(The Sports Xchange) – Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird will step down from his position with the team, according to multiple reports yesterday.
The 60-year-old basketball legend is expected to continue on as a consultant with the team, The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported. No reason for Bird’s departure was given.
General manager Kevin Pritchard will take over the team’s basketball operations, according to reports.
Bird served as president of basketball operations for the Pacers from 2003-2012, winning the NBA’s Executive of the Year award in 2012, before stepping away for a year, citing health reasons.
He took on the role again before the 2013-14 season.
Bird, a Hall of Famer as a forward with the Boston Celtics, first joined the Pacers organization in 1997 when he was named head coach.
As coach, the Pacers went to the NBA Finals in his final season in 1999-2000, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
Indiana finished this season with a 42-40 record before being swept in the Eastern Conference first-round playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Indiana lost the four games by a combined 16 points.
Pritchard served as general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers from 2008-2010. He joined the Pacers in 2011 as director of player personnel and was promoted to general manager in 2012.
