NBA and Basketball Legend Larry Bird has stepped down as Pacers President, The Vertical reported. The news was later confirmed by league sources. Pacers General Manager Kevin Pritchard will be replacing Bird as the President of Pacers franchise.
Sources: Larry Bird stepping down as Pacers president. @WojVerticalNBA report on @TheVertical. https://t.co/K7dfD5BcKC pic.twitter.com/RQgN3xqe8l
— Yahoo Sports NBA (@YahooSportsNBA) April 28, 2017
Bird was the mind behind the Pacers drafting Danny Granger in 2005, Paul George in 2010 and Kawhi Leonard in 2011. Three of the best players of our generation.
If rumours are to be believed, he might be looking for a front-office role and Orlando Magic might try to bring him in. Bird leaving Pacers administration has left the Pacers Organisation in a fix with trade rumours surrounding Paul George. Both Bird and Paul George leaving Indiana might push the organisation into rebuild-mode for the next few years.
Larry Bird joined the Pacers in 1997 as Head Coach, winning the coach of the year award in his very first season and under his tutelage the Indiana Pacers reached the 2000 NBA Finals. Bird, a 1998 Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee is the only player in league history to win the MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year award.