As the 1992-93 NBA season approached, Larry Bird decided
he could not continue. On Aug. 18, 1992 he announced his
retirement as a player.

After 897 games Bird retired with 21,791 points, 8,974 rebounds
and 5,695 assists. During his career he shot .496 from the floor
and .886 from the free-throw line, retiring as the fifth all-time free-
throw shooter behind Mark Price, Rick Barry, Calvin Murphy and
Scott Skiles.

Bird was named a special assistant in the Celtics’ front office,
with limited duties that included some scouting and player
evaluation. In reality, he spent most of the next five years in
Florida, playing golf and taking it easy.

Larry Joe Bird is 68 years old.

On August 3, 1949, after a damaging three-year battle to win
both players and fans, the rival Basketball Association of
America (BAA) and National Basketball League (NBL) 
merged to form the National Basketball Association (NBA).

On April 25, 1950, the Boston Celtics made Chuck
Cooper an All-American forward from Duquesne
University, the first African American picked in
the NBA draft.      

     
With the selection, the first pick in the second round,
Cooper breaks the NBA’s color barrier and changes
the league for the better. Cooper died of cancer on 
February 5, 1984,

Cooper was inducted into the Naismith Memorial
Basketball Hall of Fame on September 9, 2019.

Charles Henry Cooper (September 29, 1926 – February 5, 1984)    
    
      

      
CAMILLE BOHANNON

On April 25, 1950, the Boston Celtics make Chuck Cooper, an
All-American forward from Duquesne University, the first
African American picked in NBA draft. With the selection,
the first pick in the second round, Cooper breaks the NBA’s
color barrier and changes the league for the better.