As a true competitor, Larry Bird didn't come to the NBA to make friends. Right from the start, Larry Legend was all about business, but as his popularity surged, the Boston Celtics superstar found himself letting his tough guard down a little bit, by doing some off-court stuff too, such as TV commercials.
In late 1985, Converse filmed a TV commercial featuring Bird and his Los Angeles Lakers counterpart, Magic Johnson . The filming took place in Larry's hometown in French Lick, Indiana.
Bird knew at that point that he and Earvin would have to spend some time together during the filming. He admittedly let his guard down a little bit and bonded with Johnson. It resulted in a friendship that Larry Legend never expected.
"We had a great day," Bird wrote in his 1999 book, " Bird Watching: On Playing and Coaching the Game I Love ." "We went out riding on my four-wheelers, we drove around in my truck. For the first time, I saw him in a different way — a young guy from the Midwest who loves his family."
Apart from having fun as he toured Magic around the town, "The Hick from French Lick" also invited his NBA nemesis to lunch at his house. It was actually Larry's mom who wanted to see Johnson in person.
As it turned out, Magic was Mama Bird's favorite NBA player , even though the Lakers superstar was his son's fiercest rival. Years have passed, but Johnson still has a vivid recollection of that memorable day he had inside Bird's house.
"Converse wanted to do a commercial with both of us. Okay, I flew out to French Lick, Indiana right, so we shot about half the commercial, a little bit more and it's lunchtime so I'm thinking, I'm going to my trailer; As I'm taking about three steps toward the trailer, he said, 'Magic, I'd like you to have lunch with me up at the house. My mom has prepared lunch," Johnson recalled on Club Shay Shay a few months ago.
"So I go to the house and she's bringing out all the dishes and she brought that last one and set it down," he continued. "She hit him [Bird] and said, 'Did you tell him yet?' Larry said, 'No, Mom, you tell him.' She turned and said, 'Magic, you're my favorite basketball player.' [Laughs] And I just said, 'Thank you, Mama Bird!'"
Bird and Johnson first dueled on the court in the 1979 NCAA championship match. They picked up where they left off in the NBA and faced each other a total of 37 times throughout their careers.
They met in the Finals three times and their rivalry was nothing short of historic, with Larry being triumphant once and Magic winning it three times.
In retrospect, it's quite interesting to realize that the Bird vs. Magic rivalry went on for years, but it only took a short yet meaningful time in French Lick for the two NBA superstars to form a friendship.
To this day, Larry and Earvin are still friends.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
