Larry Bird and Magic Johnson remain big figures around the NBA world. They made the league what it is today and recently received a huge honor. The NBA announced that starting this year, they would give two trophies to the Conference Finals MVP, with the Eastern Conference having Bird’s name, while the West is named after Johnson.
This is a big honor for any of them, and they didn’t mince words to show their appreciation. Shortly after the news was announced, both legends reacted to that, never losing their competitive spirit.
First, Larry felt honored with this and didn’t hesitate to take a jab at Magic, claiming he would have loved to win one of these trophies against the Los Angeles Lakers icon.
Larry Bird learns about the new Larry Bird Trophy, awarded to the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, from NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer, Mark Tatum. pic.twitter.com/CTdvhPI20y
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) May 12, 2022
“Well, thanks Mark. I just wish I could win one of them Magic Johnson trophies. That’d be a highlight of my career,” Bird said before erupting into laughter.
Magic also had some things to say about this, being more cordial and using different ways to thank the association.
Thank you to the @NBA for naming the new Western Conference Finals MVP trophy after me. I am extremely honored and the trophy is beautiful! pic.twitter.com/aE3JLYIUwg
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 12, 2022
Thank you to the @NBA for naming the new Western Conference Finals MVP trophy after me. I am extremely honored and the trophy is beautiful!
Moreover, he had this to say:
“The NBA Conference Finals represent the last hurdle a team must face for an opportunity to make it to the big stage, the NBA Finals,” said Johnson. “I’m truly honored to have my name memorialized on the Western Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Trophy. This player excels on both ends of the court, makes his teammates better and leads his team to the greatest stage in basketball.”
Seeing how teams and players are performing right now, it’ll be interesting to see which players will take these trophies for the first time. It’s unclear which teams will play in the series, but now they’ll have more incentive to destroy opponents besides playing in the Finals.
