TERRE HAUTE, Indiana: By his own admission, Larry Bird has always been a shy introvert. So he wondered why he has to keep talking on stage in front of thousands of people. "It’s because of the love and respect I’ve had for my fans and the love and respect they’ve shown me back,” Bird said.
The Indiana State University and Boston Celtics great addressed a public ceremony Thursday for the official opening of the Larry Bird Museum inside the Terre Haute Convention Center. After the ceremony, Bird took questions from the media, which he jokingly said might be his last interview. "I got a little street named after me, I got a statue out there and now a museum here,” Bird said of the city, the home of Indiana State.
"Thank you, Terre Haute, but I think that’s enough for a while. You have no idea how much I respect the city and the people in it.” Coincidentally, the ceremony took place a few days after the Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals by sweeping the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals.
Bird, a former head coach and executive with Pacers, returned to his home-state team as a consultant in 2023. "I remember at the All-Star Game, I told one of the Celtics owners that I thought they had the best team in the league,” said Bird, who won three NBA titles with the Celtics. "I’m very proud of the Indiana Pacers.
I think they’ve got a very good opportunity to keep moving on and doing very well. (Tyrese) Haliburton and other guys play well together. When .
