It is impossible to tell the story of the NBA as a league without mentioning Larry Bird. The Celtics legend is a key reason the NBA became as popular as it did amid its struggles with television ratings. Bird tantalized audiences with his high basketball IQ and impressive skill, even though he didn’t jump out of the gym, and his athleticism didn’t provide much to rave about. When Skip Bayless shared a quote about Bird’s slow speed, he received a great deal of hate mail.
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Before Bayless became a polarizing figure in sports media, he was an aspiring journalist. As a columnist who studied the game very closely, he covered Bird during his collegiate career at Indiana State, where the 6-foot-9 forward dominated college basketball.
Throughout his three seasons with the Sycamores, Bird never averaged less than 28 points per game. In his junior season, he led Indiana State to the National Championship but, unfortunately, lost to Magic Johnson and Michigan State. Despite his track record, some people still doubted Bird’s abilities.
On The Skip Bayless Show, the NBA analyst revealed controversy that once took place between himself and Bird. He had written a column regarding Bird’s potential in the NBA, and the message wasn’t kindly received by the public.
“The greatest coaches had told Gil Brandt that Larry Bird was just too slowfooted to make it in the NBA,” Bayless said. “I did mention in that column what I had been told. I got bombarded with hate mail. It was like Larry Bird had become an overnight god in America.”
Bird had quickly become a fan-favorite, and Bayless’s column didn’t align with their beliefs. Although the NBA journalist was only quoting somebody else, people didn’t appreciate the negativity Bayless placed on Bird.
At the time, Bayless didn’t understand the magnitude of the rivalry between Magic and Bird. Only now can he look back and fully digest the historical significance of both players.
Bayless believes Bird and Magic’s rivalry is like no other
Magic and Larry’s competitive rivalry throughout their NBA career fueled an entire generation. The two were great friends off the court but were constantly at each other’s throats when they competed. Bayless has yet to see anything come close.
Many people have elevated Stephen Curry and LeBron James’ rivalry to the status of Magic and Bird. Bayless finds that comparison quite offensive.
“It just doesn’t work for me,” Bayless said. “In fact, it offends me because what those two on the left did for this league, it just saved the league; it put it back on the map. There were a lot of tape-delayed games on Friday nights where you couldn’t even watch it live.”
Bayless’s comments aren’t exaggerated. Bird and Magic injected life back into the NBA and propelled it to new heights. Shortly after, Michael Jordan grabbed the torch, and the rest is history.
There are plenty of amazing rivalries in NBA history, but Magic and Bird’s is special. There will never be another pair of competitors who impact the NBA the way they did. Larry and Magic stand alone.
