Larry Bird is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He had an outstanding college and professional career, winning 3 NBA championships with the Boston Celtics in the 1980s. However, one controversy has swirled around Bird throughout his career – did his father commit suicide when Larry was just a child? In this article, we will examine the facts around this tragic event and try to determine what really happened to Larry Bird’s father.
Larry Bird’s Early Life
Larry Joe Bird was born on December 7, 1956 in West Baden, Indiana. He was raised in the small town of French Lick, Indiana. Larry’s father, Claude Joseph “Joe” Bird, worked as a foreman in a Phillips 66 plant. His mother, Georgia Kerns, worked two jobs to support Larry and his five siblings.
By all accounts, Joe Bird struggled with alcoholism and was often absent from the family home. Georgia Bird filed for divorce in 1960 when Larry was just 4 years old. The divorce was finalized in 1961.
On February 1, 1975, when Larry was 18 years old and had just graduated from high school, his father died at the age of 48. The cause of death was listed as suicide.
Joe Bird had been living in a homemade camper in French Lick. He was found dead inside the camper, along with a gasoline-powered generator. The cause of death was determined to be carbon monoxide poisoning.
Questioning the Official Cause of Death
Almost immediately, there were doubts about the reported cause of Joe Bird’s death. Some family members did not believe that he had committed suicide.
The camper where Joe Bird died was primitive. It had no electricity, plumbing, or telephone. Bird would run the gasoline generator when he needed power.
Some speculated that Joe Bird accidentally left the generator running inside the enclosed camper, not realizing the peril of the carbon monoxide fumes. Under this theory, his death was an accident rather than an intentional suicide.
There were also questions around why the divorced Bird was living in such conditions. With a good job at the Phillips 66 plant, it seemed unclear why he was residing in a crude camper instead of a real home.
Larry Bird’s Response
For most of his life, Larry Bird has been reluctant to discuss his father’s death. When he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998, Bird made reference to the “suicide” but did not provide any details.
In 2009, Bird opened up a bit more on the subject in an interview with ESPN. When asked directly if he thought his father’s death was a suicide, Bird replied “I don’t know.”
He went on to explain: “I was young and just assumed what everyone else said was true. Now as an adult, looking back I think there are a lot of questionable things about what happened.”
In that interview, Bird said that he and his father were not close at the time of his death. Bird had just become a local basketball star and there was not much regular contact between him and his divorced father. Still, he said it haunted him to think his dad took his own life.
Examining the Evidence
To try and determine if Joe Bird’s death was correctly classified as a suicide, let’s examine the known evidence:
– Joe Bird was living alone in a crude, homemade camper with no utilities
– He died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a gasoline generator
– The camper was enclosed, allowing fumes to accumulate
– Bird had a history of alcohol abuse and instability
– Bird and his ex-wife suggested he was depressed and unstable in his final years
– The coroner declared the cause of death to be intentional suicide
On the other hand:
– Bird had a steady job that could have provided him better lodging
– There were no signs or warnings that suicide was imminent
– No suicide note was found at the scene
– Some family members doubted it was an intentional act
– It’s possible Bird mistakenly left the generator running
Conclusion
After examining the sparse available evidence, there is no definitive answer on how Larry Bird’s father died. There are certainly some red flags that suggest it could have been a tragic accident rather than a purposeful suicide.
Bird himself has questioned the official cause of death, and seems to harbor doubts that his father intentionally took his own life.
However, without more evidence, we cannot rewrite history or overturn a death ruling made nearly 50 years ago. The official records list Joe Bird’s death as a suicide.
Larry Bird has had to grapple with that uncertainty for his entire adult life. The loss of his father clearly still impacts and saddens him, whether it was due to suicide or an accident. Bird long ago forgave his father for being absent from his life, but the circumstances around his premature death remain a mystery.
Larry Bird’s Accomplishments
While the controversy surrounding his father’s death has been a cloud over Larry Bird’s life, it did not stop him from achieving greatness on the basketball court. Here is a look at some of Bird’s monumental accomplishments in his 13-year playing career:
NBA Championships
– 1981
– 1984
– 1986
Larry Bird was the leader and centerpiece of the great Boston Celtics teams of the 1980s that won three NBA titles. He was named the NBA Finals MVP in both 1984 and 1986.
Regular Season MVPs
– 1984
– 1985
– 1986
Larry Bird won three consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player awards in the mid-1980s, cementing himself as the best player in the league.
All-Star Selections
– 1980
– 1981
– 1982
– 1983
– 1984
– 1985
– 1986
– 1987
– 1988
– 1990
– 1991
– 1992
Bird was selected to 12 NBA All-Star teams, demonstrating his sustained greatness over more than a decade.
All-NBA First Teams
– 1980
– 1981
– 1982
– 1983
– 1984
– 1985
– 1986
– 1987
– 1988
– 1990
– 1991
In addition to 12 All-Star nods, Bird was named to the All-NBA First Team an incredible 10 times. From 1980 to 1988, he made the first team every year, a sign of his astounding consistency.
Career Stats
Over his illustrious 13-year career, Larry Bird compiled the following stats:
| PPG | 24.3 |
| RPG | 10.0 |
| APG | 6.3 |
| FG% | .496 |
| 3P% | .376 |
| FT% | .886 |
| PER | 23.5 |
These numbers show Bird’s versatility and completeness as a player. He could score, rebound, pass, and shoot at an elite level, all while leading his team to championships.
Legacy
In assessing his career and legacy, most basketball experts and historians consider Larry Bird to be one of the 10 greatest players of all time.
He helped define an era of classic NBA basketball in the 1980s and built a lasting legend with the Boston Celtics franchise. His rivalry and showdowns with Magic Johnson and the Lakers were iconic.
Bird’s legacy extends beyond his pro career. He also led Indiana State to the 1979 NCAA Championship game, and is considered one of the greatest college players of his era as well.
After retiring in 1992, Bird went on to coach the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000, leading them to their only NBA Finals appearance to date in 2000. He was later named the Pacers President of Basketball Operations and built a contending squad in the early 2000s.
In recognition of his immense impact, Larry Bird was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. He was a first-ballot selection in his initial year of eligibility.
While Bird’s playing career was cut short at age 35 due to chronic back problems, he crammed an enormous amount of winning and success into 13 stellar seasons. Bird often seemed superhuman on the court with his shooting precision and tenacious game.
He will forever be remembered as one of basketball’s giants – a champion, an MVP, a trash-talker, and a legend of the sport. Off the court, he bore the weight of his father’s tragic end but never used it as an excuse for not achieving greatness.
