Great basketball players are not always great fathers.
Larry Bird is recognized as one of the best players ever.
His shooting touch, all-around game, in a way, he showed the world that white guys can
shoot, and he’s a champion, a celebrity in basketball world.
But he, as many other athletes, has had some wrongdoings if you will in his past.
Hey guys.
Purple Prince here and today I’m gonna tell you about the dark truth of Larry Bird’s
personal life.
Larry Bird was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana.
His parents didn’t have a great relationship and he grew up in a poor environment.
When Larry was in high school, his parents divorced, and about a year later, his father
committed a suicide.
His escape from all the family problems, was basketball and back then, Larry Bird was one
of the best, young, up and coming players in Indiana State.
During his senior season in Springs Valley, Bird averaged 31 points, 21 rebounds and 4
assists, becoming the school’s all-time scoring leader.
After high school, Bird went to Indiana University, but spent just 24 days there before dropping
out.
After a couple of years of weird jobs and stints at community colleges, Bird was ready
to go back to school.
Bill Hodges, the Indiana State assistant was very interested in acquiring Larry Bird for
his Indiana State college basketball team, and even did his paperwork - the enrollment
forms for Indiana State.
After enrolling at Indiana State, Bird married his high school girlfriend, Janet Condra.
According to Bird, "Janet was a really nice girl, but I knew already that we were just
too different from each other to make it a really happy, meaningful relationship."
The relationship didn’t last long and after just 11 months of marriage, on October 31st,
1976, they divorced.
They did try to fix their relationship, but never remarried.
In the process, Janet got pregnant and on August 14th, 1977, Corrie Bird was born.
In his basketball life, Bird was great.
Through 3 years of college, Bird averaged 30.3 points per game.
In personal life, however, Bird, denied he was Corrie’s father and rejected Janet’s
request for $40 a week in child support.
After a blood test though, he admitted paternity and before his rookie season with the Celtics
in 1979, he agreed to set up an account for Corrie’s financial support until she was
18.
Around the same time, Bird met his second wife, Dinah Mattingly.
The two later adopted a son - Connor and had their own kid, daughter Mariah.
All this, while denying his first daughter, Corrie.
Publicly, Bird denied his paternity until the mid 1980s.
By that time Larry was already a 3x champion with the Celtics and a basketball superstar.
Meanwhile, Corrie was growing up without her father.
'When I was younger, I would send him letters, and my mom would send him my school pictures
and report cards,' she says.
'We would send them certified mail to make sure he received them, but he just didn't
respond.'
Corrie did see his father play, Her bedroom was a shrine to Bird, its walls covered with
clippings, posters and Celtics memorabilia.
But the relationship between them, just wasn’t there.
Bird didn’t care.
He supported her financially, but that was it.
One particularly sad moment for Corrie, happened in 1993.
Before we get to the sad moment, first of all thanks to everyone who has watched this
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Ok.
Back to the video.
So.
After a hall of fame basketball career and multiple health issues, in 1992 Larry Bird
retired from basketball.
His effect on basketball couldn’t be denied and the success he brought to the Boston Celtics
was legendary.
Boston Celtics retired Larry Bird’s jersey and on that special night, the jersey retirement
ceremony, there was one person who wasn’t there.
His daughter Corrie.
According to a published report Corrie wasn’t invited to the festivities at Boston Garden.
Back in a 1993 interview to Sunday Telegram, Condra Hargrave said: “We were at Corrie’s
basketball game, but I set the timer to tape Larry’s night.
I haven’t watched it, but I’m sure Corrie will over and over.
A girlfriend bought her that Sports Illustrated Video on Larry and Corrie has it memorized,
word for word.
If he could have just written her or called her.
He didn’t even invite her and that was a big slap in the face.
I really felt bad for her and I don’t know what to do.
He’s hurt her so many times.
The times he does see her, he gives her lots of hope and then lets down her again.
He’s not much of a dad.
Here, he’s adopted another baby girl, and that just sliced Corrie open.
She didn’t know anything about it.
She was really hurt.
”
So just imagine, a basketball legend, and more importantly someone’s father holding
a kid in his arms while his jersey is being raised to the Boston Garden rafters and his
daughter sitting at home without even an invitation to attend the celebration.
“Corrie’s never received a birthday card from him.
The last two Christmases she received something, but I could tell from the handwriting Dinah
sent it.
At least Dinah is thinking of her.
Corrie looks a lot like her father.
A cute version of Larry.
Tall, blonde hair, blue eyes and that Bird nose.
”
Another hope for Corrie was in 1997, when Larry Bird took the Pacers coaching job and
moved just an hour from his daughter’s apartment.
Corrie was optimistic that their relationship would improve.
"I went to see the Pacers play earlier this season, and I went down to talk to Dinah and
see their kids.
[He] looked over and saw me holding Mariah, but he just kind of smiled awkwardly.
I didn't get to talk to him, though."
Corrie, like her father, played basketball in high school and attended Indiana State
University, graduating with a degree in elementary education.
In 1998, Corrie Bird appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show which was the time when most
of the information about this subject came out.
Sports Illustrated later did a full story on this.
When Corrie made the basketball team in Northview High, Brazil Indiana, she chose number 33.
'It sounds corny, but it kind of made me feel closer to him when I played.
I put one of his old high school jerseys in my gym bag as a good-luck charm.'
On April 17, 1998 Bird visited with Corrie for the first time since taking over the Pacers.
Dinah left a pair of tickets for Corrie and a friend to attend the Pacers' last home game
of the regular season, and after the game Bird talked with Corrie.
'I was really happy to go to the game,' says Corrie.
'Dad seemed interested in what I had to say.
He walked me to my car, and he hugged me.
I hope I can see more of him now.'
It’s been 22 years since that day now, and Bird hasn’t spoken publicly about this situation,
or about Corrie at all for that matter.
I don’t think their relationship ever got fixed and most likely besides a moment or
two, Larry Bird was never there for her support.
All I could find out, is that Corrie got married in 2008 and probably has a family of her own
now.
Hopefully she can give her kids something that she never received from her dad - love,
care and a promise, that she’ll never leave them.
Thanks for watching the video guys.
Hope you liked it.
Why do you think Larry Bird abandoned his daughter and wanted nothing to do with her?
Did you know about this before and what are your thoughts on the subject?
Please leave a comment below.
Don’t forget to like the video and SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel as that really helps
a lot and motivates me to do stories like this in the future.
Thanks.
I’ll see you soon.
This was Purple Prince, and I’m out!