Larry Bird officially steps down as president of Indiana Pacers

WASHINGTON, May 1 (Xinhua) -- The Indiana Pacers announced Monday that Larry Bird stepped down as the Pacers' president of basketball operations.

"I felt it was time to step away in a full-time capacity," Bird said in a statement. "This has nothing to do with my health or our team. I'm 60 years old and I want to do other things away from basketball. I love the Pacers, I grew up with the Pacers and admired them from a very young age. I want to thank the fans for their support throughout my career," the statement added.

Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird played his entire professional career for Boston, winning three NBA championships and two NBA Finals MVP awards. He was a 12-time NBA All-Star and was named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) three consecutive times (1984-1986).

Bird served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000, taking the team to the Eastern Conference finals three straight times and he was named the league's coach of the year in his debut season. In 2013, Bird returned to the team as president of the basketball operations. Bird is the only person in league history to earn an MVP Award and be named the coach and executive of the year.