After facing off against one another in perhaps the biggest NCAA Title game ever, the pair added another chapter to their rivalry in the NBA
On May 29, 1980, Larry Bird was named NBA Rookie of the Year, winning the honor over his biggest rival, Magic Johnson. It was an early chapter in the duo’s story — one that helped define the National Basketball Association for the decade.
The two players had squared off the year before in what has been dubbed ‘the biggest NCCA Championship Ever’. Johnson’s Michigan State Spartans defeated Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores, but it was more the impact of that showdown that mattered the most in terms of history and pop culture.
Bird and Magic also helped usher in the modern era of the NBA, where they would meet in the Finals three times during the 1980s. The Lakers won two of those series (1985 and 1987), and the Celtics won the other (1984).
In total, Johnson would win five NBA titles, while Bird captured three championship rings. Both competitors won the MVP Award on three occasions, and both are still mentioned as two of the greatest players of all time.
Needless to say, these two trailblazing superstars are both inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame. But this day in 1980 belonged to Larry Legend.
