Magic chokes up talking about Bird during his HoF speech: “Larry, you’re just what a basketball player should be. The biggest reason I’m here is because of you, making me go to the gym all summer. It was tremendous playing against you, and I’m just happy and I thank God I got to know you.”

40 comments

  4. These 2 revived the NBA and are a huge reason the league is succeeding today. I will probably always think of this as the best rivalry in sports.

  9. I’m trying find a modern equivalent and I guess the closest is LeBron and Curry but two different play styles and LeBron wanted to be teammates at one point. There’s no way Larry or Magic would have done that, too competitive.

  12. Magic vs Bird is my personal favorite individual rivalry in sports history! Some come close like Messi vs Ronaldo, Ali vs Frazier, Federer vs Nadal, Brady vs Manning but to me none of those have elevated their respective sports as much as magic and bird. Basketball wouldn’t be where it is at today if it weren’t for those two.

  15. This is why I kind of roll my eyes whenever someone says that the league is worse now because the players are all friends and rivals don’t hate each other. These two had the most iconic rivalry in NBA history and they obviously had mad respect for one another.

  17. Bird’s face at the end of that is like Sam Elliot in A Star Is Born after Bradley Cooper says it was him, not their Dad, that he always wanted to be like.

  20. Unbelievable story in sports. Such a great rivalry in so many ways yet they are such great role models of mutual respect and compassion.

  21. Larry and Magic are legit psychos with how much the just revere the game of basketball, this shit is like their religion. Larry also talked about how upsetting it was to see Magic retire simply because it meant he could not compete against him anymore.

  24. Is there a good documentary or YouTube video about the full history of Magic and Bird? I’m sadly pretty uneducated about it

  26. I could watch Larry Bird highlights all night. The playing skill and shit talking skill were maxed on that dude.

  27. It was such a perfect storm for the NBA that it would be incredibly difficult to ever happen again. You have two generational talents drafted into two of the biggest sports markets a year apart, same rookie year. Each being a perfect representation of their respective markets. And then to actually have them face off multiple times for a championship. The NBA could hardly write a better script.

  30. Generational talents that drove each other to continually improve while maintaining both friendship and rivalry. Great for them both and the game at large.

    Imagining them both staying healthy is a wonderful “what if” scenario to dwell on.

    Studying both players is a guaranteed ticket to improving one’s own game.

    Very glad they were able to play together on the original Dream Team and bring home the gold.

    Thank you Magic and Larry. 💛💚🏀

  32. There is no modern NBA without those 2. No Jordan. No Ewing. No Olajuwon. No Shaq. No Kobe. No Duncan. No LeBron. No Curry. No Jokic. No Wemby. On and on.

    They couldn’t have done it without those before them, especially the legacies within the Lakers and Celtics organizations.

    But those 2 catapulted the NBA from tape delay to prime time tv. And Magic turned LA NBA into a heavyweight championship boxing fight-level of event every game for celebrities to attend.

  33. The best rivalry and comradery duo ever, didn’t hurt that they played for the 2 most prestigious franchises ever

  35. I can’t believe those jerks at HBO put so little effort into marketing Winning Time. Despite being a Lakers fan since my childhood in those days, Bird was awesome in that show

  36. I do not know why magic gets higher than Larry. I’d take Larry over almost anyone not named Jordan or Bron. And I might take Larry over Bron. Dude had such a small window but damn impressive. His hot potato passes, the fucking shooting from anywhere, the IQ to always be in the right place. Magic may be the luckiest player ever drafted but bird is more skilled.

  38. Larry and Bird should be the standard for “superstars”. I think it’s good that any two “rivals” get compared to them, but they also always get way too much credit.

    The NBA would be in a better place if Jokic and Giannis had that **respectful** rivalry. I mean, they’re both respectful, great young men, but the social climate today prevents anyone from being really *RIVALS* like in the 80s. People either wanna keep to themselves these days, like Giannis and Jokic, or they wanna make it all about them, like Jimmy or Curry or Bron. ‘Cause everything is so polar nowadays that you’re either like Jokic/Giannis, where you do your job then go home to your family and just stay away from society at large, or you’re seeking attention like Ant or Curry. Perhaps I’m wrong, and I’d love to be, but it feels like today’s superstars are one or the other, and you can’t build a good rivalry like that.

    Even LeBron/Curry or LeBron/KD, if respectful, was very corporate-washed. It never really felt like a rivalry, and that’s kinda my point.

  39. Quite honestly I’ve never seen an athlete carry himself with the level of graciousness that Magic Johnson did (and does). He stands above them all.

  40. If you’ve never seen “Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals” do yourself a favor and give it a watch. Especially if you’re a sports fan. It gives a whole different perspective on the dynamics of all world athletes not just as competitors, but as people.

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