Statement from Larry Bird

  • 19.08.2020 17:20:34

"A published report indicated that I left my position as President of Basketball Operations in 2017 because ownership was not willing to spend "big money" and that it frustrated me enough to step aside. Nothing could be further from the truth. I want everyone to know I left there because it was time for me to move on from the Pacers.

"I had worked with Kevin Pritchard and at that time I felt Kevin was ready to take over and he has proven that. I can't thank Herb and Mel Simon, along with Pacers Sports & Entertainment, enough for the opportunities to, at first, coach, and then later move into the front office."

Statement from ESPN senior writer Jackie MacMullan:

"About three weeks ago during a discussion on the podcast The Hoop Collective, I misspoke when I expressed my opinion regarding the business practices of the Indiana Pacers, and inferred that Larry Bird had been frustrated during his time as team president. It was a careless remark, based solely on my opinion, and therefore should have never been said. Larry Bird never expressed those feelings to me, and I apologize to both Larry and team owner Herb Simon for poor choice of my words."

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