The saga of basketball star Larry Bird invariably culminates in the Bird-Magic Johnson story, two players who met in the most-watched basketball game of all time, the 1979 NCAA championship game between Indiana State and Michigan State, and then went on to "save" the NBA, each winning titles for their respective teams, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.

But Keith O'Brien saw another story: the rise of Larry Bird from a small town in Indiana whose collegiate career was very nearly derailed before it began.

Bird famously walked away from a spot on the Bobby Knight-led Indiana University team and was picking up garbage in his hometown before arriving on the Indiana State campus.

O'Brien's exhaustive research uncovers the contributions of people who helped an 18-year-old kid find his way. Friends, fellow players, and coaches -- even an enterprising university president -- recognized the greatness of Larry Bird, perhaps even more than he did.

Bird's epic season at Indiana State, when the team went unbeaten until the championship game with Michigan State, is chronicled in full detail by O'Brien, who called the school's success "one of the original Cinderella stories in basketball."

Bird's success came despite his becoming increasingly hostile toward the print media as the team drew the country's attention. O'Brien noted that Bird, a man who liked to keep his private life private, was even able to cope with the "great white hope" label the media gave him on his way to the NBA, a league dominated by Black stars.

O'Brien noted that while much is made of Bird's reticence with the media, he also never suffered the consequences of altercations with fans that took place on the basketball court.

But his accomplishments on that court continue to shine. The magic of Larry Bird lives on, said O'Brien. "Local tourism officials estimate he is worth at least $7 million annually to the economy of Terre Haute," he said, referring to the town where Indiana State University is located.

"Almost five decades since his last college game, Bird is still keeping the lights on, putting people in seats, drawing fans downtown, and making Terre Haute relevant," said O'Brien.