Meet Dinah Mattingly – Larry Bird’s Partner in Life and Love

Get an intimate look at Dinah Mattingly’s life alongside NBA icon Larry Bird. From their humble beginnings to their life today, discover the love and partnership that have defined their relationship.

1. Larry Bird?s Partner in Life and Love
Love
DINAH MATTINGLY

2. MeetDinahMattingly–LarryBird’s
PartnerinLifeandLove
WhoIsDinahMattingly?Haveyoueverwonderedaboutthepersonwhostands
byLarryBird’sside?Let’smeetDinahMattingly,thewomanwhoshareslove,
laughter,andlifewiththebasketballlegend.
Birth,Parents,andEducation
DinahMattinglywasbornonNovember16,1954,inNaples,Florida,United
States.ShegrewupinTerreHaute,Indiana,wheresheattendedhighschool.
Herparentsraisedherinarelativelylow-keyenvironment,andshemaintained
aprivatelifeevenaftermarryingoneofthemostfamousbasketballplayersof
alltime.
Aftercompletinghighschool,DinahMattinglypursuedhereducationat
IndianaStateUniversity.
RelationshipwithLarryBird
DinahstudiedatIndianaStateUniversityalongsideherfuturehusband,Larry
Bird.Thetwometwhilestudyingatthesameinstitution,andtheirrelationship
blossomedduringtheircollegeyears.

3. Dinah’slow-profilenaturecontinuedthroughoutheracademicjourney,even
asshebecamemorewidelyknownduetoherassociationwithLarryBird.
DinahandLarryBirdstarteddatingduringtheircollegeyearsatIndianaState
University.Theygotengagedinthelate1980sandeventuallytiedtheknoton
October31,1989,inIndiana,UnitedStates.
Theirweddingwasanintimateaffairattendedonlybyclosefriendsand
relatives.
FamilyLife
DinahMattinglybecameastepmotherwhenshemarriedLarryBirdin1989.
LarryBird’sfirstmarriagetoJanetCondraresultedinadaughternamedCorrie
Bird.
So,DinahsteppedintotheroleofCorrie’sstepmotherandembracedherwith
loveandcare.LarryandDinahadoptedMariahandConnorin1991and1992
respectively.
Connormadeheadlinesin2013whenhewasarrestedatIndianaUniversity.
Hefacedchargesofattemptedmurderaftertryingtohithisex-girlfriendwith
hiscar.Otherchargesincludedpossessionofmarijuana,intimidationwitha
weapon,andcriminalmischief.

4. Somechargeswerelaterdropped,andConnorwaseventuallyreleased.While
thereisn’tmuchpublicinformationaboutMariah,sheisanintegralpartof
theirfamily.
LarryKing:Husband
LarryJoeBirdwasbornonDecember7,1956,inWestBadenSprings,Indiana.
HespenthischildhoodinFrenchLick,Indiana,asmalltownwherebasketball
heldsignificantculturalimportanceasmorethanjustagamebutawayoflife.
Hisnickname,“theHickfromFrenchLick,”reflectshishumblebeginnings
andruralupbringing.
BirdgraduatedfromSpringsValleyHighSchool,whereherefinedhisabilities
andcultivatedastrongpassionforthesport.Birdplayedcollegebasketballfor
theIndianaStateSycamoresfrom1976to1979.
In1979,heguidedtheSycamorestotheNCAAChampionshipgameagainsta
MichiganStateteamledbyMagicJohnson.
TheBirdvs.Magicmatchupbecamelegendary,anddespiteIndianaState’s
loss,Bird’sperformancecapturedthenation’sattention.
Hewonnumerousawardsduringhiscollegecareer,includingbeingnamedthe
nationalcollegeplayeroftheyearin1979.

5. NBACareerwiththeBostonCeltics
BirdwasselectedbytheBostonCelticsasthesixthoverallpickinthe1978NBA
Draft.From1979to1992,heplayedfortheCeltics,becomingthefaceofthe
franchise.
Bird’sstyleofplaywascharacterizedbyhisbasketballIQ,versatility,and
clutchperformances.Heplayedbothasasmallforwardandapowerforward,
excellinginscoring,passing,andrebounding.
Bird’srivalrywithMagicJohnson(whoplayedfortheLosAngelesLakers)
definedaneraofNBAbasketball.
ChampionshipsandIndividualAccolades
LarryBirdwasakeyleaderfortheBostonCeltics,helpingthemwinthreeNBA
championshipsin1981,1984,and1986.
HewasalsorecognizedforhisexceptionalperformanceintheNBAFinals,
winningtheMVPawardtwicein1984and1986.
Additionally,BirdachievedtheprestigioustitleofNBAMostValuablePlayer
threeyearsinarowfrom1984to1986.
Histalentasashooterwaswidelyacknowledgedandheisconsideredoneofthe
bestpureshootersinNBAhistory.Hewasa12-timeNBAAll-Star,andhis
impactextendedbeyondstatistics.

6. LifeBeyondBasketball
Birdretiredasaplayerin1992butcontinuedtocontributetothegame.He
becameasuccessfulcoachandexecutive.
HewasawardedtheNBACoachoftheYearin1998whileservingasthehead
coachoftheIndianaPacers.Subsequently,hetransitionedtoanexecutiverole
andreceivedtheNBAExecutiveoftheYearawardin2012.
Bird’scompetitiveness,workethic,andleadershipleftanindeliblemarkonthe
NBA.HisiconicbattleswithMagicJohnsonelevatedtheleague’spopularity
duringthe1980s.
Movies,VideoGamesandCommercials
Birdhasappearedashimselfinseveralmovies,including“BlueChips”(1994),
“SpaceJam”(1996),and“CelticPride”(1996).Hispresenceextendsto
basketballvideogames,whereheremainsamainstay.
Overtheyears,Birdhasfeaturedincountlesscommercials,showcasinghis
charismaandloveforthegame.
NetWorth
DinahMattingly’sestimatednetworthisapproximately$500,000.Her
financialsituationhasbeeninfluencedbyherhusband,LarryBird,whoisa
formerprofessionalbasketballplayerandhasanetworthofaround$75
million.

7. SheoccasionallyaccompaniesLarryBirdtomanybasketballgames.
Despiteherhusband’ssubstantialwealth,Dinahhasfocusedonhobbiesand
findingjoyratherthanaccumulatingwealthforherself.
SocialMediaPresence
DinahMattingly,LarryBird’swife,maintainsaremarkablylowprofilewhenit
comestosocialmedia.Infact,shehasnoknownpresenceonplatformslike
Instagram,Facebook,orTwitter;whereasLarryBird@larry_bird_33has27.1
KfollowersonInstagram.
Residence
FormerNBAplayerLarryBirdcurrentlyresidesinalavishmansionlocatedin
Naples,Florida.ThroughouthiscareerwiththeBostonCeltics,Birdresidedin
thesuburbanareaofBrooklyn,Massachusetts.
Despiteretiringin1992,BirdhasremainedinvolvedwiththeNBA.He
previouslysoldhisIndianahome,wherehehadlivedformanyyears.
In2001,constructiononhisopulentmansionwascompletedandhemadethe
decisiontorelocatefromIndianatoFlorida.

8. SinceretiringfromhispositionasPresidentofBasketballOperationsforthe
IndianaPacers,BirdandhiswifeDinaMattinglyhavebeenresidingintheir
spectacularmansioninNaples.
BottomLine
DinahMattinglyhasbeenLarryBird’ssupportivepartnerformanyyears,
sharingbothgoodandtoughtimeswiththebasketballstar.Astheymove
forward,Dinahcontinuestobeakeypartoftheirlife,showinghowimportant
itistohavesomeoneyoucanrelyon.