The story of Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson started in the 1979 NCAA Finals. Since then, their rivalry changed the game of basketball, as they became two of the greatest players the NBA has ever seen.
But who was better between the two? Larry himself gave the nod to the Los Angeles Lakers legend.
Actually, I’ve always said that I go by success, and he’s won more championships, so I give him the nod,” Bird said on “Late Night with David Letterman” in 2012.
Magic has the advantage in rings tally, as he led the Lakers to five titles during the 1980s. Meanwhile, Bird’s Celtics won three championships in the same decade.
Even though the two headlined arguably the greatest era of basketball, winning-wise, Johnson has a leg up on his rival. To this day, “Larry Legend” still respects that gap, which is why he has never had an issue saying Johnson was the better player.
In the same interview, however, the Lakers legend said that he sees Larry as the better player, which shows the mutual respect and appreciation between the two 1980s legends.
I’ve always said that Larry was the better player because he could do more. Shoot from the outside, those types of things. To us, really, at the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter because what matters to me is that I played against the best; I got to know the man, Larry Bird,” the legendary point guard said.
True legends of the sport
Bird and Johnson are two of the most iconic players in NBA history. They are also the reason why the league is successful nowadays.
The duo kickstarted basketball’s Renaissance period in the 1980s, which continued to improve with Michael Jordan’s prominence in the following decade. Magic was the fun-loving player who led a fast-paced team with the Showtime Lakers, while Larry was a smack-talking and sweet-shooting forward on the superb Boston team.
Even though they played different positions, the two shared an incredible feel for passing. While Johnson has more championships to his name, Bird’s fans will always argue for their guy. And even if the Celtics icon said otherwise, he deserves all the respect in the world, given how much he gave to the game in a legendary 13-year career.