Larry Bird Trademarks

Larry Byrd is a retired professional basketball player. He is a Hall of Famer and is considered by many to be one of the greatest of all time.

Larry Joe Byrd was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana on December 7, 1956. He was raised in French Lick, Indiana, giving him the nickname “the Hick from French Lick.” He excelled at basketball, using the sport as a form of escapism from his tumultuous family situation and life of poverty, something which he says still motivates him.

He became the all-time scoring leader for Springs Valley High School which earned him the opportunity to play college basketball at Indiana University. Unable to adjust, he dropped out after just one month, opting to return home to a community college. A year later, Bird began attending Indiana State University, where he had an outstanding collegiate career with the Sycamores.

Bird helped his team to a perfect season record and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Sycamores lost in the championship game, but the game itself was significant because it was the most-watched college basketball game in history at that time. This is also the game that sparked the career-long rivalry between Bird and Michigan State’s Magic Johnson.

During his college career, Bird averaged more than 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. He was given many awards and accolades including the Adolph Rupp Trophy, Oscar Robertson Trophy, John R. Wooden Award, AP National Player of the Year, Naismith College Player of the Year, and was named a two-time consensus first-team All-American.

He was drafted by the Celtics but continued to play in college, leading his team to another championship game, all the while negotiating what was then the largest contract for a rookie in the history of basketball. This incident led to the changing of NBA rules about when a player could be drafted.

Bird recorded a double-double in his professional debut against the Houston Rockets and his first triple-double a couple of months later. He immediately improved the Celtics dramatically, leading them to an Eastern Conference Championship that season and was named Rookie of the Year. He was also selected for the All-Star game. For the season, Bird averaged more than 20 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists per game.

He won his first of three NBA Championships in 1981 and was again selected for the All-Star Game. Bird continued to find success, playing in the All-Star game again, this time he was named the game MVP, as well as being named to the All-Defensive Team.

Over the next three seasons, Bird was voted the league MVP every year, averaged a double-double each season, and won an NBA Championship twice. The rivalry between Bird and Johnson was a constant storyline throughout the 1980s, drawing a high television rating every time their teams played. During the decade, no playoffs were complete without at least one of their teams playing and, in the end, Johnson would win five championships to Bird’s three.

In 1992, Bird was part of what was dubbed the “Dream Team,” which won a gold medal in Basketball for the United States at the Olympic Games in Barcelona.

In addition to three NBA Championships during his career, Bird was a 12-time NBA All-Star, three-time league MVP, two-time finals MVP, nine-time All-NBA First Team, and three-time NBA Three-Point Contest champion. He was also named to both the 50th and 75th NBA anniversary teams, and in 2019 was given the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award. The Celtics retired his number 33 jersey.

After retiring from playing, Bird worked in the front office for the Celtics for five years. Although he had never coached, the Indiana Pacers hired him as their new head coach. He only coached the team for three years, but during that time he was named the NBA Coach of the Year. He led the team to the finals. In 2003, the Pacers made him the President of Basketball Operations, a position he held until 2017 (aside from a year away for health reasons). During this time, he was named NBA Executive of the Year. His career accomplishments left him with a new nickname, “Larry Legend.”

In 2004, Larry Bird obtained a federal trademark registration for his name, “LARRY BIRD” for use with toys and sporting goods with and without autographs. He also obtained a federal trademark registration for “LARRY BIRD” for personal appearances by a sports celebrity and for promoting and endorsing the services of others.

Bird also obtained a federal trademark registration for “LARRY BIRD” for paper goods like posters and photographs in 2006. He also filed a trademark application for “BIRD” for replica jerseys and warm-up gear and for “LARRY LEGEND” for t-shirts.