And he burned with an inextinguishable desire to win. Young, indomitable, he was a pied piper in purple and gold. Showtime, a magnetic personality with all the right moves. In Celtic green was Larry Bird, the hick from French Lick, with laser-beam focus, relentless determination, and a deadly jump shot, a player who demanded excellence from everyone and whose caustic wit left opponents quaking in their high-tops. Their uncommonly competitive relationship came to symbolize the most compelling rivalry in the NBA. The New York Times bestseller from Hall of Fame basketball legends Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson.įrom the moment these two players took the court on opposing sides, they engaged in a fierce physical and psychological battle. Through it all, the two players went from archrivals to friends and left the game together after achieving a gold medal at the Olympics. In a book full of amusing anecdotes and heartbreaking emotion, MacMullan looks at how their battle crossed racial lines, how Bird dealt with crushing injuries and his father's suicide and how Magic dealt with the fallout from his shocking announcement that he had contracted HIV. This book goes well beyond the fierce competition on the court.
From there, their rivalry took off, as Bird and Johnson combined to play for eight NBA champions during the 1980s and faced off three times in the final series. And both emerged as superstars at the same time, starting with their fabled battle in the 1979 NCAA Championship. Both started from humble beginnings in the Midwest, practicing their craft early each morning because of an insatiable work ethic.
Yet as MacMullan shows, the two legends were more alike than most ever knew. the gritty leader versus the flashy star. Bird and Johnson were a study in contrast.
Perhaps no book has examined the countless battles between Bird and Johnson like this one, which tells that nearly 15-year war mostly in their own words, with journalist MacMullan helping to craft the story.
It's been one of the most well-documented and popular rivalries in sports history.
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