By Fitzgerald Cecilio

Indianapolis, IN

Larry Bird is set to vacate his post as president of the Indiana Pacers, less than two months after winning the NBA Executive of the Year plum.

A person with direct knowledge of the situation said that Bird is "100 percent sure" to step down, the Indianapolis Star reported.

Bird was set to meet with Pacers team owner Herb Simon Tuesday to iron out the details of his departure from the team after serving as president since 2008.

The basketball legend took the job after former Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh accepted the offer to become president of basketball operations with the New York Knicks.

Walsh, who took last year off, is expected to return to his former job with the Pacers. He attended several pre-draft workouts for the team at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

During his last press conference May 30, Bird sounded like he was going to return for another year as Pacers president, saying he will discuss the direction of the team with Simon.

"I want to talk to Simon about the direction of the team, what kind of job he thinks we're doing, if there's anything he sees that we should be doing better," Bird said.

"Just a number of questions I've got a lot of them written down to ask him, and hopefully we can get the answers we like and move on," added Bird, who coached the Pacers from 1997 to 2000.

Last season, Bird turned the Pacers into a tough young team into a playoff contender, leading them to their first postseason appearance since 2006.

They defeated Orlando in five games in the first round of the playoffs and took a 2-1 lead before succumbing to eventual NBA champions Miami Heat in six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

For his efforts, he was selected as NBA Executive of the Year, becoming the first player/exec in league history to win the award together with an MVP trophy and NBA title.

The former Indiana State star won three MVP awards and three NBA titles during his Hall of Fame career with the Boston Celtics.

 

 

Larry Bird to Leave Post as Pacers President