What teams does Larry Bird root for?
Larry Bird, who played for the Boston Celtics from 1979 to 1992, has named a handful of other teams over the years. In his own words, he is a Boston Red Sox fan. He has also been reported as a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Cubs, and he has a background tie to the Boston Bruins that is not a stated fandom. Most of the sourcing comes from a November 12, 2015 interview in The Boston Globe and an August 6, 2023 piece from Fadeaway World.
What team did Larry Bird root for growing up?
The Chicago Cubs are the team tied to his childhood. Fadeaway World reported in August 2023 that Bird said, "I was always a Cubs fan, but now I follow the Red Sox." That line puts the Cubs first and the Red Sox as a later adoption, and it does not say the Cubs fandom ended.
Bird was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana, on December 7, 1956, and attended Springs Valley High School in French Lick, Indiana. He then played at Indiana State from 1976 to 1979, before the Celtics took him sixth overall in the 1978 draft. The Cubs are not an Indiana team, so the sourced material gives no local explanation for the childhood tie.
Does Larry Bird like the Boston Red Sox?
Yes, and he has said so himself. Bird told The Boston Globe in November 2015, "I even rooted for the Red Sox against the Cardinals in those World Series." The fandom dates to his Celtics years, by 1989, and runs through at least 2015. The 2023 Fadeaway World quote repeats the point in present tense: "now I follow the Red Sox."
The Red Sox rooting lines up with where he played. He spent his whole NBA career in Boston, and the fandom is described as adopted rather than inherited, which fits a player who arrived in the city as a rookie in 1979.
Does Larry Bird like the St. Louis Cardinals?
According to The Boston Globe, yes. In that same November 2015 interview, Bird said, "That one took me to the dirt because you know I love my Cardinals." Because the quote comes from the Globe's reporting rather than a stated, dated fandom, the Cardinals fall under reported status. The timeframe is unspecified, though the fandom was current in 2015.
The Cardinals won the World Series in 1964, the year Larry Bird turned 8, and again in 1967, when he turned 11. Bird told The Boston Globe in November 2015 that he rooted for the Red Sox against the Cardinals in "those World Series," and in the same interview said "you know I love my Cardinals." Both lines are his, and they put him on opposite sides of at least one World Series.
Other players reported as Cardinals fans include Jayson Tatum and Bradley Beal.
Does Larry Bird like the Indianapolis Colts?
According to The Boston Globe, yes. Bird said in November 2015, "I watch every one of the Colts games. I really like them." The Colts are a current rooting interest as of that interview, and they are the only NFL team in his file.
The Colts are the one team here based in his home state. The AFL championship came in 1968, when he was 12, and Super Bowl V came in 1971 (the 1970 season), when he was 15. The sourced material does not say when his Colts rooting began.
Does Larry Bird like the Chicago Cubs?
Fadeaway World reported it in August 2023, quoting Bird: "I was always a Cubs fan, but now I follow the Red Sox." The tie is listed as a childhood team, dated simply to childhood. The Cubs share their reported fans with Scottie Pippen, who is also listed as a Cubs fan.
Does Larry Bird like the Boston Bruins?
Only as a background tie. CBS Boston wrote that "Bird also said he enjoyed watching the Bruins win the Stanley Cup." That is an outlet's account of something Bird said, not a stated fandom in his own words. The Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 1970, the year he turned 14, and in 1972, when he turned 16.
Questions people ask
What is Larry Bird's favorite MLB team?
In his own words, he follows the Boston Red Sox, and he told The Boston Globe in 2015 that he rooted for them against the Cardinals in the World Series. He has also been reported as a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs, the Cubs being his childhood team.
What is Larry Bird's favorite NFL team?
The Indianapolis Colts. The Boston Globe reported in November 2015 that he said, "I watch every one of the Colts games. I really like them."
Does Larry Bird like the Boston Bruins?
There is a background tie, not a stated fandom. CBS Boston wrote that Bird said he enjoyed watching the Bruins win the Stanley Cup.
Which other players share a team with Larry Bird?
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Ray Allen are reported Red Sox fans. Jayson Tatum and Bradley Beal are reported Cardinals fans, and Scottie Pippen is a reported Cubs fan.