Larry Bird Museum opens in Terre Haute, Indiana
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Basketball fans in Terre Haute, Indiana, welcomed back basketball legend Larry Bird on Thursday for the grand opening of the Larry Bird Museum.
Nearly six years in the making, the museum includes memorabilia from Bird's high school, college, and NBA career, interactive exhibits, and interviews with teammates, coaches, and rival players.
Bird, a 12-time All-Star who won three NBA titles, three NBA MVP Awards, and two NBA Finals MVPs with the Celtics, is currently a consultant with the Indiana Pacers. After his playing career, Bird coached the Pacers from 1997 to 2000. He was named NBA Coach of the Year for the 1997-98 season and led the Pacers to the NBA Finals in 2000, losing the series in six games against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Hundreds of fans greeted Bird, 67, as he returned to Terre Haute, where he attended Indiana State University. He took the Sycamores to the NCAA championship game in 1979, falling to fellow future Hall of Famer Magic Johnson and the Michigan State Spartans. Bird grew up in French Lick, Indiana, about 100 miles from Terre Haute.
After speaking briefly to the crowd before the museum's grand opening, Bird shared stories about his illustrious career.
"We won together, we lost together, we stayed together, and here we are again today," Bird said.
While Terre Haute isn't his hometown, Bird said that with all the attractions built in his honor, it will always be his home away from home. The famously shy basketball Hall of Famer jokingly said the ceremony might be his last interview.
"You know, if you think about it, I've got a little street named after me. I've got a statue out there, and I've got a museum here. Thank you, Terre Haute, but I think that's enough for a while," he said.
Bird said he never imagined having his own museum.
"This city, you have no idea how much I respect this city and the people in it. See, the people is what makes the city. If you don't have good people, and they don't come together, your city's nothing," he said.
"I don't live here, but every time I come here, I feel good, and that's all that matters. If you come into a city, and you know you're going to be treated well, and you treat them people well back, they're there for life. And that's what I got going on here."
The museum is located inside the Terre Haute Convention Center and is free to the public. It is open Wednesdays through Sundays.
Its opening ceremony took place a week before the Celtics, who swept the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, will face the Dallas Mavericks in the first game of the NBA Finals.
"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," Bird said. "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 the ball's moving, they win. If they guard a little bit, they win. Sometimes, they don't guard. They have a very good team, and they'll only grow together and get better."