“Magic wouldn’t let it go, and Bird looked at him and said ‘Man, our time is over and done with’” - Michael Jordan reveals his ‘best player’ debates with Magic Johnson during the 1992 Olympics

The 1992 Barcelona Olympics forced fierce rivals Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson to set aside their NBA battles to win the gold for Team USA.

Conceding and giving way to someone or something was not an easy thing to do for the Dream Team’s three alpha dogs. However, they managed to impressively save their personal battles for another day and romp their way to the most dominant display in basketball history.

Despite a show of solidarity and genuine camaraderie, the competitiveness between Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird continued to shine throughout their stay in Spain. In one of their many late-night get-togethers, it was inevitable that the talk of who’s the best in the NBA would come up.

In Jackie MacMullan’s Icons Club, she features an interview with “His Airness” about what happened behind closed doors in one of those lively exchanges:

“We started talking about how we won back-to-back in the 90s. Magic wouldn’t let go. He got five championships, ‘Me and Bird, we were the 80s and blah blah blah.’ And then Pip [Pippen] was there to co-sign with me that these are the 90s, these are the new kids on the block."

"And Magic wouldn’t let it go, and Bird looked at him and said, ‘Man, our time is over and done with. We gotta step aside and let them take over. And it took a while for Magic to let that go.”

When the ‘92 Olympics started, Michael Jordan was already a two-time NBA champion. He beat Magic Johnson in the 1991 finals before dominating Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers in 1992. “His Airness” was already carving a path for himself that would separate him from the rest of the members of the Dream Team.

1992 marked one of the biggest changes in the history of the NBA. This was the year that Magic Johnson announced his retirement due to HIV. Larry Bird, a few days after the Barcelona Olympics, will also announce his retirement. In one year, two of the biggest names that carried the league in the 80s were gone.

As much as the “Magic Man” would argue, he and “Larry Legend” could no longer stop the inevitable. The 90s was Michael Jordan’s to rule. MJ would build a dynasty in that decade, winning six out of six championships. If not for a brief dalliance with baseball, the tally could have arguably been more.

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Michael Jordan already took the torch from Magic Johnson and Larry Bird before the Barcelona Olympics

Michael Jordan was the unquestioned face of the NBA after 1992. [Photo: MARCA]

Despite Magic Johnson’s vehement disagreement about who was the best in the NBA in the early 90s, it was already clear who was the top dog. Even Larry Bird had already conceded and asked Magic to do the same.

Chris Mullin, one of the deadliest shooters in the NBA, had a front-row ticket to all that heated banter. When interviewed by Jackie MacMullan about his thoughts on these back-and-forth tussles, here’s what Mullin had to say:

“But God bless Magic for hanging on, though. There was a respect factor with Magic as well like he was not just gonna hand it over to Michael. But it was clear as day, at that point in time, who the best player in the world was and it was not even close.”

Mullin’s words would echo the thoughts of all members of the Dream Team and the rest of the basketball world in Michael Jordan’s prime.