And he burned with an inextinguishable desire to win. Young, indomitable, he was a pied piper in purple and gold. Showtime, a magnetic personality with all the right moves. In Celtic green was Larry Bird, the hick from French Lick, with laser-beam focus, relentless determination, and a deadly jump shot, a player who demanded excellence from everyone and whose caustic wit left opponents quaking in their high-tops. Their uncommonly competitive relationship came to symbolize the most compelling rivalry in the NBA. ‘Not until I met Magic,’ Bird said.The New York Times bestseller from Hall of Fame basketball legends Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson.įrom the moment these two players took the court on opposing sides, they engaged in a fierce physical and psychological battle. As he advanced from high school to the college game, he wasn’t sure that “other person” truly existed. Bird was told the same thing by coach Jim Jones. One of the best quotes from the book, summarizes what I am referring to about why this book is a must read for those who want to know what it takes to be successul: “ worked tirelessly on his ball-handling and his rebounding with the advice Fox gave him imprinted on his mind: when you think you have done enough, do a little more, because someone out there is working harder than you. Not the case with most and especially Bird and Magic. We often think these great stars are born great. This is a compelling story of what it takes to win. It does help if you have a slight interest in basketball, but it may not be necessary. This is a must read for people who want to be successful. This book tells about each of their lives, how hard they worked and practiced and how they became friends. Then because of a television commercial they became friends. They each practiced hard, motivated to beat the other.

They did not like each other at first, yet there was respect. They out-worked and out-competed their competition. They were great because of their work ethic and their deep desire to be great. They were considered slow, with poor jumping ability. The one thing that they had in common is that neither was a great athlete. One was white and one was black one from a city and one from the country one was quiet and shy and one outgoing and loved being around people. They then competed against each other in the NBA and in three NBA finals. They first competed against each other in the NCAA basketball championship, which has the highest ratings of viewers of any game in history.

They are linked like Muhammad Ali versus Joe Frazier and Wilt Chamberlain versus Bill Russell.

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson will always be linked as two competitors. One of the best books written by sports greats is When the Game was Ours by Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson, with Jackie MacMullan.

Larry bird when the game was ours