Magic Johnson made an appearance on FS1’s ‘Speak’, where he spoke with Paul Pierce about the current state of the NBA. He noted that there are no genuine rivalries among players and teams anymore, as everyone gets along. He compared today’s NBA to the NBA of the 1980s when he and Larry Bird had their iconic rivalry. Johnson believes that the lack of rivalries is behind the declining popularity of the NBA.
Paul Pierce: “What’s happened to the rivalries?”
Magic Johnson: “They don’t hate each other. I hated Larry and every Celtic. I really don’t like you but you’re my little brother. Now I love you because you’re out of that green & white. That’s what it was. The Celtics and Lakers hated each other. It made for great TV and people tuned in.”
“And now, I don’t know if it’s AAU, but everybody is shaking each other’s hand, everybody likes each other, they won’t go at each other really hard. That’s what happened to the All-Star game. We hated the East. I’m coming to bust you Michael, Isiah, Dr. J. You can’t have one over me, I’m coming to get that. Now it’s 200-200, what is that?”
Pierce: “When I played, we were forced to play [hard]. Because Kobe was going to force you to play… It’s gotta come from the top. It’s gotta come from LeBron saying ‘Hey, we’re going to take this serious’. From KD, from Steph. That’s where it’s gotta come from.”
Johnson: “I knew Larry Bird was coming from me. If we line up now, and he puts on the green and I put on the purple? Come on man. It’s gotta get back to that. And there’s a reason why the viewership is going down. And these guys better wake up and say ‘Hey, we gotta change this’. Also, the load management – the guys gotta play. We took pride in playing.”
.@MagicJohnson breaks down why we no longer have rivalries in the NBA today
"They don't hate each other. I hated Larry [Bird] and every Celtic. I really don't like you [Paul Pierce] but you my little brother. Now I love you because you're out of that green & white." 😂 pic.twitter.com/yJyum6dxGH
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) December 19, 2024
Johnson certainly has a point. There is no longer animosity or hatred among NBA stars when they play against each other. And while some might argue that this is a good thing as it fosters a less toxic playing environment, it has taken a great deal of intensity and ferocity away from the game. Clearly, fans have responded to this negatively, as the NBA’s viewership numbers have declined greatly.
Magic Calls Out Paul Pierce For Wheelchair Incident
During the same interview, Magic Johnson seemed to call out Paul Pierce for the infamous wheelchair incident from the 2008 NBA Finals, when Pierce was carried out of a game in a wheelchair, only to make his return minutes later having recovered. Pierce joked that he had a flair for the dramatic having grown up in Los Angeles.
Johnson: “Why did you fake that injury against the Lakers and they had to wheel you out? What was that? You came out and gave us 20 in the second half!”
Pierce: “I’m from LA. I have a flair for the dramatic.”
Johnson and Pierce were clearly just having fun with each other, as two former legends of the game exchanged some banter. But it also goes to show the roots of the rivalry between the Lakers and the Celtics. Both Pierce and Johnson pride themselves on being Lakers and Celtics for life, respectively.
Perhaps the NBA needs a little more drama, as the ratings have been in decline for quite a few years. With players like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant now winding down their careers, it is up to the next generation of NBA superstars to step up and carry the torch.
And what a way to make a name for yourself and establish yourself as one of the faces of this league by bringing back the intensity and mojo of years past into the game, thus helping the viewership increase.
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