I’m grateful, Mama Bird.” – Magic Johnson remembers being told to go to lunch by Larry Bird’s mother.

I’m grateful, Mama Bird.” – Magic Johnson remembers being told to go to lunch by Larry Bird’s mother.

The competition and friendship between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird was witnessed by basketball fans worldwide. Although the origins of the rivalry are well known to most, the story of how the NBA Hall of Famers’ enduring relationship came to be is less well known.

Magic claims that everything started when they were in French Lick, Indiana, Bird’s hometown, filming a Converse commercial. Johnson reported that Bird happily accepted his mother’s lunch invitation. Thus, from that moment on, everything between him and Larry Legend altered.

Converse requested to work with both of us on a commercial. Alright, so I took a plane to French Lick, Indiana, and we shot almost half of the commercial, maybe even more. Since it’s lunchtime, I’m thinking, I should head to my trailer. ‘Magic, I’d want you to eat lunch with me up at the house,’ he said as I was walking toward the trailer, about three steps away. Johnson said, “My mom made lunch,” on Club Shay Shay a few months ago.

“I went to the house and saw that she had brought out all the dishes, including the last one, which she had set down,” he said. “‘Did you tell him yet?’ she asked as she struck Bird. Larry said, ‘No, Mom, you tell him.’ ‘Magic, you’re my favorite basketball player,’ she remarked, turning around. [Giggles] I simply said, “Mama Bird, thank you.”

Bird and Magic shared a lot in common.
During that little meal at Mama Bird’s, Johnson came to the realization that although he and Larry were playing for opposing teams and were therefore fierce rivals, they actually had a lot in common.

After that, we got to speak, and it turns out that we have a lot in common, Johnson continued. “We’re both from the Midwest, we love the game, we love to win, you know that’s when our friendship evolved, and we’ve been friends ever since.”

Larry had the same sentiments.
Not surprisingly, Bird thought the same thing. Throughout the majority of his remarkable career, he engaged in fighting with Magic; but, when it came down to it, they had similarities.

“We both enjoyed passing the ball,” Bird reminisced. “We enjoyed attempting to improve other men. And after that, there was no denying that we had won. Not that there weren’t any previous winners. However, I believe that the way we approached and played the game had a significant influence on how the league watched the game.”