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LA Lakers legend Magic Johnson and Boston Celtics great Larry Bird are known as two of the greatest players the NBA has ever seen.
Throughout their careers, Magic and Bird dazzled fans with their impressive play on a nightly basis. However, the impact that both superstars have had on the NBA goes deeper than many might realize.
At a time when the NBA was struggling to generate buzz in the world of sports, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird took the league to levels it never dreamed possible.
After competing with each other in the NCAA for the national championship, Bird and Magic went on to become historic rivals in the NBA. It was a marketing dream and something that immediately helped the league take off in popularity.
Speaking recently on an episode of "The Pivot Podcast," Charles Barkley praised Bird and Magic, saying they are the two most important figures in NBA history.
He went into detail about how Bird and Magic made the league so popular by creating one of the greatest rivalries in NBA history:
"Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are the two most important figures in NBA history. They saved the NBA ... because people act like now guys are making 34 to 50 million dollars. When I got to the NBA, the average salary was 200 to 250K. And then Magic and Bird came and they had the greatest rivalry in NBA history.
"They had racial undertones but the thing I admire about them too, them brothers just basketball junkies, Magic and Bird. So when they came to the NBA, stuff started to take off and then Michael came in and took it to a whole 'nother level ... So I thank those guys for making sure I never have to have a job."
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson pave the way for the NBA
It's hard not to look at NBA legends such as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and realize the overall impact they had on the NBA.
The league previously struggled to generate any popularity with the public, as there wasn't any excitement surrounding it. That was until the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and LA Lakers was born in the 1980s. Right in the middle of the rivalry were two of the greatest players the sport had ever seen.
Johnson and Bird would go on to combine for eight NBA championships and six NBA MVP awards.
What was even more impressive was the number of times the two players featured in the NBA Finals. The pair made a combined 13 NBA Finals appearances during the 80s. They faced off against each other on three of those occasions (1984, 1985, and 1987).
