Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have gone through legendary battles in their time together, reminiscent of Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird.
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Peyton Manning was recently inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, and his good friend and old rival Tom Brady was proudly in attendance, showing his support to an all-time great quarterback.
8 MVPs, 9 Super Bowl Titles, 🐐 🐐
Manning X @TomBrady | #PFHOF21 pic.twitter.com/7ej5k23PyK
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) August 8, 2021
Brady and Peyton had endless battles in both the regular and post season. It is very similar to the way Magic and Bird went up against each other in 80s in the NBA world. Both players are on equal calibers as well, making the comparison even more apt.
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Shannon Sharpe Compares Tom Brady Vs. Peyton Manning To Larry Bird Vs. Magic Johnson
Brady and Manning went against each other a total of 17 times with Brady winning 11 of the matchups. Manning los the first six matchups to Brady before winning six of the last 11 which included two playoff victories in the AFC Conference Championship game.
Bird and Magic dominated the NBA scene during the 1980s. During that period, there were only two years where either Bird or Johnson weren’t winning the Finals. Additionally, the Celtic and Lakers went against each other thrice in the NBA finals with Magic Johnson and Los Angeles winning two of the series.
The Greatest Rivalry in the History of Sports. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. The Celtics vs The Lakers. Epic Battles. They single handledly saved the NBA. 🐐
“There gonna be talking about this 100 years from now” – Larry Bird pic.twitter.com/OI14WcJJ5d
— A1Hoopz (@A1Hoopz) July 26, 2020
Head to head, Johnson holds a 22-15 lead over Larry Legend. You can see why it’s easy to compare the greatest quarterback rivalry in the NFL to the greatest player rivalry in the NBA.
What’s more is that both Brady and Manning and Bird and Johnson are great friends despite their storied battles on the field or court. It’s why Brady was present at Manning’s Hall of Fame induction after all.
That’s why Shannon Sharpe believes that it was no surprise that Brady showed up to the event as he believes that Manning and Brady will be forever linked the same way Bird and Johnson are.
.@ShannonSharpe on Tom Brady attending Peyton Manning’s HOF induction:
“I would’ve been more shocked if Brady didn’t attend. I don’t think we’ll ever see this again, these 2 guys are linked together like Magic & Bird.” pic.twitter.com/4Hrn4tgFbu
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) August 9, 2021