Indiana State University presented Larry Legend with a sweet statue this weekend.
The 17 foot, 1,900 lb bronze statue captures Bird’s flawless jump shot form, doesn’t it?
Bird’s buddy, Bill Walton, summarized the moment in perfect Walton-speak:
“The timeless contribution of a person who has changed the world for the better,” Walton said. “A living tribute … for families to show their children that I was there; look what is possible.”
Walton went on to call the statue “the enduring (representation) of a kind, generous, principled and wonderful human being.”
I was always told I wasn’t big enough or good enough,” Bird said. “I heard it in high school, I heard it in college, and I heard it in the pros.
“Today shows it worked out pretty well.”
A student group started the campaign for the statue years ago upon learning Magic Johnson was given a statue by Michigan State.
Since Bird was a much better basketball player than Earvin, it’s fitting that Larry’s statue reflect the supremacy:
From the top of the basketball to the sidewalk is 17 feet, one and one-eighth inch,” ISU president Daniel Bradley said. “That is enough to dwarf the 12-foot statue at Michigan State.”
But… Magic has a statue outside the Staples Center.
At the rate we give out statues around here, Bird should have one outside the Garden by 2030.
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