Bird vs. Magic - Greatest Rivalry In Sports History

This is a look back at one of the greatest sports rivalries of all time.

Follow Nonstop Sports

Imagery supplied by Getty Images

Bird vs. Magic - Greatest Rivalry In Sports History

[bentep]

From bitter rivals to lifelong friends. Still my favorite NBA story of all time.

[AfricanHro]

Crazy we almost missed out on Larry Legend because of social anxiety.

[JuanTonSoupXP]

Magic was so nice, he couldn’t be trash talked. That’s why Larry was so frustrated with him. 😂

[derrickj]

They better make the Bird Magic movie while both these Legends are still here with us

[mels]

Glad we now have 2 MVP awards for each conference named after Magic and Bird. What a great rivalry

[caryrodda]

I grew up a Lakers fan in the 80s. I hated the Celtics, but the one guy on their team that I respected and could still enjoy his brilliance was Bird. Man, they could both play.

[clarissawestbrook]

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson rivalry in the 1980s saved the NBA and Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls elevated the NBA to even greater heights. This was a vert good breakdown on two of the most iconic/greatest NBA players of all time.

[olwezbh]

You guys should make a Wilt Vs Russell

[thebestcentaur]

I thought it was Shaq vs. free throws, or MJ vs. everybody not on the Bulls, or Dennis Rodman vs. himself

[ejg_]

Some interesting unknown facts about Larry Bird losing to the city of LA again:

- Pacers lost to Lakers with Bird as HC in the '00 NBA Finals
- Bird resigned as Pacers' President of Bball Ops. when Paul George wanted to go to LA after the '16-'17 season

[cyberpimp]

9:04 - Larry Bird injured his back permanently by asphalting his parent's drive-way. He did this as a multi-millionaire and sadly it took at least 7 years off his career

[drakeeybro]

As an asian person who watches football and basketball i gotta give this one to Bird vs Johnson, messi & ronaldo rivalry was great but it is because they both have ' el classico ' status in their peak rivalry, el classico is a must watch for a football fan with/without ronaldo& messi meanwhile Bird vs Johnson rivalry singlehandedly bring NBA outta bankruptcy and put both of their respective teams on the map, so in conclusion bird vs magic is really the best rivalry in sports history

[KobeBryant-cmcc]

U always make banger comparisons cant wait to see this 🌟🌟

[deventazz]

It's hilarious how both of these legends just lived rent free in each others heads for the longest time. It clearly elevated their game.

[midnightfun]

Now this is a healthy and good rivalry which pushed each of them to be better to what they did

[Zamppa]

Based on how badass Bird was on thrashtalking it's hard to believe he was shy about social things! Well one learns something new every day!

What Bird and Magic did for the sport was major. They probably quite saved the NBA and made it great and interesting again. Jordan then continued that a bit later on. They definitely have earned all the praises they have gotten and still end up getting. True legends of the sport!

Because Bird and Magic are so intertwined together I really can't rank one above the other. That's why the 2nd place on my all time greatest list has been shared by Magic and Bird together. Jordan is the GOAT of course.

[rezarfar]

Easily the greatest friendship that has ever been struck between two individuals in a competitive sport.

You just can't imagine either man having nearly as good of a career if it wasn't for the other. They completed each other, like two pieces of a jigsaw.

[ayochill]

Quiet kid who’d fail to not talk to nobody became the NBA’S most villainous trash talker. Damn.

[americanpatriot]

In basketball we have the Larry Bird (🇺🇸) and Magic Johnson (🇺🇸)
In boxing we have Joe Frazier (🇺🇸) and Muhammad Ali (🇺🇸)
In football we have Lionel Messi (🇦🇷) and Cristiano Ronaldo (🇵🇹) in F1 we have Prost (🇫🇷) and Sena (🇧🇷)

[Jiren]

Magic love & Charisma somehow melts the icy heart of Bird. Who doesn't love Magic?