“Larry Bird’s Reflection: The Impact of Dave Cowens’ Retirement and Pete Maravich’s Departure in a Year That Shook Basketball History!”
After winning Rookie of the Year, Larry Bird added 32 more games to the Boston Celtics’ win total. After making one of the largest transactions in the history of the league to acquire Robert Parish and Kevin McHale, the Celtics strengthened their roster the next season, but they also lost two Hall of Famers.
Before the 1980–81 season, eight-time NBA All-Star and seasoned player Dave Cowens abruptly announced his retirement. Cowens played ten years with the Celtics. Bird said that his retirement was difficult. Another player who left the game early was five-time All-Star and previous scoring champion Pete Maravich, who played the final half of the 1979–80 season in Boston.
During the 1970s, Dave Cowens was a mainstay for the Boston Celtics. Cowens, the fourth overall selection in the 1970 NBA Draft, averaged 17.0 points and 15.0 rebounds, winning Rookie of the Year. The next year, he was named an All-Star for the first time in seven consecutive seasons.
At 6-foot-9, Cowens was an undersized center who won MVP honors in 1972–73 after scoring 20.5 points and grabbing 16.2 rebounds. In 1991, he was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame after winning two championships with the Boston Celtics.
According to Bird, Cowens shocked everyone by announcing his retirement to the team on the bus during the 1980 exhibition season.
According to Bird’s book Drive: The Story of My Life, “We were sitting on the bus, waiting to leave for a game with the Chicago Bulls in Evansville.” “After a while, it felt like we ought to have left by now, and people were urging us to hurry and leave. After that, Dave got off the bus and requested Coach Fitch to come outside so they could talk.
“We still had no idea what to do. “I’ve got to tell you something,” says Dave as he boards the bus. After then, he starts to speak. “I want to wish you luck, but I think it’s time for me to retire,” declares Dave.
Cowens’ declaration, according to Bird, “shook me up.”
