On Monday, NBA legend Larry Bird formally resigned as the Indiana Pacers’ president; however, he will continue to serve as an advisor to the team. Kevin Pritchard will oversee the team’s basketball operations.
Bird stated, “I felt it was time to step away in a full-time capacity.” “This is unrelated to our team or my health. Now that I’m sixty, I want to pursue interests other than basketball. I’ll make a few appearances, scout for the Pacers, NBA, college, and overseas teams, and continue to advise senior basketball management. I adore the Pacers because I was raised around them and have always looked up to them. I would like to express my gratitude to the supporters of my work. I also want to express my gratitude to Herb Simon, the owner, for his many years of support and for letting me continue working with the team in a different capacity.
The organizational changes were initially reported on April 28 by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
The important question is how Bird’s choice will affect Paul George’s future, a star forward with one guaranteed year left on his current contract.
Despite a lot of speculation leading up to the trade deadline, the 60-year-old executive—who made 12 All-Star appearances and won three NBA titles during his illustrious playing career—made it clear he had no intention of trading George, according to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times.
