Basketball legend Larry Bird tried to find love again and married his second wife, Dinah Mattingly.
Bird and Mattingly first met at Indiana State University in the late 1970s. They became friends and then lovers, getting married in October 1989.
The couple later had two children together, Connor and Mariah Bird. Larry also has a daughter, Corrie Bird, from his previous marriage to Janet Condra, whom he married in 1975 when he was 19.
They have been together for more than 35 years.
According to ESPN, they got married on 31 October 1989 with just five guests at a friend’s house in Terre Haute, Indiana. The bride and groom wore jeans at the altar, indicating a relaxed wedding.
Bird and Mattingly have also become parents through adoption, taking in two children. Mariah Bird adopted two years into their marriage in 1991, has grown into a successful professional, leading the events management division of the Indiana Pacers basketball team.
Their second adopted child, Connor Bird, joined the family in 1992. In addition to Mariah and Connor, Mattingly is also the stepmother to Bird’s daughter from his first marriage, Corrie Bird.
The family lives in a massive house in Naples, Florida. The property is 6,007 square feet and has four bedrooms, six bathrooms, a modern movie theatre, an infinity pool, and a boat dock.
They have given a lot of money to charities over the years.
One of the couple’s most important efforts was their work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Bird has long supported and advocated this work, especially the “Link Up With a Legend” program. This has helped provide safe spaces and fun activities for children and teenagers suitable for their development.
They are also very committed to health-related charities. Driven by personal experiences with family members affected by the disease, they have supported cancer research and treatment initiatives.
The couple don’t brag about what they’ve done.
In an interview with Indianapolis Monthly at their yearly Masquerade event in 2014, Bird said, “I don’t need the publicity. I’m not doing it for the publicity. But I do care. That’s what matters most.” The event raised $800,000 for the Simon Youth and Pacers Foundation, which helps disadvantaged children in Indiana.