Larry Bird’s High School Years: A Tragic Turn with His Father’s Suicide

Experiencing the loss of a parent is undoubtedly a challenging ordeal for any child. Larry Bird faced this tragic reality during his high school years when his father took his own life.

Looking back on this poignant event, the basketball legend known as ‘Larry Legend’ admitted that he “handled it pretty well.” Yet, beneath his composed exterior, the iconic Boston Celtics figure carried a persistent sense of resentment regarding his father’s fateful decision.

“I always felt my dad gave up not only on himself but on us kids. I still had two younger brothers at home and a mom. That’s the way I looked at it then and the way I look at it now,” remarked Bird, according to Men’s Health.

The troubled life of Joe Bird Larry was one of six children born to parents Georgia and Joe. Their relationship was tumultuous, marked by reports of domestic violence involving Joe. Bird Sr. had served in the Korean War and worked as a construction worker but struggled to find steady employment and battled alcoholism. Before their parents’ divorce, the family lived in French Lick, Indiana, a small town with a population of just 2,000 at the time. The family faced severe poverty, and Larry’s parents found it challenging to make ends meet, let alone afford a car. This situation led to Joe having to walk from home to watch his son break the high school county record, as reported in-depth. Struggling with divorce, unemployment, financial difficulties, and addiction likely contributed to Joe feeling hopelessly trapped.

On the day of his passing, the father of the family was reportedly visited by the police regarding child support. Joe requested that they return later and called his ex-wife, expressing his belief that they would be better off without him. This conversation turned out to be their final one. From garbage man to NBA legend Despite the tragedy, life had to continue somehow. For Larry, who was likely around 18 years old at the time, this meant spending even more time playing basketball, which became his solace.

Soon after, he enrolled at Indiana University. However, after just one month in the Hoosiers’ jersey, the young Bird returned home, partly to care for his family. His mother, Georgia, struggled to feed the children alone, and Larry stepped in to help by working as a garbage man. Although he had his moments, ‘Larry Legend’ realized that life had more in store for him than just scraping by week after week. Instead, he should be doing what he could do best: excelling in basketball.

To change not only his fate but also that of his family, the forward returned to the Hoosiers. The rest, as they say, is history. Despite facing adversities from an early age, Bird always found a way to overcome them with remarkable resilience, ultimately becoming one of the greatest NBA players the game has ever seen.