The Magic-Bird Revival
A rookie duel, a decade-long rivalry, and the broadcasts that turned the NBA into prime-time television.
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird entered the NBA together in 1979, having already faced off in an iconic NCAA title game months earlier. Johnson's pass-first brilliance with the Lakers and Bird's all-around scoring with the Celtics gave two of the league's flagship franchises complementary new identities.
Through the 1980s, the Lakers and Celtics met in the NBA Finals three times, and the Johnson-versus-Bird storyline became the axis the entire league's media coverage turned on. Their rivalry, along with a broadcasting push that finally moved NBA Finals games to live prime-time slots, is widely credited with rescuing a league that had struggled with TV ratings and attendance in the late 1970s.
By the time both stars neared retirement in the early 1990s, the NBA had become a marquee national television property, setting the stage for the global stardom of the next generation.
Landmark moments in this era
Magic Johnson's Rookie Finals Heroics
As a 20-year-old rookie, Magic Johnson started at center in a title-clinching Finals game and won MVP.
Magic vs. Bird Revives the League
Three Finals meetings between the Lakers and Celtics turned a personal rivalry into a national television draw.