After stepping down as the Pacers' head coach in 2000, Bird divided his time between his homes in French Lick, Indiana and Naples, Florida. Bird and his wife, Dinah, had two children. Still a sports legend and immensely popular figure to his fellow Hoosiers, Bird owned two businesses, a hotel and restaurant in Terre Haute and a car dealership in Martinsville, Indiana. Bird also retained an endorsement deal with the Heinz Corporation to advertise its Boston Market restaurant chain and line of frozen pot pies.
"I don't know what I'll do next," Bird wrote in an essay for Indianapolis Monthly upon his retirement from basketball in March 2000, adding, "I've been in this business twenty years. That's a long time. If I'm in something, I want to be active. [The owners of the Pacers] want me to stay here. I was always intrigued by putting a team together—not negotiating the contracts, but going out and really scouting and finding people that you trust and know, and putting it together. I'd like to scout, draft players, trade players, and stuff like that, but I don't know if I'll have an opportunity to do that."
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User Comments Add a comment…
5 months ago
Larry, I was a teen ager when I started to follow the Celtics. Back in Mexico City. I have alwas wanted the Celtics beat the Lakers and now it is not the exception. I remeber you as a great and my favorite player. Where are you now?
8 months ago
larry bird u r my best basketball player ever were r u know how old r u