A Tale of Two NBA Legends
 |
| My copy of the Magic-Bird book. |
In the '80s, Bird was synonymous to the Celtics' emergence as an NBA power, leading his team to titles in 1981, 1984 and 1986 while also winning the MVP plum during his team's last title run. He also won the NBA All-Star Long Distance Shootout three straight times.
Before my flight to the States, I managed to buy a copy of Bird's autobiography Drive which was based on his thoughts that he shared to veteran sportswriter Bob Ryan. I read that book on the plane but since it was released in 1990, it ended on a somewhat hanging note as at the time of its release, Bird had still not yet announced his retirement due to nagging back problems.
For a more comprehensive look at Bird, I suggest you read When the Game Was Ours which was written by his arch-rival, Earvin "Magic" Johnson with the help of lady sports scribe Jackie MacMullan. I first got to know about this book when I saw a special about it on Basketball TV back in the Philippines so when the opportunity came, I was able to buy a copy at a Barnes and Noble branch here in California and I enjoyed reading it.
When the Game Was Ours features a lot of topics about Bird which many people don't know, like his father committing suicide after failing to support the family, as well as Bird moving from Indiana to Indiana State for his collegiate basketball career and his experiences teaching young kids as part of his college graduation requirements.
The NBA in the '80s was no doubt the decade of Bird and Magic as they found themselves intertwined with each other in terms of their respective careers and their interactions with one another on and off the court. They first crossed paths as teammates in a college all-star selection that played an exhibition game against the Russian national team in 1978. That led to their memorable duel in the NCAA Finals in 1979 where Johnson's Michigan State squad tripped Bird and Indiana State, 75-64.
After that, Bird found himself with the Celtics and Magic joined the Los Angeles Lakers. And like a script to a Hollywood movie, their rivalry kept the entire NBA world watching an unfolding soap opera on a basketball court.
As I posted earlier, Bird gave the Celtics three NBA titles while Magic guided the Lakers to five crowns. And as the years drew by, they found themselves developing a close friendship while still maintaining their own personal lives.
The two players first got to know each other more closely when they did a Converse TV commercial in Bird's backyard in French Lick, Indiana and when Magic was diagnosed with the HIV virus in 1991, Bird was among those who comforted him.
Their friendship extended to their last hurrah as teammates in the 1992 Dream Team that swept the opposition in the Barcelona Olympics. Bird retired after that while Magic had a brief playing comeback with the Lakers that ended with him coaching the team for a few games then retiring for good.
These days, both Magic and Bird still remain very much visible in the public eye. Magic is a successful businessman who is the owner of the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA although he sold all of his shares with the Lakers as part-owner. Bird, for his part, is the president of the Indiana Pacers and has run the front office with the same determination he showed as a player.
Basketball fans in the Philippines have had their personal experiences with both Magic and Bird. In 1995, Magic conducted a basketball clinic in Manila and even watched a PBA game at the Araneta Coliseum where he personally handed the game ball to Allan Caidic after the then-San Miguel Beer star scored his 10,000th career point,
Bird was with the Pacers when they played a pre-season game against the Houston Rockets at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. I was one of the reporters covering that game and during the press conference, a Filipina sportswriter asked him whether being a team executive was filled with more pressure than being a player. He replied, "Obviously, you’ve never seen me play."
Clearly, Bird and Magic stood tall during their time as players and until today, NBA stars like LeBron James and Steph Curry look to them as role models. And they played a key role in slowly bringing the NBA to extreme popularity around the world.
 |
| Larry Bird's autobiography Drive |
Comments
Post a Comment