They say behind every great man is a strong woman. In this case, the strong woman is Larry Bird’s wife, Dinah Mattingly.
Larry Bird is a former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the NBA. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest basketball players ever and has the accolades to show for it.
Bird was so good he was nicknamed the Hick from French Lick and Larry Legend. He is the only player in NBA history to have won Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year.
Many hardcore fans know his achievements in basketball. However, the same cannot be said for his personal life.
Is Larry Bird Married?
Larry Bird’s wife is Dinah Mattingly.
The former NBA star generally does not publicly share details about his private life. Thus, fans hardly know anything about his wife and kids.
Before her, he had a history of tumultuous relationships with various women, including one that led to a short-lived marriage with Jane Condra.
Bird endured a traumatic experience after he lost his father to suicide at a young age. According to his 1989 biography, it deeply affected his relationships, especially with Mattingly.
What We Know About Dinah Mattingly
Larry Bird’s wife is from Indiana, the same state as the NBA alum. Dinah Mattingly was born on November 16, 1954, and spent most of her life in Indiana. She attended Indiana State University.
Mattingly crossed paths with Bird while they were in college, and they started dating in the late 1970s.
The couple walked down the aisle in 1989. It was Larry Bird’s second marriage. Bird and his wife later adopted two children, Mariah and Connor.
Their marriage has lasted decades, but it is primarily thanks to Mattingly, who did not let the NBA legend go despite all he put her through. Bird’s traumatic past left him a tough person to deal with. But Mattingly endured all of it, helped him heal, and kept him straight and narrow while supporting his career.
Bird has praised her for always sticking by him, and it is now clear the pair will likely remain together for the rest of their lives. Nothing is known about Mattingly’s professional life.
She also has no social media accounts and is known to fly under the radar without wanting to be in the spotlight. However, she publicly appears with her husband, who remains active in the world of sports.
Larry Bird Had a Wife Before Mattingly
Before Dinah Mattingly, Bird, one of Magic Johnson’s few rivals, had already been married once before. The former NBA star married Janet Condra in 1975 before he joined Indiana State University. She was reportedly his high school sweetheart.
Bird did not do very well in college initially and eventually dropped out. He returned to the college a year later and played for four years. He welcomed a child with Condra in 1977. However, there were many problems, and their marriage did not last long despite several attempts to fix it. They eventually split, and he later met Mattingly, whom he has remained with ever since.
Larry Bird’s Impressive Career
Larry Bird was known as one of the toughest players to guard when he was active. He started playing in the league in 1979 and immediately became a superstar.
With his skills and trash talk, he led the Boston Celtics to an NBA championship in his sophomore season — an impressive achievement by all accounts.
His career lasted for 13 years, during which Bird averaged 24.3 points, ten rebounds, and 6.3 assists. He could not only shoot. He was great as a lockdown defender.
When he became a head coach, Larry Bird had a 68.7% win percentage. He also scored 32-20 in the playoffs, leading the Indiana Pacers to the 2000 NBA Finals. Sadly, they lost in six games against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Following his three-year tenure as a coach, Bird became the Pacer’s president of basketball operations. He no longer works in that capacity, but his contributions are well-known.
