One San Diego edition of the enduring debate about Larry Bird and Magic Johnson featured a kid who was five years old when he first encountered Bird.
He was seven when Bird came to his house to playfully infuriate him and his brothers by winning pickup games. He was a pre-teenager when he'd ask his mother if she could call Bird's house to ask him to sponsor a free-throw fundraiser. In his early 20s an encounter with Bird in Indiana left him beaming so brightly his veteran Lakers teammates teased, "Oh look, Luke's got a crush."
Thinking about that still makes Lakers coach Luke Walton smile.
Walton's nostalgia for Bird vs. Magic is personal, but a warm reminiscence of that epic rivalry is shared by millions. The two NBA legends seemed forever connected through college and professional basketball, but their story paused for more than 25 years.
Then a phone call two weeks ago sparked basketball imaginations and set off a wildfire of hopeful longing. They were talking, perhaps competing, again. Maybe just like it was on the court in Boston or Los Angeles or Salt Lake City. Was this Bird vs. Magic III?
By phone from Indiana last week, Bird laughed heartily at the suggestion.
"The competition is there," he admitted. "But it's not like it used to be."
