Magic Johnson, a man who holds perhaps the most untouchable record in the NBA, the only rookie to win the Finals MVP; lost the ROTY to Larry Bird. Naturally, he was livid about that.
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On Shannon Sharpe’s podcast Club Shay Shay, the Lakers legend appeared to talk about a myriad of things. He touched on several topics throughout the conversation including how Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would feel about LeBron James passing his record, why Russell Westbrook should be more accountable, and why he is still mad about losing the ROTY.
Yes, if you didn’t know Magic Johnson, the only rookie Finals MVP, did not win the ROTY. And who pipped him to the award? His eternal rival, Boston Celtics star Larry Bird. Of course, Magic would not be happy about it.
Magic Johnson and his record-breaking rookie campaign wasn’t enough to beat Larry Bird
To put stats into the picture, Larry averaged a cool 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 4.5 assists a game. Definitely worthy of a ROTY shout.
Magic on the other hand put up a monstrous, 19.5 points, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists a game! He also led the Lakers to a championship, after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar got injured.
He is also one of only 3 players to transition from an winning NCAA championship to winning an NBA title, within a year. Johnson was a certified History maker. He spoke to Shannon Sharpe about why it hurt to lose to Larry and the worst part was that he lost by a landslide. 63-2.
The eternal flame of the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers rivalry
A Finals MVP losing the ROTY race 63-2, yes that is a one-off occurrence. Magic was livid at the fact that he lost the race but by such a margin, it enraged him even more.
Of course, there is also the nature of the rivalry. At the time nobody liked the Showtime Lakers. And it was evident in the voting.
“I was pissed man, I was mad!”, Magic said. He also revealed that he got 2 votes from LA loyalists. Magic also talked about the heated rivalry between the two franchises and why he could never be friends with Larry Bird during his time in LA.
He alluded to how Pat Riley talked about it. And ensured that he was never friends with Larry, until after he retired. But it is sad to learn that the only rookie Finals MVP was not named the ROTY.
