Net Worth: $75 Million
What Is Larry Bird’s Net Worth?
Larry Bird’s net worth is estimated to be $75 million. The retired American professional basketball player and NBA coach is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. During his time with the Boston Celtics, Larry Bird won three NBA Championships in 1981, 1984, and 1986. He also claimed two NBA Finals MVP titles and three NBA MVP titles in a row from 1984 through 1986.
The 12-time All-Star has earned his massive $75 million net worth through a combination of NBA player and coaching salaries, product endorsements, and thanks to his entrepreneurial skills.
Let’s dive in to understand how Larry Bird’s net worth in 2024 has climbed to an impressive $75 million.
Larry Bird was making $650,000 per season way back in 1979. To put that type of salary into perspective, in 2024 dollars Bird was earning $2.849 million.
Birdy earned that same salary until the 1984-1985 season when he started earning $1.8 million.
Here’s the breakdown of Larry Bird’s total NBA salaries which totaled just over $24 million.
| Season | Earnings | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-80 | $650,000 | |||
| 1980-81 | $650,000 | |||
| 1981-82 | $650,000 | |||
| 1982-83 | $650,000 | |||
| 1983-84 | $650,000 | |||
| 1984-85 | $1,800,000 | |||
| 1985-86 | $1,800,000 | |||
| 1987-88 | $1,800,000 | |||
| 1988-89 | $1,800,000 | |||
| 1989-90 | $2,750,000 | |||
| 1990-91 | $1,500,000 | |||
| 1991-92 | $7,070,000 | |||
| 1992-93 | $2,300,000 | |||
| Total | $24,070,000 |
Larry Bird’s net worth climbed quickly thanks to his five-year, $3.25 million contract with the Celtics. At the time, it was the highest pay a rookie had ever received in sports history. Bird was also the first NBA player to earn $5 million in a single season.
In one of the classiest moves in sports history, Larry Bird refused to manipulate his retirement announcement. Had he waited a bit longer, he could have claimed $10 million in additional salary from the team.
Larry Bird Earned Millions From Product Endorsements
Larry Bird’s deal with Converse provided the NBA superstar with one of the coolest shoe names in history, “The Weapon.” Bird signed an endorsement deal with the company that was worth an estimated $5 million.
Larry Bird’s net worth was increased further by various other product endorsements from the likes of McDonald’s, Capital One, Hanes, Chevrolet, Footlocker, and AT&T.
Bird also worked as the national spokesperson for Heinz’s new frozen meal offers which included a commercial spot.
He also hawked Nestle Crunch bars, here’s that nostalgic commercial.
Perhaps Larry Bird’s most successful commercial of all time involved the NBA great playing a game of HORSE against Michael Jordan to decide who would buy lunch.
It’s not often we get to see two NBA legends in such an iconic commercial. Michael Jordan’s net worth has surpassed $3 billion, but in this moment, it was just two of the NBA’s greats and a whacky game of HORSE.
Larry Bird Earned Millions In Coaching And Other Salaries For The Indiana Pacers
Larry Bird served as the head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000. Despite no coaching experience, he was named NBA Coach of the Year following the 1997 to 1998 season. In 2000 he led the team to the NBA finals.
According to Sports Illustrated, Bird was serving with an open-ended coaching contract that was paying him around $4 million per season. If that number is correct, Larry Bird earned around $12 million as head coach of the team.
Three years after his coaching time came to an end, Larry Bird was named as the president of basketball operations for the Pacers. Bird held that role until retiring in 2012.
Bird’s retirement was short-lived and he returned to his President role in 2013 and stayed in that position until 2017.
After leaving the President role, Larry Bird stayed on as an advisor until July 2022. In 2023 he became a consultant for the team.
Larry Bird Has Always Been A Thrifty Spender
Despite his fame and fortune, Larry Bird has never chased money. In fact, during an interview with the Boston Globe the famed NBA player explained that money has never been a big driver of decision making in his life.
“The one essential thing I want is a clean, comfortable place to live. Other than that, money is not that big of a deal to me. I know it’s easy to say that when you have some, but I mean it. If I have enough money for some Coke, some beer, something to eat, and a nice place to live, I don’t need much more,” Bird explained.
He may not have become greedy about earning money but none-the-less Larry Bird’s net worth of $75 million shows us that sometimes nice guys can also make a massive fortune.
