(LOT 198)
1979 Larry Bird Boston Celtics "Rookie" PSA Type 1 Encapsulated Houston Post Photo – Measures Approx. 8" x 10"
After the epic battle Larry Bird and Magic Johnson waged for the NCAA basketball Championship on March 26, 1979 (won by Johnson's Michigan State Spartans by a 75-64 score), both of these marquee players would be selected in the June 1979 Draft. Johnson would move on to the L.A. Lakers while the sharp-shooting 6'9" forward Larry Bird was selected by the legendary Boston Celtics franchise. It didn't take long for Bird to make an immediate positive impact for the Celtics, who had been struggling in recent years. For the 1980/'81 season, Bird would team-up with fellow forward Kevin McHale and center Robert Parrish to form one of the NBA's greatest "trios", with Boston claiming the 1981 NBA championship. Larry Bird would win two more championships in 1984 (against Magic Johnson's Lakers) and 1986, and along the road of his unfathomable 13-year career, he would be part of 12 all-star teams while claiming 3 consecutive MVP awards (1984-'86).

Remarkably, he would become one of a select group of NBA Hall of Famers to boast "20-10" career averages, with his lifetime 24.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game justifying his celebrated stature. As a perfect testament for his unbridled success, this sensational PSA Type 1 1979 photo reveals the Boston star in a rookie campaign game against the Houston Rockets. Donning his classic Celtics green #33 jersey, Bird is exhibiting his defensive prowess against a Houston ball-handler, with the 41-year old image retaining a majority of its original immaculate-like aesthetics. No obtrusive flaws are evident and the verso includes an OCT 27, 1979 date as well as the critical HOUSTON POST CO. credit stamp. Outstanding in every conceivable way, it turns back the clock to Larry Bird's momentous rookie season that would change the ultra-proud Boston Celtics franchise forever!

MIN BID $300
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