“Knees Almost Hit Me On the Chin”: 16 Years Ago, Larry Bird Revealed the Moment He Knew Michael Jordan Was Special

The greatness of Michael Jordan is remembered by nearly every living basketball fan, especially the fellow legends he played with and against. Two of them, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, once sat down to speak about “His Airness” and the magic he brought to the NBA in the 1980s and 1990s.

Jordan had a pretty remarkable history against both Bird and Magic. Against Larry, he often came out on the losing end, at least early on. In back-to-back playoffs (1986 and 1987), The Hick from French Lick and his Celtics sent MJ and the Bulls packing. It’s not that Jordan never beat Bird or the Celtics, but in the late ’80s, it just wasn’t his time yet.

The showdown against Magic told a different story. Their biggest clash came in the 1991 NBA Finals. After Johnson and the Lakers took Game 1, the Bulls responded with four straight wins, securing Jordan’s first title and his first Finals MVP. It marked the official end of the Showtime Lakers and the beginning of the Bulls dynasty.

In 2009, Magic and Bird sat down for a special interview to relive their epic rivalry. But in the process, Jordan’s name inevitably came up. When the Lakers legend asked Bird what he thought of MJ, all Bird could muster was a single word.

“Unbelievable,” he said with a smile. That’s not all. He would then give basketball heads what they really wanted. “I can tell you some things that happened in the game against us,” he added, as Magic perked up, getting ready to listen to greatness.

“One time I turned, I jumped, and his knees almost hit me in the chin,” stated Bird, who then smiled even bigger as the memory clearly jarred loose an exciting moment from his playing days. “That’s when I realized that this guy is pretty special for his jumping ability.”

As if that wasn’t enough, Bird added some of MJ’s more specific special abilities on the court. “Cat quick, he closed down a pass lane as fast as anybody I’ve ever seen. Just a phenomenal player,” he said.

This was hardly the most detailed breakdown of Jordan’s greatness, but considering it came from one of the most feared players of the ’80s, it carries that much more weight. Bird was known for his trash talk and his gift for gab, so showering another player with praise is probably still something he has to trick his brain into doing.

That said, Bird and Jordan’s competitive rivalry helped them forge a close friendship — one that grew even further when they both represented Team USA in the 1992 Olympics, playing for what became known as The Dream Team.

When looking at who could be on the Mount Rushmore of the NBA, Jordan, Bird, and Magic are clear candidates. Each man helped the game grow in different markets and was wildly successful in terms of stats and championship success. To hear Bird and Magic sing MJ’s praises, even if it was years ago, is a testament to what MJ did for the game.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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