Years after his retirement, Magic Johnson picked Larry Bird as the “greatest he ever played against”.
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Back in the 1980s, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were the main contributing factors in revolutionizing the league, making it more global than ever. Playing for two of the biggest and most successful organizations in the league, both these superstars had quite the battle whenever they took on the court.
Magic and Larry had quite an interesting rivalry. The future megastars were nemeses back in their college days. Carried on their rivalry to the pros, and ever since, became one of the most-popular arch-enemies in NBA history.
Facing off 37 times against each other on the NBA hardwood, 18 times in the regular season & 19 times in the NBA Finals, the two always gave fans around the world quite an entertaining battle. Out of the 37 instances, Magic had won 22 games, while out-assisting Bird 12.5-5.4. However, Bird not only outscored (23.5-20.05), but he also out-rebounded (11-7.15) Earvin during their career.
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“When the pressure was on, and I tell you Larry Bird is still the greatest I’ve ever played against”: Magic Johnson
During the early days of their careers, Bird and Johnson absolutely detested each other, on the court as well as off the court. In fact, things were so bad between the two, that they would even refuse to greet or congratulate each other on the court. Back in 2009, Bird had spoken on this issue:
“I didn’t shake hands when we lost to the Lakers. I never shook hands. When the Lakers and Celtics played, we didn’t shake hands. When I first got to play against Magic, there was a hate factor there. It was more than just dislike.”
However, over the year, the two learned to co-exist and eventually became really good pals. The two revealed their respect for each other and appreciated the other for bringing the best out of them.
Johnson event went on paying his respects to his archrival by naming Bird as the “greatest he’s ever played against”:
“We came in at the same time, we didn’t care about how many points we scored, we just cared about winning. We both had a knack for making our teammates better and we loved the big moment and trying to excel.
When the pressure was on, and I tell you Larry Bird is still the greatest I’ve ever played against. He was so super smart and so his will win was off the charts.”
