Larry Bird officially steps down as Pacers president of basketball operations

Bird will remain with the team in an advisory role, the team announced

Larry Bird is stepping down as the Pacers' president of basketball operations, the team announced Monday. Bird will remain with the team in an advisory role.

Executive vice president of basketball operations/general manager Kevin Pritchard will take over Bird's position.

"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 will do some scouting for the Pacers, NBA, college, international, do some appearances and stay in a capacity to advise senior basketball management. 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. I also want to thank (owner) Herb Simon for the many years of loyalty and for allowing me to stay with the team in a different role."

Bird has been on-again, off-again with the Pacers throughout the years both as a coach and as a member of the front office in part because of health concerns. His most recent tenure, which won't come to a total end as he will stay with the team in a different capacity, began in June 2013.

"I have the utmost faith in Kevin taking over," said Herb Simon, team owner. "He has learned from a couple of great ones, Donnie and Larry, while with the Pacers. We all feel he will do a tremendous job."

Perhaps the biggest question this move prompts is how it might affect Paul George and his future with the Pacers. George won't be a free agent until two summers from now. However, if Indiana decides to move on from him, George would end up on the trading block. Will Pritchard be able to sway George to stay? Does Indiana want to try and keep him at all? 

That might depend on whether George earns All-NBA honors this season -- a distinction that would drastically increase the Pacers' chances of keeping him. If he is named to an All-NBA team, he would be eligible for the new designated player exemption, which would allow Indiana to re-sign him through 2022-2023 for about $75 million more than what other teams can offer. If he's not, Indiana still could offer more than other teams, but whether the roster built around him is sufficient for his liking is something only George can answer.

The Paul George situation, among others, will be at the top of Pritchard's immediate action items as he steps into his new role. And it's one Larry Bird feels he's adequately prepared for.

Said Bird: "I'm very happy Kevin is stepping in and glad another Hoosier is in line to take over this job. He has a lot of experience from the past five years as a GM and he's ready to step into a leading role. With us, he has had his own ideas on the draft, players, and now he gets an opportunity to push his basketball abilities to the forefront. His role will be no different than mine was. He will make all final decisions on all basketball-related matters. There can only be one voice and it will be his."