LARRY BIRD AND MAGIC JOHNSON WILL GET A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

LARRY BIRD AND MAGIC JOHNSON WILL GET A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.

Two of the greatest basketball players of all time and archrivals from several finals who propelled the NBA to another level of popularity and organization within Show Business during the 80’s, will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The announcement was made official by the NBA together with Turner Sports, announcing that both will receive the recognition on June 24 during the NBA Awards ceremony.

Both players are members of the NBA Hall of Fame and USA Gold medalists at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, BIrd played for the Boston Celtics and Magic for the Los Angeles Lakers.

This tribute is intended to commemorate the forty years since they first faced each other in the 1979 NCAA Championship Game, the first of many finals they would go on to participate in during their careers. Johnson played for Michigan in that 1979 championship game against Larry Bird’s Indiana state squad. Michigan would go on to win the championship. Thus far, this has been the most watched college basketball game on television in the history of the United States.

The history of this rivalry would start to take shape in the 1980s when Johnson joined the Lakers and Bird joined the Celtics. Johnson won five finals during this time, while Larry Bird and his Celtics only managed three. Although they were competitors in the league, a great friendship developed between them early in their careers that they both used to their advantage to invent and fund a variety of NBA-related initiatives, making the basketball game one of the most watched in the world.

They had remarkably comparable careers, winning three MVPs and being inducted into the Hall of Fame twice—once as part of the Dream Team that took home the gold at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and once as individuals.

In addition to serving as the Indiana Pacers’ president and coach, Larry Bird is the only person in NBA history to have won MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year titles.

Although he didn’t accomplish much, Magic Johnson was the Lakers’ president and coach as well.

After playing a variety of active roles in the NBA, they are now waiting for the approaching June 24 to earn a new honor in their incredible careers.