NBA Icon Larry Bird Hails Fever’s Lexie Hull as After Playoff Heroics..
Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull delivered a masterclass performance against the Atlanta Dream, propelling her team to a hard-fought victory and etching her name deeper into league lore. But it was the unexpected endorsement from basketball royalty—NBA legend Larry Bird—that turned heads and sparked a frenzy across social media, with Bird declaring Hull last Minute steal as the biggest in WNBA history.”
The drama unfolded last night in Game 3 of the first-round playoffs at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia. With the series tied 1-1 and elimination looming, Hull erupted for a playoff-career-high 28 points, including 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, alongside 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Her suffocating defense on Atlanta’s All-Star Rhyne Howard—limiting the MVP candidate to just 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting—proved pivotal. Hull’s timely threes in the fourth quarter, including a dagger from the wing with 1:12 left, sealed an 89-82 upset win, sending the Fever to the semifinals for the first time since 2015.
Teammates mobbed Hull post-whistle, but the real buzz ignited hours later when Bird, the Hall of Famer and Pacers executive emeritus, lit up X (formerly Twitter) with a rare public shoutout. “Watched that Fever-Dream game last night—Lexie Hull? Kid’s a beast. Tough as nails, shoots like it’s nothing. Indiana got the biggest steal in WNBA history drafting her 6th in ’21. Reminds me of my old Celtics grit. Keep ballin’, Lexie! #FeverUp,” Bird posted to his 1.2 million followers. The tweet amassed over 500,000 likes in under 12 hours, trending nationwide and drawing replies from stars like Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi.
Bird’s praise carries weight in Indiana, where the 68-year-old icon remains a deity. A three-time MVP who led the Celtics to three titles in the 1980s, Bird has long championed women’s hoops, mentoring Pacers staff and attending Fever games incognito. His nod to Hull as a “steal” nods to her under-the-radar path: Selected sixth overall in 2021 out of Stanford—where she won two NCAA titles—Hull toiled in the shadows of headliners like Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark (sidelined by injury this postseason). Averaging a modest 7.2 points in her rookie year, Hull’s evolution into a two-way force mirrors Bird’s own blue-collar ascent from French Lick, Indiana.
Hull, 25, downplayed the hype in her postgame scrum, crediting the locker room’s resilience amid a brutal injury-plagued season. “Larry Bird? That’s surreal—he’s the GOAT,” she said, eyes wide. “This win’s for the squad. We’ve battled through hell; nothing feels bigger than advancing.” Coach Stephanie White echoed the sentiment: “Lexie’s our rock. Her fire? That’s championship DNA.”
Bird’s endorsement isn’t just flattery; it’s prophetic. With Clark eyeing a 2026 return, Hull’s emergence positions the Fever as contenders. As one X user quipped, “From bench warmer to Bird’s blessing—WNBA’s Cinderella story.” In a league hungry for narratives, Hull’s playoff explosion and legendary backing could redefine her career. For now, Indiana celebrates, but the message is clear: The “steal” is just getting started.
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