Larry Bird acknowledged his desire to represent Kentucky in sports…
An intriguing piece of information regarding his recruitment during his high school basketball career was just given by NBA star Larry Bird.
Bird revealed that he wanted to play for the Kentucky Wildcats but that the Cats had stopped courting him when he spoke with Reggie Miller and Isaiah Thomas about his recruiting days.
“Well, Kentucky quit recruiting me, so it came down to Indiana State and IU (Indiana),” said Bird.
The former Sycamore attended Indiana State from 1976 to 1979 before the National Basketball Association selected him in the draft.
Throughout his Indiana State career, Bird averaged over 30.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game.
Under Bird’s leadership, the Sycamores finished 81-13 and came dangerously close to winning the 1979 National Championship with a perfect record (33-0) before losing to Magic Johnson and Michigan State.
Bird did not come to Lexington because of Kentucky or Joe B. Hall, but it is difficult to ignore the possibilities for Big Blue Nation and Bird when he was a collegiate basketball player.
