When Michael Jordan walked into the old Chicago Stadium for his rookie season, the banners overhead were reminders of legends. But for Jordan, two names were more than banners or rumors—they were the living standard: Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
Jordan had heard the talk since college. “You score a lot, but can you win like Magic? Can you make your teammates better like Bird?” The comparisons weren’t always kind. The media loved to remind him: Magic and Bird had saved the NBA from irrelevance, their rivalry turning the league into must-see TV. They had the rings, the MVPs, the respect. Jordan, for all his talent, was just a challenger.
He studied them closely, not just their games, but their presence. Magic, with his 6’9” frame and impossible smile, seemed to make basketball joyous. He ran the Lakers with a conductor’s flair, turning fast breaks into ballets. Bird, with his stoic glare and Midwestern drawl, made the Celtics ruthless and efficient. He played chess while others played checkers, always two steps ahead.
What struck Jordan most was how both men led. They didn’t just fill stat sheets—they made everyone around them better. Magic’s unselfishness was contagious; he’d pass up a good shot for a great one, trusting teammates to deliver. Bird’s intensity was infectious; he demanded perfection, and his teammates rose to meet it. Neither cared about individual glory. All that mattered was winning.
Jordan wanted that. He wanted to be the engine that drove his team, the leader who set the standard. But he also wanted to beat them. Every time someone said, “You’re not as good as Magic,” or “Bird’s a better winner,” it stoked a fire in him. He’d replay those words in his mind during late-night workouts, pushing himself to be sharper, smarter, tougher.
The first time he faced Larry Bird in Boston, Jordan dropped 49 points. The Celtics won anyway. Bird found him after the game and said, “That was God disguised as Michael Jordan.” It was praise, but also a challenge—can you do it when it matters most? Can you lift your team like I do?
Magic was different. Their first meeting was at the All-Star game, and Magic greeted him with a grin and a wink. “Ready to run with the big boys?” Magic asked. Jordan smiled, but he knew what Magic meant: Are you ready to lead, not just score?
Over the years, Jordan watched how Bird and Magic handled pressure. When the stakes were highest, they didn’t shrink. Magic played center as a rookie in the Finals and delivered a masterpiece. Bird, never the fastest or strongest, outthought and outworked everyone. They made winning look inevitable.
But it wasn’t just their play. It was their rivalry. East vs. West, Celtics vs. Lakers, every Finals a new chapter. They pushed each other, traded championships, and forced the NBA to rise with them. Fans had to pick a side, but the truth was, the league needed both. Their competition made the game better, made players better.
As Jordan’s Bulls matured, he realized he was following their blueprint. He demanded more from his teammates, learned to trust them, and focused on winning above all else. He stopped chasing stats and started chasing banners. The comparisons didn’t sting anymore—they motivated him.
When the Bulls finally broke through, winning their first title, Jordan thought of Bird and Magic. He saw the torch passing, the standard being met. In interviews, he always credited them. “They made me better,” he’d say. “They set the bar for all of us.”
Years later, after both Bird and Magic had retired, the three met at an NBA event. The conversation was easy, full of jokes and memories, but also respect. Magic clapped Jordan on the shoulder. “You took the league to a whole new place, man.” Bird nodded. “We pushed you, but you ran with it.”
Jordan smiled. “I needed you both. You showed me what greatness looked like.”
Even as new stars rose—Kobe, LeBron, Curry—the echoes of Bird and Magic lingered. The debates shifted, but the foundation was the same: leadership, teamwork, the will to win. Jordan, now the elder statesman, found himself passing on their lessons to the next generation.
He’d tell young players, “Study Magic’s vision. Watch how Bird sees the floor. It’s not about jumping the highest or running the fastest. It’s about making the right play, every time. It’s about making everyone better.”
He’d remind them of the respect Bird and Magic shared. “They wanted to destroy each other on the court, but off it, they understood. The rivalry made them great, but the respect made them legends.”
One day, during a heated TV debate about the greatest point guard ever, Jordan texted a message to the host. “Magic Johnson is the best point guard of all time. He defined the position. Steph Curry is a great shooter, but Magic invented the triple-double. He made everyone believe more was possible.”
The host read it on air, and the room went silent. It was more than an opinion. It was a standard, set by those who built the league.
As the years passed, the legacy of Bird and Magic only grew. They weren’t just champions—they were the bridge from the NBA’s uncertain past to its global future. They brought out the best in each other and in everyone who followed.
Jordan often reflected on his journey. He knew his greatness was built on their foundation. Without Bird’s intensity and Magic’s joy, without their rivalry and respect, there would be no Michael Jordan as we know him.
He was proud to be part of the lineage, a chapter in a story that began with two legends who saved the game—and in doing so, shaped all who came after.
“I Didn’t Get A Chance To Hate Michael Jordan”: Magic Johnson Reveals The Difference Between Larry Bird And MJ
Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird
Credit: USA Today Sports
Magic Johnson has played with and against some of the greatest athletes in the history of the NBA. He won every single one of his 5 championships alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the greatest winner in basketball history across all three levels.
When it comes to the men he faced en route to his success in the Finals, he beat and lost to them all. His first chip came against Julius Erving’s Philadelphia 76ers. His most famous rivalry, as expected, was the one between Magic’s Lakers and Larry Bird’s Celtics. They would face each other thrice in the NBA Finals, with Magic winning in ‘85 and ‘87 while Larry won in ‘84.
However, around the time the Lakers and the Celtics were dominating in the league, another man was showcasing just how much of a superstar he was as an individual. He just didn’t have the right team around him in the 80s to compete for a title right away.
Magic Johnson on facing Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan entered the NBA a mere 5 years after Magic Johnson and Larry Bird did. Their journeys through the league would intertwine with Magic and Michael going at one another in the 1991 NBA Finals. The Chicago Bulls however, would beat the experienced Lakers in 5 games after losing Game 1.
While on the Dan Patrick Show recently, Magic talked about how he hated Larry Bird for the longest time due to their constant competition. Him and Bird had been going at one another since their days at Michigan State and Indiana, playing in one of the highest rated basketball games ever broadcasted: the 1979 NCAA Championship game.
Taking their rivalry to the league and it’s no question as to why they had a deep dislike for one another. Though, when it came to Jordan, Magic didn’t feel that way. He only faced him a handful of times in the regular season and that one 5-game series in the Finals wasn’t fueled by any history between the two.
Michael Jordan went 0-6 against Larry Bird
Michael Jordan played against the Boston Celtics far more than he played against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Bulls would go on to face them in the 1986 and 1987 Playoffs in the first round. The first round was a 5-game series back then and the Bulls lost to the Celts in all 6 games spanning 2 seasons.
When it comes to the competition between Bird and Magic, they began to like one another when Bird invited the Lakers point guard to his house in Indiana. Eventually, they found a way to keep their feud on the court and remain cordial off it. Of course, Larry’s mom saying Magic was her favorite player helped in them becoming extremely close friends.
