"And I’m choked up because he did call me" - Magic Johnson describes his emotions after Larry Bird reached out to him following HIV diagnosis

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are forever linked both in basketball and in their respective careers after they hung up their jerseys. Ever since Johnson’s Michigan State Spartans defeated Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores in the 1979 NCAA Finals, there has been no escaping their destiny as eternal rivals.

The Magic Johnson and Larry Bird rivalry fueled the NBA’s boom in the 1980s. It resurrected the league from its very potential demise to unprecedented heights of popularity. At the core of what catapulted the NBA to mainstream consciousness were the heated battles of Magic’s LA Lakers and Bird’s Boston Celtics. Their rivalry blossomed into an unbelievable friendship that was forged by adversity that shook the sports world.

Jackie McMullan, in The Ringer’s Icons Club, recalled the time Johnson received an unexpected call from his longtime basketball nemesis:

“Called me. We were talking, it’s just, ‘How you doin? Heard about it.’ You can almost hear both of us with some tears in our eyes. And I’m choked up because he did call me. When something happens to you and then you find out who really your friends are and people who really care about you.”

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The Lakers’ five-time champion announced on November 7, 1991, in an emotional conference that he was retiring from basketball due to HIV. Prior to the shocking news, Johnson’s career was seemingly still going stronger, having just won back-to-back championships in the 1987 and 1988 seasons. He also led the Tinseltown squad to yet another finals appearance but lost to the Bad Boys Pistons.

In the summer of 1991, Magic Johnson was still very impressive, giving Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls all kinds of problems. He showed no signs of slowing down, which is why the news stunned the NBA, particularly his rival Larry Bird.

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The heated competitors found out for themselves just how deep and strong their friendship had become when the devastating news came. For Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, their careers were winding down, but the friendship they built has never waned to this day.

Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan formed the backbone of arguably the greatest basketball team ever assembled

The iconic trio spearheaded the Dream Team's annihilation of the opposition in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. [Photo: Fadeaway World]

Magic Johnson’s retirement from the NBA did not stop him from joining forces with Larry Bird, who was suffering from debilitating back issues, and Michael Jordan. The three legendary players were at the heart of the most dominant team to ever walk on a basketball court.

By this time, Michael Jordan was already taking a stranglehold on the NBA’s basketball hierarchy. He just beat Johnson to claim his first title and would go on to win two more for a three-peat. However, at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the battle-scarred veterans proved to be as revered by their fellow Dream Teamers as they were by opponents and fans.

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Since the Dream Team, no team in basketball history has ever completely dominated and ruled a tournament as they did. It was the last time Magic Johnson and Larry Bird competed against or played as teammates.

A few days after the Olympics ended, Bird announced his retirement while Johnson would return in 1996. Johnson would lead the LA Lakers into the postseason where they lost to the Houston Rockets.