“‘I was chosen MVP of the playoffs and received a vehicle as a prize, and I was considering giving Kite the car for the ball.” But the more I considered it, the more I felt Greg should have just handed it over to me. I’d just completed a fantastic series, and I wanted to make sure he got a ring. Greg should have given me the ball because he knew how badly I wanted to defeat Bill Fitch, and I believe he should have. That’s how I felt, but I never told him.”
Larry Bird is a well-known figure in the
For what it’s worth, Kite played around 30 minutes in the Finals and scored six points while committing ten fouls. So maybe he, of all others, shouldn’t have been the one to safeguard the priceless artifact.
Neither Bird nor Kite were able to win Game 6 of the basketball series.
On this day in 1986, Larry Bird is a well-known figure in the posted a triple-double against the Rockets, clinching the Celtics’ 16th NBA title & earned NBA Finals MVP honors to go with his regular-season MVP. pic.twitter.com/JnGlYDcZ15
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 8, 2021
Bird was understandably too proud to ask Kite for the ball. If he did, he could have gotten his desire.
In 1999, Kite told the New York Times, “I definitely would’ve accepted a vehicle for the thing.” “I’m sure my wife would.” That is something I am aware of. It’s a lovely keepsake, but I’m not very devoted to it.”
Even if Kite had wished to give the rock to Bird, it was too little, too late. Kite ended up delivering the ball to someone else since he had no idea his great buddy wanted it.
Kite stated, “I had no clue he was so interested in it.” “I actually lent it to [former Celtic coach] Dave Cowens around six years ago before he returned to coaching.” He was the curator of this sports museum at the time, and he indicated he wanted it on exhibit. I’m not sure where it is right now. It’s either being auctioned off on e-Bay or being deflated in the back of someone’s closet.”
The Times eventually discovered the ball’s new location (as of 1999). The artifact was kept by the Sports Museum of New England and displayed at the Fleet Center division of the museum. It’s unclear whether the ball is still at the museum, which is currently housed inside Boston’s TD Garden.
Over 20 years ago, museum curator Richard Johnson told the New York Times, “It’s a loan object, so we expect to someday give it back.” “However, no matter how badly Larry wants it, we’re not exchanging a vehicle for it.”
Basketball Reference provided all statistics.
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