“Put the Dagger in My Heart”: When Larry Bird Took a Friendly Jab at Magic Johnson Over Championships

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson had one of the biggest rivalries in NBA history. But that doesn’t mean the two weren’t friends. In an old clip dug up by some users on Reddit, Larry Legend once ganged up with Bill Russell to tease Magic about his lack of championships. Showcasing just how playful the two would get when they weren’t playing against each other

The clip likely comes from the NBA 50 team shoot in 1997, although the user labelled it from 1996. Whichever is the case, it’s a gem of a video that gives us a flashback to when Russell was alive and well. And if you didn’t know, he was one of Magic’s biggest idols growing up.

That’s why when Johnson sees Russell in the clip, he immediately embraces him. He then notices the camera and begins to describe how the Celtic legend has 11 championships, and how he was trying to catch him in championship rings when he played. 

After that, Magic called Larry Bird over and said that he was fighting with him to catch Russell. “It was a noble effort,” Russell said as he proceeded to laugh. 

Immediately, you can notice the camaraderie between Russell and Bird. They may have never played together, but their shared greatness in Celtic history clearly brought them together. 

Magic then talked about how, between him, Larry, and Russell, they had plenty of championship rings. Then, Bird brought the house down with a great joke.

“A majority of them are right here, though,” Bird said as he pointed to himself and Russell.

The two Celtic legends then leaned back and gave a good old-fashioned belly laugh. Magic couldn’t help but join in as well. It was a good joke. After all, between Russell and Larry, they won 14 NBA titles compared to Magic’s 5. 

Bill Russell and Larry Bird rib Magic Johnson over championships (1996).
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That’s when the Laker legend realized he was being ganged up on and submitted to the jokes. He couldn’t believe his childhood idol was laughing as his biggest rival roasted him. “Put the dagger in my heart,” Magic said as he put his hand to his chest and twisted. 

In the end, though, everybody knew Bird was joking. It’s not like he had much ground to stand on without Russell. Comparing just Magic and Bird, the Laker legend had the Celtic legend beat 5-3 in career championships. 

Yet, with Russell by his side, Larry couldn’t resist throwing a lighthearted jab at his rival. Mostly because everyone knew Magic would take the joke in stride. Which he did, proceeding to entertain by making another joke himself. At the end of the day, it was classic Magic getting up to his usual antics.