Few phenomena in NBA history rival the sight of a young star grabbing a struggling franchise by the horns and almost single-handedly turning things around. It’s a relevant narrative these days as Victor Wembanyama has the Spurs buzzing with a franchise-record 5-0 start to 2025-26 after jumping from 22 wins in his debut to 34 last season. Fans of the 2000s era of the NBA will remember how LeBron James lifted the Cavaliers out of NBA-bottom purgatory. But don’t forget about Larry Bird . He did it with the Boston Celtics faster than both Wemby and Bron.

When Bird arrived in Boston for the 1979-80 season straight from Indiana State, the Celtics were a laughingstock. They’d limped to a 29-53 record the prior year, dead last in the Atlantic Division amid a post-Russell malaise. Kevin McHa

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