Larry Bird

In February 1982 Bird suffered a broken zygomatic arch in his face; it was the first of numerous injuries that plagued him in his NBA career. In 1988 he underwent surgery to remove bone spurs on his feet and he played the following season with severe back pain. In 1991 he had back surgery during the off season and returned to the Celtics lineup for only half of the 1991-92 season. After playing for the U.S men's basketball team at the Barcelona Summer Olympic Games in 1992, where the "Dream Team" won the Gold Medal, Bird announced his retirement as a professional basketball player. For the next five years, he remained on the staff of the Celtics as a special assistant.

In 1997 Bird received an offer to join the Indiana Pacers as the team's head coach. Based on Magic Johnson's experience as the coach of the Lakers after his retirement, some observers predicted that Bird would find the role of a coach to be unsatisfying. Bird proved them wrong by taking the Pacers to their best-ever season with fifty-eight wins. At the end of the season Bird claimed NBA Coach of the Year honors. In 1998 he was also inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.