Larry Bird, aka Larry Legend or The Hick from French Lick, is one of the greatest players in NBA history. He is also a legend in Indiana, and his college ball was played at Indiana State. A recent mural by street artist Jules Muck was recently erected in Fountain Square that paid tribute to Larry Legend’s formative basketball years at Indiana State, but the 62-year-old former MVP had some issues with his modernized look.
Bird was shown with his trademark long locks from his college days with his finger held over his mouth in a “shushing” motion. However, Bird was also stylized by the artist to have quite a few tattoos, which the Legend does not, including a face tattoo of a cardinal.
According to a story in the Indianapolis Star, the artist Muck has responded to Bird’s complaints about the tattoos and will remove them all from the mural – save for the one on his left arm that says “Indiana” in cursive.
As one of the most dominant players in the 1980s, Bird wowed NBA fans with his incredible smarts and absolutely filthy passing ability at his size (6-foot-9, 220 pounds) and fluidity.
Bird’s memorable college years playing against rival Magic Johnson also garnered many a headline during his younger years.
Of course, as one of the best basketball players to ever hail from a state that is known for its basketball fervor, Indiana, Bird was synonymous with Indiana basketball for years, even going so far as to serve as the Indiana Pacers’ President of Basketball Operations a few years ago. Most recently, he was a recipient of the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award and remain as an adviser for the Pacers behind the scenes after stepping down as president.
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