Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson: Best Player Rivalry Ever? | The Jump | ESPN
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- čas přidán 12. 06. 2017
- Paul Pierce, Byron Scott and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar discuss the rivalry of Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson, with Scott saying he believes it is the best player rivalry ever.
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Hearing Larry bird trash talk stories are the best things ever 😂😂
Anyone who can talk trash so well that they can make Dr J, the classiest dude in NBA history choke them out, is the king of trash talk
@M
You’re not bant yet? Let me fix that for you...
@M : Only goes to show just how dumb soccer fans are.
@@juniorjohnson9509 lol
.
Kareem was cracking up remembering Birds trash talking....
M NBA, NFL, Boxing, UFC are better than soccer, soccer is for cry babies😂
@M
Reporting the TROLL!
kareem is so intelligent and well spoken its ridiculous..Wonderful knowledge..Thanks Kareem..i wish u were younger..ur a beast so knowledgeable.
He sure is. I take Russell and Wilt over Kareem as a player (not by much). But there is not, has not been, a more intelligent man or player in his sport.
Infected Monkey he very much is. Unfortunately, over his career, hes been pretty much a prick to anyone who comes across him. Bad to fans, bad to media, etc.
Its unfortunate, because if it werent for that, hed be brought up FAR more in terms of GOAT. And hed have been a coach (which he wanted, but no one wanted him), etc etc.
Very interesting guy. Super intelligent. Would probably make for a great guy to get a beer with and pick his brain about basketball, to history, to politics. But his rep is hed lose his shit if you ever asked him to talk.
People always talk about how players from past generations would do today...Kareem would be tearing the league up if he played today. I mean, Kareem is in the 🐐 conversation. To hear a player as smart as Kareem talk about Bird's mentally superior mental side means something significant. Much respect to the great Kareem Abdul Jabbar.
@Galvanization 9D yeah, Im sure that helped. But its more than that. No alcohol, but also strict diet, good genes and several other factors.
Kareem wasn't some dumb jock. He was an intellectual who happened to play basketball as a hobby lol
i think some people forget just how much of a bad man bird was, magic and the lakers won more titles but bird was the baddest dude on the planet in his prime it was scary
Chalupa Batman facts man I'm 20yrs old an I saw bird's highlights An thought he might've been better than Jordan if he hadn't gotten injured
Chalupa Batman well isn't that what lebron is today and he still already has more titles then the warriors so they have to catch up to him he's the best player with the most rings in the nba
KD>>Bird
Hector Zeroni Bruhh gtfo with that statement. Smhhh 'NBA fans' these days.
Cringetastic don't lump in nba fans with warriors idiots.
I love how Byron still calls Kareem "Cap"
Kareem is one of those individuals who may not say a lot, but when he something to say, he says it. And even better, he backs it up as few EVER had or could. That too, is a LEADER.
Remember when u were in school and you called the teacher Sir ...when you meet him 20 years later you still call him Sir right ...thats being respectfull and old skool ...today u dont see hardly anymore
That’s respect and I love it ! When I see my old school teachers I still say Sir … I think it’s normal and it should always be like that
im surprised kareem didn't bring up the chamberlain vs russell rivalry in the 60s
Lucho MM99 noone talks about the giant of the the game. it wasn't big on TV back then
11 rings to 1 really isn't much of a rivalry; Wilt may have had 11x the # of women though--some would call that a wash
@Rich O'Brien Wilt had 2 rings, one with the Sixers and one with the Lakers. No question Russell had more rings (11)...he was consistently on better teams. But speaking of the rivalry, it was real. Wilt and Russell played in a total of 142 games against each other. In those games, Wilt averaged 28.7 points and 28.7 rebounds while Russell averaged 14.5 points and 23.7 rebounds. Russell won 85 games to Chamberlain's 57. It's safe to say it was a great rivalry!
I'll give you the 2nd ring, but it was several years after Russell retired.
Cause Kareem hates Wilt
Pat Riley once said if he had to pick one person to take the last shot with the game on the line, it would be Michael Jordan. If he had to pick one person to take the last shot with his Life on the line, it would be Larry Bird.
So which one is more important the game or his life..seems like bird should be his choice for both but hey whatever lol
Deyknw cause Jordan cares about the game, but he don’t give af about Riley’s life 😭
Nice
That's a confusing quote... Was Pat close to Larry? Larry is the same as mj. They both love the game to the next level.
@@amills1469 Not really to me. He pick Jordan to take the last shot in a game, but not every shot is in the end. So he'd bet on Bird to Jane the shot at any point in the game.
1:35
Barkley comment about "Bird was so bad you could wear his jersey in the hood" comes to mind.
where did u hear that????
@@deborahbrick8679 I don't remember where exactly, but a video somewhere - probably when Charles was doing analyst work.
The NBA was so GREAT Back then. Bird or magic. You can't lose with either.
Yes, but the real rivalry was Bird (celtics) vs. Dr. J. (sixers).
"Larry Bird was money."- Kobe Bryant
Larry was way more clutch than kobe. Kobe was never clutch.
Donnie Pate stfu
correction: Larry was way more clutch than kobe, even though kobe is the one of the best clutch players in crunch time
@@trips8527 Nope it’s the truth.
both of them are truly Legandary Basketball Players of the 80's. And they respect each other
A lot of respect from Byron & Kareem to Larry--kudos to them both!
Larry has a ton of respect for Kareem as well. If you read his first book, Drive, you will catch it. Not surprising, 2 great players who thought the game out mentally, as well as being able to execute it with their skills. And neither wanted or seeked the spotlight. Much in common, Kareem and Larry.
LaVar Ball vs. Kristine Leahy
Charlamange Tha God vs. Justin Whitlock
Young Jeezy vs. Gucci Mane
Rich Homie Quan vs. Young Thug
Old School vs. New School
Mumble Rappers vs. Real Rappers
Harambe vs. The World
LeBron vs. Barbershop
KD vs. Hairbrush
Lakers-Celtics no where close
C.J. Thomas lmaooo 😂😂
Hillary For Prison 16 other ppl thought it was so....
bro stay in yo lane
C.J. Thomas 2pac vs Biggie
Hillary For Prison L
"you not getting that... Why u even doing it? Don't do that" lmao
I LOVE THAT BIRD DIDNT GET INTO ALL THE RACE STUFF. I WAS WATCHING A STORY ON MAGIC & BIRD & HE WAS JUST A KOOL COUNTRY BOY WHO JUST WANTED TO PLY BALL. NOTHING MORE NOTHING LESS. HE SAID WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER BLACK GUYS WOULD LET HIM PLAY WITH THEM. THATS PRETTY KOOL TO ME. HE NEVER HAD PROBLEMS WITH BLACK PEOPLE
Bird said they were older black guys and he was a kid and they let him play and learned a lot from them...might be why he never had any issues--except with white people...he said he considered it 'an insult' if the opposing coach chose a white guy to guard him, because he knew the guy 'had no chance'...different league back then, that 'no chance' thing held true with about 70% of every guy in the league with Larry...the Lakers would always double team him, even with studs like Cooper, Wilkes and Worthy on D
Game always recognizes Game , their rivalry is the second best in sports history behind Ali/ Frazier .
Are you screaming that?
@@porkfrog2785 Dominique who was the most athletic guy in the league guarded Larry too.
This!!!
You guys were the best of the best
God Bless you guys. 💯👍
The Hick from French Lick. Gotta love him.
I would have to say Jerry West and Oscar Robertson because they actually guarded each other
Maybe. That is still an underrated GREAT rivalry.
Larry Bird is the greatest SF to play the game
Bird greatest SF ever, no doubt. Bird's all around game is second to none and his combination of shooting, rebounding, passing, and superior mental capacity was amazing. Prime Bird was dominant while having a much lower usage rate than Lebron or MJ.
@Darius Barkley That's all you got? 🤣
@Darius Barkley You ain't got nuthin, that's why. 🤣
@Darius Barkley lmao@ lebron
Darius Barkley
Reggie Miller begs to differ asswipe
Pat Riley: "I'd want Jordan to take the shot with the game on the line. I'd want Bird to take it if my LIFE was on the line."
Best player rivalry ever? More like 'ONLY' player rivalry ever
John Creasy Lebron/ Durant, Kobe/ T Mac, Hakeem/ Robinson, Duncan/ Nowitzki, Wilt/ Russell, Young Jordan/ Joe Dumars, Old Jordan/ Barkley just to name a few.
Only Lebron vs Durant met in playoffs more than once. Bird and Magic faced off three times
Those were/are all awesome rivalries but if it wasn't for Bird/Magic, would we even be talking about this? These 2 men saved the league!!!!
Wilt & russell, shaq & yao, kobe & tmac, shaq & Duncan ..yes these are nowhere as big but i consider them rivals for sure
There will NEVER EVER be an NBA rivalry as important, as powerful, as league changing or as emotionally personal as Bird/Magic.
Any of you uneducated youngsters that disagree? Watch the biography about Bird and Magic called "A Courtship of Rivals"...its on this very website to watch...FOR FREE. Their unbelievable rivalry goes beyond basketball.
I remember reading a quite poignant quote awhile ago made by some journalist....I forget who it was that said it. But HE NAILED it.
"Bird and Magic are the only 2 players in NBA History that share their own exclusive club. And no other player will ever have access to it".
Bird would trash-talk ANYBODY, and back it up better than ANYONE in NBA history!!!
Your are right it was Great ERA. I MISS THAT TIME. ALL YOU GUYS THAT PLAYED IN THAT ERA WERE ELITE.
Larry's not white Paul, Larry's clear
Nah, Larry is solid gold!
"Clear" like "translucent" or what??... 😅
I've heard about that...and it was spoken by a Black player out of Respect..Larry Bird is Color Blind.
victor quintana it’s from space jam lol
Horst Tristan von Wittenbach it’s from space jam
Wow... Paul Pierce really broke it down.
"It was like a great black player against, like, a great white player."........... Wow... never looked at it from that perspective Paul...
Haha he sounded so dumb and he was going nowhere with that explanation.
absolutely . Russell and Wilt is a close second
It started in the NCAA title game and carried over into the NBA and both Magic and Larry were as competitive as all get out. They cared about one thing and that was the ring and being able to say they won an NBA championship, or in their cases, MULTIPLE championships.
Boston and Lakers with Bird and Magic will all be the best showdown in NBA Basketball History. These two guys created big money for the media, teams and contracts for players today.
Best rivalry ever. Magic and Bird start the Rivalry from College to NBA.
they change the NBA Cultural. Best decades of rivalry ever.
Magic the man & Bird the man.
2002 Sacramento kings vs the refs.....classic showdown
Lol
Fax
Bird Magic Russell and Chamberlain
Both Bird and Magic “ couldn’t jump high , had incredible Court Vision and were 2 of the best team players ever, Race seems to have very little to do with these Guys!
At the time the country and especially the two cities made a big deal out of the race issue, especially about Bird being a “white savior”. If you think racism is an issue now this was 40 years ago. The only two people who didn’t make it about race were Larry and Magic.
@@fezzik7619 Race relations were far better in the 1980s and they are today. This reality hurts your argument.
Bird and Magic saved the NBA!
IT WAS A GREAT HONOR, TO WATCH MAGIC AND BIRD, OR BIRD AND MAGIC, IN THE 80S, WATCHED EVERY GAME
Kareem is the true GOAT in the NBA.
yup
yes he is but lacks the larger than life personality of the great Michael Jordan!!
LOST 4 Finals and he never won one without a DOMINANT ALL TIME PERIMETER PLAYER he had big o and magic plus he couldn't handle the ball and he wasn't a great passer
He's up there
Just Bake Agree
Biggest advantage that Magic had over Bird (which I believe helped him out-win Bird head to head), was that there was already a hall-of famer / all-time leading scorer within the Lakers when he got there (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). So essentially you had 2 of the all-time greatest against 1. The fact that Bird kept it close is amazing. Given all that, I would not guess as to who was the greater player. I would say based on the facts on the ground, that before his back got injured, I would pick Bird, and after he got injured Bird was no longer the same, and Magic was more effective. What a blessing that these two would come up in the same year!!!
guitta Dabe But I agree. I prefer Bird over Magic
People need to be sure to remember the Celtics-Lakers rivalry during the 80s a couple decades from now because I am sure that people born after 1990 as parents will tell their kids how the Cavs-Warriors one was better when that's so far from the truth!
I wouldn't worry. The NBA and its non-casual fans do a great job of honoring its legends of past. Much better than other sports. The Celtics-Lakers rivalry of the 60's is still talked about a lot =)
You don't see that anymore, now these guys are playing with each other instead of competing against each other.
I would still take Bird and Magic over LBJ. Both of them had skills and height similar to LeBron, but they had more of the killer instinct you want to see. Too bad both of their careers were cut short due to health problems. Most amazing thing to me about LBJ so far is 14 years and still going strong with no hint of injury troubles.
Yep they had all the similar skills, especially defensively...
coz today NBA is soft as tissue so don't be surprised with longevity
Lebron spends 25mil on his body per year Larry bird 0$
IMO his injuries are more mental anyways 2011 finals 2008-10 playoffs etc, why do u think he "goes black" its literally proof
Longevity is an important aspect as well.
While the Magic-Bird rivalry revolutionized the NBA, to me, the greatest player rivalry was Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, especially since they played the same position. Although they were both outstanding players and hall of famers, when they played against each other, they had to be even better.
Yes
Most definitely 💯💯
One of the best segments in Sports Show History. This was real. Mad respect to Kareem, and Scott. Bird, was the truth... This is awesome.
everyone talks about mj, kobe, lbj, steph, etc, and people (especially those who saw him play) tend to forget just how good larry was. kareem said it eloquently, larry was ridiculous in the way he played and was simply superior in his mental approach to the game.
the good old days!
For me bird is the greatest sf his iq is the top , magic has the luxury of kareem wich is a top 5 and magic a top 5 10 bird in his first year lead them to playoffs without mchale and chief
Mark L well imo is a tie, Duncan for me is the Best iq player since bird and do it for longer and won more
Cesar Quint I'll take Duncan over Bird.
HipHopR&BLover Jon me also but i respect bird really a lot , Larry is /was a genius(as well as td) and his clutch gen (wich Duncan have) was scary as hell he only played 11 seasons and 3 of them really hurt 8 season of dominance and 5/6 finals is damn legendary.
Duncan first 8 9 years as a power forward cemented his goat pf status is = as bird career, the 12 years left is a top 10 C wich is another story.
PD spurs fan here
+Cesar Quint To elaborate on HOW great an impact Bird had in his rookie year (and winning Rookie of the Year), with essentially the same team that had the NBA's 3rd WORST record (29-53) before Bird's rookie year, when Bird first arrived, he led the Celtics (all without McHale, Parish, DJ) to the league's best record, 61-21.
That represents THE greatest W-L turnaround in NBA history.
Cesar Quint Duncan and Bird don't play the same position. Bird is a Small Forward, Duncan is a Power Forward.
THE greatest rivalry in NBA HISTORY!!!
Bird and Magic is the Greatest rivalry ever. It’s hard to describe if you weren’t there to see it how entertaining and intense it was. It seemed like EVERYONE was an NBA fan during that era
Kareem is such a great guy. Role model for sure
It's pretty amazing to me to hear these great black players just being effusive when it comes to Larry Bird. Not just on this video, but dozens of others.... I saw him play at Indiana State and with the Celtics, and he was indeed on a different level. But when you get three former greats like Kareem, Scott and Pierce carrying on like they are, it's just amazing.... And oh yea, I saw "The Big O", McGinnis and lots of other great players from Indiana but Larry was just "different".
I think 1st Russell v Chamberlain(8 playoff duels), and then , Bird vs Magic.. I was privileged to see the latter.
Paul Pierce bringing in the race aspect revealed the realness of the whole situation while most people duck that reality. Way to go Paul Pierce.
Bird would have NONE of that. And that's one main reason he's always been one of the most respected white ballers among the black community (aside from being ridiculously good).
🤮
U gentlemen r so nice
Kareem was unstoppable in his prime. What a player!
He truly was (Kareem). In the 70's, it Kareem, then the rest.
No doubts about that....
These two are the best blue collar player in the 80's.
yes!
yeah
I know right
hands down
majic was awesome but bird was overall best player in nba his first 9 years until back and Achilles injurys....wilt and russell was probably best player rivalry
The best rivalry in NBA history not only on the court but on how they acted one was from city while the other represented Boston with his hillbilly attitude and they were still great friends going at it toe-to-toe Magic was a wizard with the basketball while was a marksmen that was one of the the best trash talkers ever.
I mean the two solidified the GREATEST team rivalry in basketball period.
Yes.
Love Larry Legend 33 🐐☘️👍 love Paul Pierce 🐐☘️👍2 greats 🐐🐐🐐🐐🏀🏀🏀☘️☘️☘️👍👍👍
LOL. Great stuff . . .
And the Greatest Professional Sports Analyst Award goes to...Paul Pierce: 'Larry Bird was a white player who played basketball...' 'Magic Johnson was a basketball player who was black..." #OMG #GOAT
There has only even been *1* Basketball rivalry that could argue with Bird/Magic.
Bill/Wilt.
wilt Chamberlain vs Bill Russell greatest player rivalry
The RIVALRY!!!!!!
@CARLOS MORENO BUT Wilt cleaned Russell's clock so many times. Boston had the better teams.
Plumbers lol
aint no sport about race ,brothers ,its about who wants to win the most
Yes, Paul Pierce!
The best matchup would have been the 86 Celtics vs. 87 Lakers. The 30 for 30 was excellent. The only omission I saw was Byron Scotts dominating 2nd half in game 6 1984 finals. He was on fire! He won the game for them any Laker fan should check the tape out! What was great about this rivalry was how many great players were on the court at the same time!
Billy Langford the 86 Celtics was better than any 80s Lakers teams.
Bird was methodical like Jordan, and had that killer instinct, and I wish he would have been able to play longer, because I think he would have shifted rivalries from Magic to Jordan even with just a few years left in the tank. he had no fear, a true die hard.
2:56
I'm pretty sure Larry wins the "biggest trash talker" contest HANDS DOWN if you polled players that played against him.
He MIGHT get it UNANIMOUSLY though, not just hands down - which is why I'm only "pretty sure" on the "HANDS DOWN".
Nothing but respect for all the respecters. There should be a "GOAT" category for them.
I believe Larry GOAT of basketball would agree.
Genes of Bird goes to Luka and Jokic. They don't jump high and pound chest but man "How did he do that?"
Magic had the better supporting cast from college to the NBA. and besides he was not the Lakers best player until ‘87. Bird was better before he got injured.
Bird was a lot better than magic but magic always had the better team, i cant understand why people put magic over bird when determining player rankings.
naturalselector85 Kareem is in the GOAT discussion, and he had Elgin Baylor who averaged 25 and 12 his rookie year. Bird had McHale. You’re the fuckin idiot lol
Idk Man and I️ clearly said Kareem is in the GOaT discussion where did I️ say he wasn’t as good as Parish what the fuck? Lol you must have reading comprehension issues
Kareem and Baylor never played together. Kareem broke in with Mil.
Bird won titles with more HOFers than Magic.
Bird - Archibald, Johnson
Parrish, McHale, Walton
Magic - Jabbar, Worthy, Wilkes, MacAdoo
Kareem is a top 5-8 player ever.
Pierce has been our best player since bird retired...he had similar toughness and balls that larry legend and all great celtics have had....kareem was certainly best player of 70s and a all time great in his own right...just 2 great franchises and a shit load of hall of famers last 50 years
Yes, it is truly amazing how these 2 franchises have DOMINATED the sport for the most part. Lately, the Spurs, actually for a good while, have carved out an impressive niche. But they have been relative newcomers to the party. The Bulls of the 90's? Thank you, Jordan.
Funny after reading your 2nd line the 1st thing that popped up was him in the wheelchair smh but i digress lol...
Was Paul high while filming this 😂
Larry Bird is the GOAT!
Donald Trump Fan Larry Bird is GOD!
Bird and Magic the best of all time! Showtime!
Best Boston player rivalries. Bird/Magic, Russell/Chamberlain, Brady/Manning, Ted Williams/Joe DiMaggio.
Remember when Magic and Bird got together at Center Court during the 2009 NCAA championship game between UNC and Michigan St to commemorate the 30th anniversary of their epic '79 matchup, it happened to be the only positive for anything associated with Michigan St that particular night, because after that the expected landslide victory by the Tar Holes commenced! Only way UNC would have lost that night was if they'd had to face Magic's Spartan squad! Because once Michigan St had beaten UConn in the '09 semis, they had absolutely no chance in the final
bird is the best ever!!
Dude you are DELUSIONAL!!
Heard Michael Cooper say he'd rather guard Michael Jordan than Larry Bird. That's props man.
ya have to go with russell v chamberlain as the best rivalry ever. I mean those guys probably played each other like 100 times.
Russell won so many more times though that its barely even a rivalry
@@shangtsung1362 but wilt was a lot better so
But was it personal between Russell and Chamberlain? Or were they merely the faces of their respective teams? Or was it that they defended against each other?
I think so their wouldn't even be an nba without them
Thats how bad ass Larry Bird was. Hearing from Kareem of Bird just says a lot. Didnt even hear anything about Magic. So lets be true to the fact that Bird was far better than Magic and he is the GOAT. Perfect player, no one comes close. But a lot wouldnt understand bcoz they didnt really root for Bird bcoz LA was the more popular team with the hollywood thing.
mc go u saying Larry could beat Jordan? Cuz if so then obviously u smoking rat shit
You care to explain Magic playing all 5 positions in a championship game against the 1980 iter team. The same team that sent Larry Bird home for the summer. One more thing, Magic did this while Kareem was at home with an injury. Oh by the way, Magic did this as a rookie.
mc go WTF is bcoz? Is it shorthand for the word because?
mc go magic better than bird
Larry beat Jordan every time his Celtics played Jordan's Bulls. Six wins Larry, 0 wins Jordan. So mc go doesn't need to say Bird could beat Jordan. He actually DID beat Jordan. Oh yeah, Jordan also acknowledges Bird as "far better" than Lebron or any other small forward who ever played the game. So clearly Michael himself (a great player) thinks highly of Larry. Respect.
Kobe vs Duncan was the most underrated rivaly of all time...
I would take Tim duncan over kobe any and every day.
Paul made it awkward lol
Thought I was going to hear Paul talk about others without inserting things about himself for the first time. I was wrong. 😂
Best basketball I ever saw
What about Wilt Chamberlain vs Bill Russell????
There is no way magic wins 5 championships without kareem. Magic came in the league and had the greatest player of alltime. Give bird kareem he would have 7 championships.
More like best Frenemies
While Wilt and Russell is certain legendary, I’d go with Bird/Magic just because it started in college.
Bird was slightly better than Magic but magic was amazing
With out a doubt - no question. The best rivalry ever.
Another possibility is: Russell and Chamberlain where they actually guarded each other.