"When Magic coached, he thought he was the best player on his team" - Larry Bird on the difference between him and Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird 's names had been linked since the 1979 NCAA Championship Game, with fans often drawing parallels between the two during their NBA title runs in the '80s. However, when the Boston Celtics legend accepted his first coaching job in the NBA in 1997, he didn't hesitate to list the 'obvious difference' between him and the Los Angeles Lakers icon.

Bird on the difference between him and Magic

Transitioning from player to coach, Larry likely hoped to escape the comparisons to Magic. However, they resurfaced when Johnson embarked on his coaching journey during the 1993-94 season.

Despite a promising start to his coaching stint, with the Lakers winning five of their first six games under Magic's guidance, the team spiraled into a 10-game losing streak. This downturn prompted Johnson to step away from his new role.

"I take losses too hard," he told the New York Times . "I hurt and I take it home with me. I don't want my stomach turning every night. I'd rather go home and enjoy it as I did before this job."

On the other hand, Larry had a successful start to his coaching run. He led the Indiana Pacers—a team that had missed the postseason altogether a year before—to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1998 and secured the Coach of the Year award that year. With accomplishments like these, Bird grew certain in his belief that there was a clear difference between his and Magic's method of running things.

"The differences between Magic and me are obvious," Bird said . "When Magic coached, he thought he was the best player on his team. Magic wanted to play. He still does. Magic is also a spur-of-the-moment guy. Something looks good one day, and the next day he's saying, 'What the hell did I get myself into?' I know exactly what I'm getting into."

Bird was a successful coach

While some could argue that Magic achieved greater success than Bird throughout his NBA career, pointing to his five championships as a player, it's undeniable that Larry excelled in every role he undertook in the NBA realm.

Apart from posing a 147-67 record in his three-year coaching stint, he is still the only guy in NBA history to have won ROY, All-Star MVP, regular-season MVP, Finals MVP, Coach of the Year, as well as Executive of the Year.

It's safe to say that even staunch Magic supporters may struggle to deny that Bird has a better overall legacy. That said, Larry himself admitted Johnson was the better player , even though the legendary point guard would say the same thing about his friend.

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