Throughout his 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics, Larry Bird was the embodiment of work ethic, consistency and excellence.  He thrived in all aspects of his basketball career:  scoring, passing, defending, rebounding…and just being clutch. 

Aside from leading the Celtics to three NBA titles and 10 Atlantic Division wins, Bird racked up a ridiculous list of personal honors and achievements:  he was only the third player (first non-center) to win three consecutive NBA Finals MVP awards, was a 12-time All Star, a nine-time member of the All-NBA First Team and also led the league in free-throw percentage four times throughout his career.

Hands down, one of the most memorable moments of Larry Bird’s career occurred on March 12, 1985, when he set a new franchise record and scored 60 points against the Atlanta Hawks.   Words cannot describe this awesome shooting display, so whether you call him Larry Legend, The Great White Hope or The Hick from French Lick… sit back and enjoy the show!

Oh by the way, after watching the video, this jersey should look familiar…it’s one of our favorites…

There are names in professional sports which are considered to be synonymous with greatness. In baseball, there are quite a few which come to mind. Amongst them, Mickey Mantle. On March 1, 1969, Mickey Mantle retired from baseball after an 18-year storied career filled with awards and achievements.

Here are just a few of the great moments throughout his career...enjoy!

Mickey Mantle walking off field during his rookie season in 1951. 
Mantle sported jersey #6 for just a short period of time before being sent down to the Kansas City Blues. 
He returned to the Yankees 40 games later, wearing #7.

In 1953, Mickey's 546' shot coined the term 'tape-measure home run'. 

Mantle showing off where he had dented the ball with the record-breaking shot.

On May 14, 1967, The Mick hits his 500th career home run off of Baltimore Oriole's pitcher, Stu Miller.

Yesterday marked the date that the Los Angeles Lakers retired Earvin Magic Johnson's #32.

Looking around the office we found an article that we thought you'd like to check out. It's from a 1979-80 Basketball Special publication. The headline reads "Will 'Magic' Act Transform Lakers Into Champs?" Read the spread below to find out the steps Jerry Buss took to bring Johnson on board in the hopes that he could play a part in restoring the Lakers to their previous stature.  

The Miami Arena hosted the 40th NBA All Star Game on February 11, 1990. There were just a few players you might be familiar with that participated in this game... here are the rosters:

East-Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan, Isaih Thomas, Kevin McHale, Joe Dumars, Robert Parish, Reggie Miller, Dominique Wilkins, Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen.

West- A.C. Green, James Worthy, Hakeem Olajuwon, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, John Stockton, Tom Chambers, Clyde Drexler, David Robinson, Chris Mullin, Kevin Johnson, Rolando Blackman, Lafayette Lever and Karl Malone.

The East defeated the West 130-113, with seven players scoring double digits, led by Michael Jordan and Charles Barkely, each dropping 17. Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers, collected 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists for the West and received his first NBA All-Star Game MVP trophy in his ninth appearance at the event.

Check out some great highlights from the game!

If you're a regular reader of the Mitchell & Ness blog & facebook page then you already know that today is the 25th Anniversary of the 1985 NBA All Star Game.  Since we've already given you the info on this being MJ's All Star debut, let's focus on what else happened on this day at the Hoosier Dome.

• 43,146 people attended, making it the most attended NBA All Star Game to that date. That record was broken in 1990 when the game was played at the Houston Astrodome and will be crushed this year in Dallas at Cowboys Stadium.
• The West won the game, 140 - 129,  behind Houston's Ralph Sampson and his MVP performance of 24 points and 10 rebounds.  Magic Johnson was the second leading scorer for the West with 21 points and an amazing 15 assists.  For the East, Isiah Thomas tossed in 22 points and Larry Bird had 21.
  
• The East squad was coached by KC Jones while Pat Riley led the West to the victory.
  
• Michael Jordan contributed the games first basket and rebound.
• The game was tied at halftime and the West led by five at the end of the 3rd quarter.
• Most minutes played - Moses Malone (33).  Fewest minutes played - Robert Parish (10).

Check out this video which includes introductions of both squads.  Check out the warm-ups!  Our votes for favorites go to the Bucks and Jazz.  Your thoughts?