This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 5/15/2008.
Larry Bird is certainly one of the best basketball players of all time, and one of the best clutch performers in the history of sports. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started small forward and power forward for 13 seasons, teaming with legendary center Robert Parish and forward Kevin McHale. The addition of Larry Bird along with Magic Johnson (Lakers) rejuvenated the NBA, which had suffered from low attendance and minimal television interest through much of the 1970s. Coming off the first of his three consecutive MVP seasons, the third man to achieve that feat after Russell and Chamberlain, Bird helped the Celtics to a seven-game triumph against the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1984 NBA Finals. It was Bird's first postseason meeting with Magic since the 1979 NCAA title game, and it was a memorable one. In Game Five, with the temperature inside Boston Garden approaching 100 degrees, Bird pumped in 34 points, leading the Celtics to a 121-103 victory. In Game Seven a record TV basketball audience watched Bird score 20 points and gather 12 rebounds in Boston's 111-102 win. With series averages of 27.4 points and 14.0 rebounds, Bird was named Finals MVP. Bird was also named the league regular season MVP for that year. He was voted to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996 and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. Autographed on front by Larry Bird, Gerald Henderson, Kevin McHale, Greg Kite, Dennis Johnson, Robert Parish, Cedric Maxwell, Danny Ainge, ML Carr, Carlos Clark, Quinn Buckner, & Scott Wedman. On the left front tail of this road knit jersey is the "Medalist Sand-Knit" manufacturer's tag with the jersey size "46" on it. Across the front of the jersey is "CELTICS." Below that and on the back is the player number "33." Across the back of the jersey is "BIRD." All lettering and numbering is done in white tackle twill. The jersey shows game-use and appears to have no alterations of any kind. Accompanied by a LOA from JSA. Originally sourced from the Celtics team dentist with a LOA.