Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. These two were the perfect yin and yang rivalry. Polar opposite who led teams that have historically been rivals to one another. Their personality, their game, and even their general attitude couldn’t have been more different. It was exactly what the NBA needed.
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Of course, despite starting out as bitter rivals, as time went on, they couldn’t help but become friends. And today, they smile and laugh together all the time, especially when talking about the old days. But, that’s not what we’re here to talk about.
Yes, this little anecdote does show them smiling together, but it takes place a lot earlier than today. No, this is a story about a little speech from Magic Johnson, one that came on the night of Larry Bird’s retirement from the NBA. And one that had each and every single on-looker smiling from ear to ear.
Magic Johnson claimed Larry Bird lied about there being a new him in the future
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird respected each other’s game, perhaps more than anyone in the world respected theirs. So, when Larry Bird said there would be somebody else like him in the NBA, the Lakers legend felt a certain way about it.
And sure enough, during Bird’s retirement speech, the man made sure to bear his heart out, right on his sleeve. Or rather perhaps the more fitting phrase here is, he spoke it right into a mic. Take a look at the YouTube clip below to see what he said.
“You (Larry Bird) told me one lie. You only told me one lie in your career. Only one… You know what that lie was? You Don’t Remember, do you?
Larry Bird said, ‘There would be another Larry Bird one day’. And Larry, there will never, ever, ever, be another Larry Bird. And so, I don’t care how many people, how many players, there will never, ever, be another Larry Bird.”
Those are heartfelt words. And frankly, it is beautiful to bear witness to such a moment between such big legends of the sport. But, could be that Larry Bird never lied in the first place?
The existence of Luka Doncic
Yes, they’re both Caucasian and dominating in a league filled with those of African descent. However, it really doesn’t end there. The way the two played, unbothered by the pace of their opponents, while they slowly did their thing. ‘Their thing’, of course, is humiliating their opponent.
Further, both players have immense talent for both scoring and playmaking. In fact, in many ways, Luka Doncic is a new-era version of Larry Bird, what the Hick from French Lick would look like in the NBA today. So maybe, just maybe, Larry Bird was never lying in the first place.
