Although Larry Bird is largely remembered for his playing days with the Boston Celtics, he also carved out quite the post-playing career with the Indiana Pacers.
Bird served as head coach and president of basketball operations for the Pacers, winning Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year.
The legend became the first person in NBA history to win all three awards, a testament to his skills both on and off the hardwood.
During his time as an executive, Bird got to watch Paul George blossom into the star he is today.
George’s tenure with Indiana resulted in several playoff appearances, something that Bird surely appreciated during their time together.
In a previous episode of his podcast, George revealed how close he and Bird were and a story of the basketball icon shooting in the gym one day via Podcast P with Paul George.
One of many reasons why Larry Bird is Larry Legend pic.twitter.com/BtbazpTpou
— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) December 30, 2023
In the short clip, George says he and Bird had a close relationship and the All-Star forward recounted how Bird impressed him with his shooting one day.
Bird came onto the practice court dressed up and decided to shoot a basketball from the 3-point line, swishing it by George’s account.
It’s quite the little tidbit from George who surely learned a thing or two from Larry Legend, and their relationship likely helped him turn into the superstar he is today.
Pacers fans should remember those days fondly, though the new iteration of the team led by Tyrese Haliburton is also worth getting excited over given how they’ve looked so far during the 2023-24 NBA season.
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