Bird was selected as the first round draft pick by the Boston Celtics in 1978, but he determined to stay in school through his senior year. The Celtics then retained their exclusive rights to sign Bird in 1979. With his addition to the team, the Celtics went from a measly 32-50 season in 1978-79 to a winning 61-21 season in 1979-1980, the league's best record. Magic Johnson entered the NBA the same year, but despite Johnson's strong showing, Bird received the Rookie of the Year Award.

Through the 1980's, the rivalry between the Celtics and the Lakers drew a large crowd, with enormous television audiences. In 1988, for the first time in four years, the Celtics didn't make the NBA Finals. Bird started the following season but ended very early, playing only six games due to the need for surgery to remove bone spurs from both heels. He returned to play the following season, but Bird's body was no longer in good shape. He had been plagued with back problems for years, and the pain culminated in the 1990-91 season, where he missed 22 games due to a compressed nerve root in his back, the problem that would lead him into retirement.