Family and friends were greatly disappointed in him for leaving a free education and a sure-fire basketball career. Few months later, Bird received an offer from Indiana State university where he would fit extremely well with a team who needed a shooter. Birds initial year was a growing period where his shooting remarkably improved and he grew knowledge in the game. Bird basketball skillset was so valuable that he was selected the sixth overall pick in the NBA draft at the end of his junior year (Bio.com). Bird greatly appreciated this offer, but needed to take care of unfinished business in Indiana, and that was a Championship. With fair team play and insane achievements by Bird, Indiana State became a team that one could not disregard. The Sycamores would end up in the National Championship facing The Michigan State Spartans who contained the super power: Magic Johnson. The Spartans took home the victory after a nail-biting back-and-forth game. The classic rivalry between Bird and Johnson left room for plenty of competition left in their following …show more content…
Bird surely earned this as he improved the team’s wins by thirty games from the previous season (nba.com). With his superb shooting abilities and stellar rebounds, Bird glued with his team. Also, Bird’s free throw shooting ability was a large component to aiding his team. It was rumored that Bird would shoot one hundred free throws after practice when all his teammates left. Bird never lost his competitive edge that gave him the pathway to more success. In Bird’s first postseason, his team defeated the Houston Rockets for a NBA championship. After two years of solid team play, Bird was widely known as a clutch basketball player. According to Biography.com, “Bird developed a reputation for not merely responding to his opponents' moves, but anticipating how they would unfold ahead of time.” Bird found new ways to cultivate as a player and become known as the greatest. Bird would continue to push forward with inner drive as he took his team to the playoffs all thirteen seasons of his professional