On October 12, 1979, Larry Bird played his first game against the Houston Rockets at home. It was a hugely anticipated game and a glimpse into what would become a legendary career. Larry started the game and played 28 minutes scoring 14 points with ten rebounds and five assists.
Unfortunately, there is not much video available of this game. So to relieve the excitement, we created a video montage combining the radio broadcast as called by the immortal Johnny Most matched with rare videos and still images as a recreation of the game.
Boston selected Larry as the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, but he did not sign with the Celtics immediately. Instead, Larry chose to play his final season with Indiana State and led the Sycamores to the NCAA title game.
Celtics General Manager Red Auerbach publicly stated that he would not pay Bird more than any Celtic on the current roster. Larry’s agent Bob Woolf told Auerbach that Bird would reject any sub-market offers and would enter the 1979 draft instead, where Boston’s rights would expire on June 25 when the draft starts.
After lengthy negotiations, on June 8, Larry signed a five-year, $3.25 million contract making him the highest-paid rookie in sports history. Shortly afterward, the NBA draft eligibility rules were changed to prevent teams from drafting players before they were ready to sign, which was named after him and known as the Bird Rule.
In his rookie season (1979–1980), Larry immediately transformed the Celtics into a title contender. The team improved its win total by 32 games from the previous year.
Larry’s first career triple-double with 23 points, 19 rebounds, and ten assists in a 115–111 win over the Detroit Pistons on November 14, 1979.
And on November 23, Larry scored his first 30-point game with 11 rebounds and three assists in a 118–103 win over the Indiana Pacers.
With averages of 21.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.7 steals per game for the season, he was selected to the All-Star Team and named Rookie of the Year.
Boston made it to the Eastern Conference Finals but was eliminated by the Philadelphia 76ers.
