The Los Angeles Lakers legendary magic Johnson has arguably one of the best resumes in NBA history.
Johnson was used to winning even before he was drafted into the NBA as he led the Michigan Spartan to the NCAA Championship as a sophomore star.
Following that, the Magic helped the Los Angeles Lakers win the NBA Championship in their rookie year. But that was just the beginning of his incredible journey.
By the time Magic cut his sneakers, he was a three-time NBA Finals MVP, along with five-time champions, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and many other accolades.
But despite this sensational NBA career, Magic’s most important title wasn’t the league.
The magical Johnson Rally bird rivalry of the 1980s is still seen as one of the most iconic rivals in NBA history.
After all, it is believed that the two legends have revived the NBA. Following a decade-long game, Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan rode the baton to unprecedented heights.
Magic had a considerable portion of the fight with MJ and Bird, but he never shared the court with them. Well, that was until the 1992 dream team gathered for the Olympics.
In fact, the Magic got the opportunity to play the 1992 gold medal alongside Jordan and Bird, making it his favorite praise.
“Because of this, I think I finally got the opportunity to play the gold medal with Michael and Larry. On the bucket list, I’ve always just wanted to throw a pass to both of those guys.”
The Hall of Fame later explained what he loved about playing with MJ and Bird, saying:
“I came down and there was Larry on the corner. I looked at him really quickly and made him shoot that beautiful jump shot.
He concluded: “Then Larry talks about the garbage. I love it, he talks about the garbage… And Michael sticks out his tongue and comes down into the middle.
Prior to the 1992 Summer Olympics, only amateur athletes were allowed to represent Team USA in basketball.
However, following the overwhelming 1988 Olympics run when Team USA had to settle for a bronze medal, the NBA player choice was first introduced.
Well, as expected, the dream team was assembled with three snakes: Magic, Birds and MJ. The trio couldn’t be stopped together as Team USA went 8-0 to secure a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics.
Jordan averaged 14.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, while Magic donated 8.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.
Finally, Bird increased 8.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. The Dream Team also featured Charles Berkley, Carl Malone and many other stars.
But that goes without saying, the presence of court magic, MJ and birds had instilled fear in their enemies, even before the first whistle was blown away.
