Few rivalries had as much of an impact on the NBA as Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson. The two players revolutionized the league, and led their historic franchises, Celtics and Lakers respectively, to incredible success in the NBA. Their rivalry brought new eyes to the sport. But when the two broke bread together for the first time, Larry Bird’s mom had a surprising revelation in store.
“It wasn’t until 87 I went out…”, Magic Johnson told Shannon Sharpe. “As I’m taking about 3 steps toward the trailer, he said ‘Magic, I’d like you to have lunch with me up at the house, my mom has prepared lunch. He threw the mom, you know I can’t say no… So I go to the house, and he’s down there, I’m down here, she’s bringing out all the dishes. She brought that last one and set it down. She hit him and said ‘Did you tell him yet?’. And Larry said ‘No, Mom you tell him’. She turned and said ‘Magic, you’re my favorite basketball player’… And I just said ‘Oh man, thank you Mama Bird’. Then we started talking like two little boys…”
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Larry Bird and Magic Johnson started their rivalry even before entering the NBA. Magic Johnson’s Michigan State defeated Larry Bird’s Indiana State to win the NCAA national championship. After that, they faced off in 3 NBA Finals against each other, with Magic Johnson winning two out of the three times.
Johnson and Bird’s rivalry also redefined the rivalry between the Lakers and the Celtics in the 80s, as the two teams dominated the NBA in the 80s to win a combined 8 NBA championships across the decade.
Larry Bird And Magic Johnson Saved The NBA
Many people have acknowledged the role Larry Bird and Magic Johnson played in resurrecting the NBA’s popularity. Charles Barkley has stated that Magic and Larry are two of the most important players in the history of the NBA, pointing out how they were able to take the NBA’s popularity to heights never seen before.
Johnson and Bird dominated the 1980s, playing in every NBA Finals of the decade. Magic and Larry also played a key role in the 1992 Team USA basketball team, which was dubbed the Dream Team, as they won the United States their first Olympic gold medal in basketball since 1984.
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