Magic Johnson explains who is the smartest player he ever played against then

tell us about the friendship between you and Larry Bird and where did exactly begin because it was an intense competition going back to college Charlotte you absolutely right you know we played them for the NCAA championship and when he was playing for Indiana State me for Michigan State when you think about then coming into the Lakers and the Celtics to two rivals they were already rivals before there and I entered into the NBA and then so we got a chance to play against each other then so we hated each other really I was surprised at the intensity because I never think you should say hate but I would surprised at the intensity of the dislike that you both had for each other the word to dislike because you know we were fighting for something when you're fighting for a championship and also you're fighting to try to be the best of the NBA as an individual you're gonna have a dislike and and what happened his mom I saw the commercial at his house and at the at the lunch break I thought I was going to my trailer to have lunch and he said no my mom mom has prepared this great lunch for us and you got to go up to the house and get on Charlie I'm sitting there like wait a minute I gotta go get up there as soon as I walked through the door his mom just and that was that just armed me that made me relax and then she was telling me how you know I love me magic exactly and so it was really the beginning of our friendship because then we sat and talked like two little boys we found out we were a bunch of like him being from in the enemy from Michigan to Midwest boys grew up the same way poor hard-working families you found that you had a lot in common right in the in the documentary in the announcement which I have to say I highly recommend I would I got so choked up so many times watching different points of your life but Larry Bird was one of the first people you called before you made the announcement that you had the HIV virus exactly and I wanted him to know directly from me and and his support along the way that not just then 20 years ago but for the last 20 years I've been unbelievable and you find out who your friends are really when something like this happens to you and that man Larry Bird has been supporting me from day one and then yeah we turn around right so Fran and Tony called me about this play right so I said okay sounds good let me go see Lombardi because they produce okay cool it was great I could pick up the phone call Larry I said man we got a chance of a lifetime you know they wanna show on Broadway about our lives are you kidding me a hick from Indiana and a black kid from Lansing Michigan that typical Larry but the play is unbelievable what did you want to say about him he's the one basketball player do you knew who was white that you could take to the neighborhood that's right and they would accept him immediately no question about it because Larry Bird can really really play basketball and he he can play with any group of people it doesn't matter if you're black you're white whatever because he's so smart at the game Larry Bird was the smartest player I played again Wow your rival can make you better oh yeah they're making better and make you better as an athlete and make you better as a man and a person too at the same time

Channel: The Universe Galaxy

Views: 571,722

Rating: 4.8270826 out of 5

Keywords: Magic Johnson, NBA, Larry Bird

Id: dLDr_2nw3RE

Length: 3min 54sec (234 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 09 2019