- Dinah Mattingly is the celebrity wife of Larry Bird, a former basketball player, and coach
- Mattingly is not Larry Bird’s first wife as the former basketballer was previously married to Janet Condra in 1975
- The mother of 2 is a crucial part of Twitter as the logo of the social media platform is named after her husband, Bird
Like many celebrity wives, Dinah Mattingly has gained a reputation for being Larry Bird’s spouse. Dinah 70, got married to Larry Bird in 1989 and her husband is a former professional basketball player that is regarded as one of the greatest in the game. He is also a former basketball coach, an NBA executive, and a Hall of Famer.
Dinah Mattingly’s Early Life Background
While it could be rightly argued that Dinah has maintained a very private life over the years, some important details about her are still available. She was born on 16 November 1954 in Vigo Indiana, U.S. However, other sources claim that Mattingly was born on November 16, 1943. In spite of that, the most popular report about her birth date is 1954. Going by this year, Mattingly is currently 70 years old.
Moving on, Dinah is known to have attended Schulte High School, Terra Haute, and graduated in 1973 before proceeding to Indian Stae University.
She Married Larry Bird in 1989
Several reports have indicated that Dinah and Larry Bird met in the 1970s at Indiana State University, where they were undertaking their undergraduate studies. They are also known to have dated for a long time before tying the knot in 1989. Their wedding took place in a friend’s home outside Terre Haute, Indiana. Only 7 people were present at the wedding including the bride and groom, both of whom wore stonewashed denim.
Dinah is not Larry Bird’s First Wife
Larry Bird’s marriage life did not start with Mattingly, but with an entirely different woman called Janet Condra. Bird and Condra started out as high school lovers and became married in 1975. However, the marriage did not last up to a year as it ended in divorce shortly after their union. With Condra in 1977, Bird has a daughter named Corrie Bird following an attempted reconciliation.
As captured, Bird later married Mattingly in 1989, 12 years after his marriage with Condra ended officially ended.
A Look Into the Life and Basketball Career of Her Husband
Dinah’s husband, Larry Bird was born on December 7, 1956, in West Baden Springs, Indiana as one of the 6 children of Georgia Bird and Claude Joseph Bird. Growing up, the 69 year old saw his family move into difficult moments, especially with their finances. More so, his parents divorced when he was in high school and his father committed suicide a year after his divorce.
However, economic and family challenges did not deter him from his career pursuit.
With all of these, Dinah’s husband still made a way to becoming an acknowledged skillful basketball player who has been nicknamed ‘The Hick from French Lick’, and ‘Larry Legend’.
Mattingly’s husband’s career started in college after a successful one in high school. His professional career kicked off following his NBA drafting as the 6th overall in 1978. In 1979, he played for Boston Celtics until his retirement as a player in 1992. He was also a part of the USA basketball Dream Team that won the 1992 Summer Olympics.
In his playing career, Bird became an NBA champion three times in 1981, 1984, and 1986; a 2-time NBA Finals MVP in 1984 and 1986. He added to the list of his accomplishments the title of NBA Most Valuable Player in three consecutive years from 1984 to 1986, 12-times NBA All-Star (1980-1988, and from 1990-1992), 2-times MVC Player of the Year, and 2-times Consensus first-team All-American (1978-1979). Furthermore, his jersey number 33 has been retired by Boston Celtics among many other honors.
Following the end of his professional playing of basketball in 1992, Bird took the path of coaching in 1997 for the Indiana Pacers. As a coach, he was able to further attract a name for himself as the 1998 NBA All-Star Game Head Coach, and 1998 NBA Coach of the Year.
He retired in 2000 and went on to become the Pacers’ president of basketball operations in 2003 only to leave in 2012 and again return to the position in 2013. He finally left the position in 2017, but he continued to be part of the team serving in an advisory capacity.
During all of his time, Bird maintained a career in basketball, and his talent and hard work have opened doors for him to become the only man in NBA history to win the NBA MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year. He has also been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998 and in 2010, he was again inducted into the Hall of Fame as a member of the Dream Team.
Summary of Bird’s Honors and Awards
See Also – Who Is Corrie Bird, Larry Bird’s Daughter With Janet Condra
Interesting Facts About Dinah Mattingly You Should Know
1. Dinah Has 2 Adopted Children and a Step Daughter
Dinah Mattingly does not have any biological children with Bird. However, the couple adopted a daughter, Mariah Bird, and a son Conner Bird. Mariah is a graduate of Boston University and Indiana University Bloomington. She has a degree in Recreation and works as an event manager for Pacers Sports and Entertainment.
More so, Dinah is a stepmother to Corrie Bird courtesy of her husband’s previous marriage. Corrie was born on August 17, 1977. She bagged a degree in business administration in 1999 and currently works as a healthcare manager.
2. Her Stepson Was Charged With Attempted Murder
At age 21, Dina’s stepson, Conner was arrested and charged with attempted murder. While the details of the incident have remained sketchy, news made the rounds about how he tried to hurt his then-girlfriend with his car, which later led to his arrest. He later pleaded guilty to a number of charges while others were dropped.
Before the incident with his girlfriend, Conner previously had issues with the law when he was arrested in 2011 as a minor for underage drinking and disorderly conduct.
3. Dinah Mattingly’s Husband was in the Middle of a Racial Controversy
In 1987, about 2 years before Bird was married to his wife Dinah, he was caught in a racial controversy with another basketball player – Isiah Thomas.
The controversy started after a Boston Celtics’ game when Isiah said Larry was a good player but he’d be another good guy if he was black. The media quickly pick the issue up, referring to Isiah as a racist. The general notion is that black people are wired biologically to be better athletes and perhaps that made it even easier for the media to drag Isiah.
It did not take long before Dinah’s husband came out to state that Isiah may have been quoted out of context.
Isiah, on the other hand, said he knew that Larry was great at what he does. He also said Larry may have saved his career with his charitable feedback, otherwise, he may have been crucified for being a racist even though he wasn’t.
4. Did You Know that Twitter Logo was Named After Mattingly’s Husband?
One of the most popular social media platforms, Twitter has a bird logo which is also called Larry. According to reports, the logo was inspired by the basketball legend and spouse of Dinah.
The co-founder of Twitter, Biz Stone hails from Boston, and the logo Larry is a tribute to a man who brought glory to Boston through basketball.
5. How Rich is She?
Since her career has remained unknown, it is difficult to say how much money Dinah has. However, her husband has made a lot of money from his basketball career. His net worth has been estimated at $75 million.
Dinah’s husband is one of the richest basketball players who had played for the Boston Celtics. Apart from playing Bird has also earned a lot from his coaching career which lasted 3 years with the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000.
Consequently, Dinah Mattingly and her husband are enjoying the fortunes of Bird’s successful career having made his retirement several years ago. The couple’s adopted children have also enjoyed the wealth of the former basketballer. However, this cannot be said of Corrie Bird who remained estranged from Larry and her stepmother Dinah Mattingly.
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