Larry Bird honored for lifetime achievement at NBA Awards

The careers of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson have long been linked, so it's natural that they receive NBA  lifetime achievement awards at the same time. 

Bird was honored Thursday night at the NBA Awards, and while he's known more for being a Boston Celtics player, he prominently mentioned his time as an Indiana Pacers coach and executive. 

Bird recalled the Pacers' pursuit of him as coach, which he said he refused many times before accepting in 1997.

"So I called (former Celtics teammate) Rick Carlisle and said, 'You aren't gonna believe this, but they're trying to get me to coach the Indiana Pacers.' He goes, 'Don't do it. ... Find some other hobby,'" Bird said.

"I go, 'OK. I'll never do that.' Well, guess what. I did it."

He also hired Carlisle as an assistant. In those three seasons, the Pacers made the Eastern Conference finals twice and the NBA Finals in 2000, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.

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He said of being in the team's front office: "Absolutely enjoyed it, being back home in Indiana."

He also gave a shout-out to his former teammate and current Pacers personnel boss, Kevin Pritchard: "I had to get that in there 'cause he's my boss now."

Bird and Johnson met in the 1979 national championship game, when Johnson's Michigan State Spartans beat Bird's Indiana State Sycamores and boosted college basketball's profile in the process. 

They battled for more than a decade in the NBA, with Bird winning three MVP awards and three championships with the Celtics, while Johnson won five NBA crowns and three MVPs with the Lakers. 

Other awards: Domantas Sabonis was runner-up to Lou Williams for the sixth-man award, 489-190. Sabonis received one first-place vote, 52 second and 29 third. ... Nate McMillan finished fourth in coach of the year with one first-place, 10 second and 27 third. Milwaukee's Mike Budenholzer was the winner. ... Sabonis and Bojan Bogdanovic received votes for Most Improved Player. ... Myles Turner was fifth in the defense player of the year award, receiving 2 second-place votes and 9 third, with Rudy Gobert winning. ... Kevin Pritchard received 2 first-place votes and one third for executive of the year. Milwaukee's Jon Horst was the winner. ... Thad Young received 34 first-place votes for the teammate of the year award, finishing ninth. Former Lawrence North star Mike Conley was the winner.