Larry Bird, Julius Erving (Team Leader), Magic Johnson

Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. (August 14, 1959-) is one of four players to win the NCAA National Championship (1979) and the NBA Finals Championship (1980) in consecutive seasons. A Lansing sports writer dubbed the point guard “Magic”, perhaps a vision of what was to come. Magic was the Number 1 overall pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1979 NBA Draft. He immediately drove his team to the 1980 NBA Finals Championship and was selected for the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Beginning with the 1979 NCAA Tournament championship game, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird inspired a generation of basketball players with their tenacity, passion, showmanship, skill and unrelenting competitiveness throughout their respective Hall of Fame career. During a time when the NBA’s fan base was fading and they struggled for viewership, the two infused a coast-to-coast rivalry that captivated audiences and revived interest throughout the country. Magic’s amazing no-look and behind the back passes as well as his legendary head fakes made him the league’s premier showman.

He played 13 seasons entirely with the Los Angeles Lakers and led the league in assists three times. Alongside fellow Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic won four more NBA Finals championships (1982, 1985, 1987-1988). He was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player three times (1980, 1982, 1987) during those championship seasons and named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player three times (1980, 1989-1990). Magic was a 12-time NBA All-Star selection, winning the NBA All-Star Game MVP Award in 1990 and 1992. In 1992, Magic announced that he contracted the HIV virus announcing his immediate retirement on November 7, 1991. He was, nevertheless, elected to the NBA All-Star Game scoring 25 points adding 9 assists and 5 rebounds and capturing the MVP award. Despite his ailment, which he managed with medication, Johnson was added to the 1992 United States Olympic Basketball “Dream Team” that won the gold medal in the Barcelona Summer Games. He began to use his celebrity to heighten awareness for the disease. Johnson made a comeback attempt in the 1995-96 season, but retired for good after the Houston Rockets eliminated the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. Magic Johnson finished he playing career with 17,707 points, 6,559 total rebounds, 6,211 field goals, 10,141 assists and 1,724 steals. Magic was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. Magic tried his hand on the talk show circuit in 1998 but was cancelled within two months due to low ratings. He continues to advocate for HIV and AIDS, spreading awareness throughout the world.

Julius Winfield Erving II (February 22, 1950-) is one of the greatest players with his professional roots beginning in the American Basketball Association and certainly one of the greatest to play professional ball. His acrobatic dunks and aggressive style of play earned his four Most Valuable Player Awards – three ABA titles from 1974-1976 and one NBA title in 1981. Already named “Dr. J” or the “Doctor” in his high school days, a name he would carry throughout his career, Julius played college ball at the University of Massachusetts where he became one of five players to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds in an NCAA basketball career. He signed as a free agent with the Virginia Squires (1971-1973) before he being traded to the New York Nets (1973-1976) where he won two ABA championships (1974, 1976) and was named ABA Playoffs MVP during those championship years. Dr. J led the ABA three times in field goals and field goals attempts as well as twice in points scored. As the ABA and NBA merged in 1976-77, the Nets were forced to trade Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers (1976-1987).

As the newest member of the 76ers, Erving made them an instant contender and began a string of eleven consecutive NBA All-Star selection, having appeared in all five of his possible ABA All-Star Games, and was named NBA All-Star Game MVP in 1977 and 1983. During his 16-year career, he was elected to five All-NBA First Teams, four All-ABA First Teams, the 1972 All-Rookie First Team and the 1976 All-ABA Defensive First Team. In the early 1980s, Philadelphia began to build around the highly skilled Erving and put together a team that would capture the 1983 NBA Championship over the Los Angeles Lakers. Dr. J’s dunks were legendary and spectacular to behold, from his leaping slams from the free throw line to his fast break tomahawk dunks. No matter which city the Doctor played, outside of his home Philadelphia, fans came to see his extraordinary ability and showmanship in droves. When Dr. J announced his retirement following the 1986-87 season, fans packed stadiums and arenas around the league to catch a final glimpse of the dynamic superstar. Julius Erving was inducted in to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. Dr. J was named to the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History list in 1996. In retirement, Erving has embarked on numerous successful business ventures including owning a Coca-Cola bottling plant and a NASCAR team.

Larry Joe Bird (December 7, 1956-) is one of two players in NBA history to capture the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award in three consecutive seasons (1984-1986), and honor he shares with fellow Celtic and Hall of Famer Bill Russell. Larry’s skill and dominance was recognized early on as a college player at Indiana Sate University when he, in his senior season, guided the Sycamores to the first NCAA Championship Game in their history in 1979. In 1979, Larry won the John R. Wooden Award, the Naismith College Player of the Year Award, AP National Player of the Year Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy and the Adolph Rupp Trophy. Though drafted by Boston, as the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft, Bird opted to play his final season at ISU, meeting Michigan State, which featured Ervin “Magic” Johnson, in the NCAA Final Game beginning one of the greatest rivalries in basketball history. Bird’s decision to play his final year of eligibility at Indiana State prompted the drafting of the “Bird Collegiate Rule,” preventing teams from drafting players prior to them announcing their eligibility for the draft. The additions of Bird and Magic returned the NBA to its prominence of the 1950s and ‘60s, increasing the box office returns as well as boosting the television viewership exponentially. As a rookie in 1979, Bird took the NBA Rookie of the Year Award despite Johnson’s highly successful season with the NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers. During the 1980s, Bird’s Celtics or Johnson’s Lakers appeared in every NBA Finals series, facing each other on three occasions. The 12-time All-Star won three NBA Championships (1981, 1984, 1986), was NBA Finals MVP twice (1984, 1986) and was a nine-time All-NBA First Team player. Twice in his career he led the league in 3-pointers, once in 3-point attempts and four times in field goal percentage. During his NBA Finals MVP seasons of 1984 and 1986, Bird led the playoff in ten major categories for each season.

In 1992, the United States assembled possibly the greatest team to ever walk onto a basketball court when, for the first time, they opened the Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, to professional athletes. The “Dream Team” had 11 future Hall of Famers on the roster who were so overpowering, they averaged over a 43-point differential in their wins, easily taking the gold medal. An ailing back took its toll on Bird in the waning years of his career, eventually forcing him to retire from playing in 1992 immediately following the Olympics. Bird ended his career with 21,791 points, 8,974 total rebounds, 5,695 assists, 649 3-pointers and 1,556 steals. Larry Bird was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. In 1997, Larry accepted the head coaching position for the Indiana Pacers, committing to only three seasons, and turned the Pacers into contenders leading them to their best record in franchise history (58-24) despite having no coaching experience. He was voted the NBA Coach of the Year in 1998, becoming the first person in NBA history to have won the league’s MVP Award and Coach of the Year Awards. In 2003, Bird became President of Basketball Operations for the Pacers, overseeing all basketball matters.