“He Comes In With His Cigar, Got His Drink”: Magic Johnson Reveals Michael Jordan’s Intimidating Words in Front of Larry Bird Embarking NBA’s New Era

Several storylines were attached to the iconic Dream Team. Before 1992, no NBA stars were permitted to take part in the Olympics. However, when that rule changed, a complete superteam would be put together. Fresh off a championship, Michael Jordan signed up for his second experience on the world stage. Along with him came other NBA legends such as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, and more. Surprisingly, it was during their time together that the NBA would officially enter the realm of His Airness.

Magic Johnson had done the impossible after he returned to the All-Star game the previous season. Despite contracting the HIV, the five-time champion won the All-Star game MVP honors. Unsurprisingly, both he and Bird joined MJ on the Dream Team. On paper, they were a team of Hall of Famers. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Johnson even said no team would ever beat the 1992 side. However, the task for Chuck Daly would be to get this team in sync.

They might have been legends, but each of the nine players were stars, more importantly, rivals. The competitive fire lit up every scrimmage. Johnson wasn’t ready to give up the title of the best player to Jordan. However, His Airness made both Bird and Johnson submit to his greatness after a gym-shutting dunk.

Magic Johnson remembers when Michael Jordan became the sheriff

On the All The Smoke podcast, Magic spoke about his Dream Team experience. The Los Angeles Lakers legend opens up about the intense scrimmages. The 63-year-old remembered one practice in particular. Jordan proposed an East vs West matchup. After a constant back and forth, Johnson and the West went on a run. Generally holding back the trash talk, Johnson decided to let loose on His Airness. He threatened to blow him out, a huge mistake on his part. This woke up the Michael Jordan every NBA side had come to fear.

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Magic Johnson said in the next few possessions, the six-time Finals MVP came in and hit four threes. However, the three-time MVP had to get up to show what happened next. In total shock, Magic said Michael Jordan challenged David Robinson in the air. But it was more of a staredown. He flat-out beat him just by staying in the air and went on to score with a 360 dunk.

The practice left Johnson in shock. After practice, he and Bird sat together. That’s when Jordan came over. Narrating the moment Magic said, “He came in with his cigar, got his drink. ‘I just want y’all to know, there’s a new sheriff in town’. He said it’s my league now.  He said MJ you had your turn, Larry Bird you had your turn. Now it’s my league.”

His Airness took the torch away from Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. In the following years, Michael Jordan added another five championships to his shelf. Moreover, he cemented himself as one of the greatest, if not the greatest player of all time. He created a culture with his Jordan sneakers that continues to prosper even to this day.

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A legacy that will arguably never be touched again, Michael Jordan truly took over the NBA after getting a taste of his first championship.