Former Los Angeles Lakers guard and five-time NBA champion Earvin “Magic” Johnson is universally recognized as the greatest point guard to ever play the game.
During his playing days Johnson and now good friend Larry Bird had the most heated rivalry the league has ever witnessed. The two NBA legends who are credited with saving the league when they arrived in 1979, continued an already fierce rivalry between the Lakers and Celtics.
That rivalry featured some knockdown, drag-out slugfests, and while both teams possessed the most respect for each other. That’s not the case in this era of AAU bonds leading to buddy-ball, which has even entered into the NBA. Guys just don’t hate one another anymore.
In fact they team up, hang out, do podcasts together and trade jerseys after games. That’s something Magic and Bird would’ve never done. During a recent appearance on FS1’s “Speak,” Johnson expounded on why rivalries are dead in the NBA.
Celtics Legend Paul Pierce Poses Question
As part of the interview the always outspoken and sometimes brash Pierce asked Johnson, “What happened to the rivalries in today’s game?”
Johnson reply was straight, no chaser.
“They don’t hate each other. I hated Larry and every Celtic,” Johnson said. “I really don’t like you, but you’re my little brother. Now I love you because you’re out of that green & white. That’s what it was. The Celtics and Lakers hated each other. It made for great TV and people tuned in.”
Magic pleaded with aging superstars LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry the three biggest names in the sport to lead the younger generation and show more vitriol and disdain towards one another on the court.
Being an old school player, that’s the kind of response you’d expect from Magic.
No Rivalries Has Hurt Viewership
Rivalries like the Magic-led Lakers versus the Bird-led Celtics kept ratings through the roof. But with that now a thing of the past viewership is extremely low. As of last Dec. 14 ratings are down 25 from last year on ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV.
Players constantly load-managing, an inflated amount of three-pointers taken, and the lack of defense hasn’t helped with the game’s appeal in any way.
But as Magic stated the lack of rivalries is where it begins, and the likelihood that they return are very slim.
