In the renowned 1984 fight with Larry Bird, Julius Erving said, “My hands went up, and his hands went up.” Before I knew it, we were holding one other’s necks.”

In the renowned 1984 fight with Larry Bird, Julius Erving said, “My hands went up, and his hands went up.” Before I knew it, we were holding one other’s necks.”

It’s easy to forget about the professional rivalry between Julius Erving and Larry Bird. While Erving was reaching the end of his career and Bird was just beginning, there are far more interesting narratives from this hoops age.

The 1984 season began with a meeting between Bird’s Celtics and Erving’s 76ers, both of whom came into the game unbeaten. A fistfight between Erving and Bird that resulted in both players being ejected overshadowed this fight. They talked about this moment afterwards.

29:45 Larry and I were both complaining to the referees, said Dr. J. He got in my face the next time we were on the court.”

Larry Bird: “My score was 38 to six.” I would sum it up like this. I won’t go into the specifics, but I wasn’t pleased with how things were going.”

Dr J: “I thought he was going to strike me.” Thus, both of our hands raised, and the next thing I knew, we were holding each other’s necks.”

In reality, Bird was ahead 42 to 6, not 38. In just the first half hour of the game, Larry Legend scored 42 points and pulled down 7 rebounds, while Erving was still at 6 points. Their enjoyment came to an end when both players were sent off the court; they had previously been close friends off the court.

The Greatest Encounters Between Past Generations
Despite being a team sport, basketball frequently boils down to personal rivalries between elite players from different teams. Rivals like the one between Devin Booker and Luka Doncic or James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo are common in today’s game. There were also notable fights in the 1980s and 1990s.

Bird against Magic Given that it prevented the league’s financial collapse in the early 1980s, the Johnson rivalry has to rank among the most legendary in sports history. The Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons, led by Isiah Thomas, developed a fierce rivalry in the late 1980s. After that, Jordan defeated them to win his first championship, solidifying the NBA as his own league that he isn’t forced to play in alongside a rival.