Updated: June 26, 2012, 10:00 am ET

Report: Bird won’t return to Pacers

By HOOPSWORLD
Basketball News & NBA Rumors

Larry Bird will not return to the Pacers next season.

The Indianapolis Star first reported Bird would step down as team president and that he is “100 percent sure” of his decision this time. Bird had said at the end of the Pacers’ playoff run that he was considering staying with the team.

Team owner Herb Simon has hired former team president Donnie Walsh, who also worked for the Knicks, to return to the team in some capacity, including guiding the team through the draft and free agency over the next several weeks.

Bird, who won three NBA titles as a member of the Boston Celtics, became the first person to be named league MVP, coach of the year and executive of the year.

The Pacers had three winning seasons and five playoff appearances in Bird’s tenure as an executive with the team.

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