Larry Bird, the legendary basketball player who spent his entire 13-year NBA career with the Boston Celtics, is widely considered one of the greatest players in basketball history. With 3 NBA championships, 3 MVP awards, and 12 All-Star appearances under his belt, Bird cemented himself as a superstar in the 1980s and has since been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice – as an individual and as a member of the 1992 United States men’s Olympic basketball team known as the “Dream Team”.
However, while Larry Bird’s illustrious basketball career has been heavily documented, his personal life off the court is not as widely known. One question that often comes up regarding Bird’s personal life is – how many children has the basketball legend fathered?
Larry Bird’s Marriage and Children
Larry Bird married his wife Dinah Mattingly in 1989. The couple have adopted two children together – a son named Connor, and a daughter named Mariah. Connor and Mariah were adopted as infants in the 1990s. Not much is publicly known about Bird’s adopted children, as the family has kept details about their personal lives private. However, Larry Bird has been quoted saying fatherhood is “the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Prior to marrying Dinah, Larry Bird was briefly married to his first wife Janet Condra from 1975-1976. This short-lived marriage ended in divorce and did not produce any children. So based on publicly available information, Larry Bird has fathered 2 adopted children with his current wife Dinah.
Larry Bird’s Family and Upbringing
To better understand Larry Bird’s approach to family, it helps to look at his own upbringing. Bird grew up in the small town of French Lick, Indiana with his parents Claude and Georgia Bird along with his five siblings. His father Claude worked long hours as a sanitation employee to support the large family. Growing up, Larry Bird was especially close with his mother Georgia, who he once described as his “best friend.”
The Bird family was very poor – Larry shared a small bedroom with his three brothers in their overcrowded house with no air conditioning. As the family struggled financially, Bird’s father Claude unfortunately turned to alcohol and was not regularly present during Bird’s childhood. Georgia Bird held the family together and encouraged Larry’s love of basketball from a young age. Bird later said that watching his mother work tirelessly to raise the family inspired him to find success and provide for his own family one day.
Larry Bird’s Views on Family and Fatherhood
Given his close relationship with his mother and difficult childhood, it makes sense that family would also be very important to Larry Bird as an adult. In interviews over the years, Bird has emphasized the significance of family in his life. He has said that meeting his wife Dinah gave him “someone to live for” and made him want to settle down. Becoming a father has been described by Bird as the best thing that ever happened to him.
Though Bird keeps details about his children private, he has indicated being an involved father dedicated to giving his kids a more supportive upbringing than he had. In a rare comment about fatherhood in a 1992 interview, Bird said:
“These kids are everything to me. No matter how bad it gets on the basketball court, I know my kids still love me. Basketball is what I do, but my family is who I am.”
Based on Bird’s background and his own words, starting a family clearly brought him tremendous joy and purpose in life after his basketball career. He seems to view fatherhood as his greatest accomplishment and responsibility.
How Larry Bird’s Family Life Affected His Basketball Career
Larry Bird’s family also influenced the trajectory of his legendary basketball career. Entering the NBA in 1979 after college, Bird quickly established himself as a superstar for the Boston Celtics and achieved great success on the court. However, the constant media attention, demanding travel schedule, and pressure to perform took a toll on him.
In the late 1980s, Bird nearly retired from basketball at just 31 years old. However, meeting Dinah and starting a family gave him new energy and motivation to keep playing. Bird has directly credited his children for convincing him not to retire prematurely:
“I was able to go home and see my kids and have my kids around me. That’s really what kept me going.”
Having the stability of a loving family enabled Bird to power through injuries and fatigue to continue competing at a top level. Winning his third championship with the Celtics in 1986 after becoming a father gave Bird a deeper sense of fulfillment. He said that celebrating the victory with his family was his career highlight.
How Many Biological Children Does Larry Bird Have?
Though Larry Bird has raised two adopted children with his wife Dinah, he has no known biological children. After his brief first marriage ended, Bird did not have any kids until adoting later in life with Dinah. He has never publicly commented on having any biological children. Given his complete devotion to his adopted children Connor and Mariah, it seems unlikely that Bird has any biological children that he did not raise.
Rumors and Speculation About Other Children
In the decades since Bird’s retirement, there has been occasional speculation by fans and media about whether he fathered any children outside of his marriage. However, there are no substantiated reports of Bird having any other biological children besides Connor and Mariah:
- There were rumors linking Bird to the mother of professional golfer Larry Mize, suggesting Mize could be his son. However, Mize is 4 years older than Bird so this rumor appears definitively false.
- Other unfounded rumors suggest Bird may have fathered an illegitimate child with a younger woman from his home state of Indiana. But these claims lack evidence and Bird has not acknowledged any such child.
- Some fans have speculated that Bird could have unknown children from before he met his wife Dinah. But Bird was not known to be in any serious relationships before Dinah.
Based on a lack of any confirmation from Bird himself and the apparent strong bond he shares with the two children he did adopt and raise, there is no credible evidence that Larry Bird has any biological children besides Connor and Mariah.
How Larry Bird’s Fatherhood Compares to Other NBA Legends
Player | # of Biological Children | # of Adopted Children |
---|---|---|
Larry Bird | 0 | 2 |
Magic Johnson | 3 | 0 |
Michael Jordan | 3 | 0 |
Kobe Bryant | 4 | 0 |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 3 | 0 |
In the context of other legendary NBA players, Larry Bird stands out for having adopted children rather than biological children. Contemporaries like Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant all have multiple biological kids. Even all-time greats like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar fathered three biological children. This suggests Bird’s choice to adopt was unusual for a superstar of his caliber.
Theories About Why Larry Bird Adopted
Since adoption is relatively uncommon for famous athletes, there has been some speculation about Larry Bird’s decision to raise adopted children instead of having his own biologically:
- Infertility issues – Some have theorized infertility problems prevented Bird from having biological children. However, he has never confirmed any such issues.
- avoiding spreading his genes – Other theories suggest Bird purposely did not want to pass on genes that might contribute to health issues like his chronic back problems. But this remains speculative.
- Philanthropic reasons – Perhaps Bird simply wanted to provide a good home for children already born who needed one. His charitable efforts off the court lend credence to this notion.
Ultimately the exact reasons are unclear, as Bird has kept family matters private. But the decision to adopt appears to have been the right one for him based on his satisfied comments about fatherhood. Whether by choice or circumstance, adopting brought Larry Bird tremendous personal fulfillment later in life.
Larry Bird’s Lasting Fatherhood Legacy
While his legendary status as a player and competitor will always be integral to Larry Bird’s legacy, fatherhood now seems just as central to his identity. Bird has called being a father the “best thing that ever happened to me” – high praise considering his storied basketball career. Despite past marital troubles and a distant relationship with his own father, Bird has embraced the chance to create a new family and give his children the support he lacked growing up.
Though details are scarce, accounts indicate Bird is an involved and caring dad focused on giving his son Connor and daughter Mariah a happy childhood. He seems determined to be the committed father he never had. While Bird’s excellence and work ethic on the court have inspired generations of basketball players, his devotion to his family serves as an equally powerful part of his lasting legacy.
So in summary – how many kids has NBA legend Larry Bird fathered? Based on available information, the answer seems definitively to be his two adopted children, for whom he has provided a loving home since the 1990s. Connor and Mariah are undeniably central to their dad’s identity and happiness. Though some speculation persists, no credible evidence points to Bird having any other biological children besides these two he embraced as his own.
Conclusion
Larry Bird’s definitive fatherhood legacy rests with the two children he adopted and raised with wife Dinah Mattingly – his son Connor and daughter Mariah. Becoming a father clearly enriched Bird’s life tremendously and gave him a renewed purpose after basketball. Though an intensely private man, he has made clear how much being a dad means to him. For Bird, his family provided balance and motivation to drive his incredible career while also bringing him lasting fulfillment. The tight-knit family Bird now enjoys as a father stands in stark contrast to his lonely childhood. By all accounts, the two children he and Dinah adopted have grown up in a stable, supportive, and loving environment – the kind Bird always wanted for his own family.