Larry Bird, who called himself "a hick from French ... and their 32-game improvement in 1979-80. He was named the Rookie of the Year. For an encore, Bird led the Celtics to a comeback from 3-1 ...

4. Larry Bird, Boston Celtics, 1979-80 The year before Boston gave Bird the largest rookie contract in pro team sports history, the Celtics went 29-53. His first season, the Celtics went 61-21.