The legendary rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson is one of the most iconic stories in basketball history. It began during their college years and intensified during their time in the NBA as they led two of the league’s most successful franchises — Bird with the Boston Celtics and Magic with the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite eventually becoming friends and even teammates on the historic 1992 Olympic “Dream Team,” there have been instances where Magic Johnson chose not to revisit their rivalry in public projects.
This particular revelation didn’t come from Magic himself but was shared by Bill Simmons, a well-known Celtics fan and executive producer of the HBO documentary series Celtics City. This nine-part series delves into the Celtics’ rich legacy, chronicling their challenges, victories, and deep ties with the city of Boston and the broader American cultural landscape. Larry Bird, a central figure in the franchise’s history, features prominently in the documentary.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Simmons discussed the difficulty of securing interviews with non-Celtics players for the documentary. According to him, many players from rival teams now shy away from participating in sports documentaries, as they are reluctant to be portrayed as antagonists.
Simmons specifically noted that Magic Johnson declined to participate, even though he’s usually very open to interviews and appearances. “Magic would do anything, and he was like, ‘No, I can’t do it,’” Simmons recounted. Along with Johnson, Charles Barkley and Isiah Thomas also opted out of the project, leaving the documentary largely focused on Celtics players.
There may be deeper reasons behind these refusals. In particular, Isiah Thomas has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with how he was portrayed in past documentaries, such as The Last Dance. This past experience might have influenced his decision to not participate in Celtics City.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Magic Johnson has reportedly backed out of a joint project involving Larry Bird. During the height of their careers, both players were associated with Converse, a major shoe brand at the time. Converse once pitched a creative commercial idea featuring Johnson, Bird, and former Knicks star Larry Johnson. The concept involved the three of them playing doctors working together to create the ideal basketball player — with humorous banter over naming the player “Larry” or “Johnson.”
However, despite the excitement around the project, it never came to fruition in its original form. According to Larry Johnson, when he later asked what happened to the commercial, he was told that one of the stars didn’t want to proceed. While Johnson didn’t explicitly name who turned it down, he hinted that it wasn’t Bird, suggesting Magic might have been the one to walk away.
Ultimately, Johnson still got paid for the commercial despite the changes, but the incident added to the pattern of Magic seemingly distancing himself from projects that highlight his rivalry with Bird — especially those from the Celtics’ point of view.
This has sparked debate about whether Magic Johnson is deliberately avoiding portrayals where he might come off as the “villain” or if there are other personal or professional reasons behind his decisions.