Larry Bird a cage icon in our midst

MANILA, Philippines - Even on the sidelines, NBA legend Larry Bird exudes the aura of a basketball icon – even without uttering a word.

Donning a dark blue shirt, checkered gray shorts and adidas rubber shoes, Bird, part of the fabled Boston Celtics team in the 80s, roamed around the MOA Arena basketball court, did some stretching, dribbled and shot some hoops during breaks of the Indiana Pacers’ practice.

Bird, now 56 and president of the Pacers, still drew much of the attention from the young media group despite the presence of current NBA superstars Paul George, Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert.

But the reticent former rival of fellow NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers, shunned interviews, opting to give the floor instead to his Pacers.

Indiana will meet Houston at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the MOA Arena in the first pre-season NBA game, dubbed the NBA Global Games, ever to be played on local soil.

The closest thing media had a chance to elicit some reaction from Bird was when one writer approached him and said “hi.”

Bird chirped: “Nice shirt.”

That’s probably because the reporter was wearing a green shirt that bears the cloverleaf symbol of the Celtics.

Bird, of course, was a three-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP, three-time MVP, 12-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA First Team, three-time Three-point shooting champion and countless more.

He also owns the distinction as the only person in NBA history to be named Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year.