Saving money contributed to Larry Bird's net worth in stark comparison to his ex-teammates: "They'd laugh and make jokes about me stashing my money away..they were throwing away their future"
Larry Bird is widely regarded as one of the best players ever to play the game of basketball. The Boston Celtics legend revealed how saving money during his playing career contributed to his $75 million net worth.
In his 1999 book, Bird Watching, the Hall of Famer stated:
"Even when I was at the top of my game, we didn't drive a Mercedes or live in million-dollar homes, things like that. When I first started playing, we bought a nice little house in the French Lick/West Baden area. It cost $125,000. We didn't run out and spend all our money because we knew there would be a time when it was over, and I wanted to have options on what we could do with our future."
Bird compared his mentality to that of his teammates, adding:
"Some of the guys who made far less than me bought the $700,000 homes, and the Rolex watches, and the big luxury cars. I used to tell them, 'you're crazy, you should be saving your money.' They'd laugh and make jokes about me stashing my money away, but I could see what they were doing."
He continued:
"They were throwing away their future. So many of them were living for today and not even stopping for a minute to think about ten years down the orad when their playing careers were over and the money stopped pouring in."
He also said:
"By the time they realized what I was telling them was true, it was too late. I can't tell you how many ex-teammates have asked me for money. It's heartbreaking for me to say no, but I do because I warned them. I told them to save."
Larry Bird was able to build a significant net worth due to his frugal spending habits. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the Boston Celtics teammates.
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Larry Bird's post-career success
Following his retirement from the Boston Celtics, Larry Bird has found success as both a coach and executive in the NBA. Bird became the head coach of the Indiana Pacers in 1997, although he made it clear that he wouldn't coach for more than three years.
Despite winning the 1997-1998 NBA Coach of the Year award and taking the team to the 1999-2000 NBA Finals, Bird stuck to his promise and resigned after losing to the LA Lakers.
Three years later, in 2003, Bird was named the Pacers President of Basketball Operations. He would win the 2011-2012 NBA Executive of the Year award, however, he resigned that offseason due to health issues.
Bird rejoined the Pacers in the same position in 2013 before walking away for good in 2017. He remains the only player to win the NBA MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year awards.
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