Larry Bird doesn’t need an introduction. The legendary player who led the Celtics to three championship titles was one of the strongest opponents Magic Johnson faced in his career. And along with it goes the infamous tale of their rivalry. But how much do you know about the legendary woman who turned these two rivals into friends? The kind mother who didn’t hesitate to sacrifice for her kids. Bird’s mother, Georgia Bird, was an inspiration for him that he carried throughout his life.

It’s awe-inspiring how, despite several struggles, Bird’s mother always cared for her children first. In 1988, an article by CNN’s Frank Deford on the NBA legend shed some light on his mother’s life and sacrifices for her kids. She had two jobs. The former NBA player recalled how his mother mostly worked as a waitress.

Who is Larry Bird’s mother?

His mother Georgia worked for a hundred hours a week to earn $100, and then she had to buy dinner worth $120. “I remember, she worked a hundred hours a week and made a hundred dollars, and then went to the store and had to buy $120 worth of food. If there was a payment to the bank due, and we needed shoes, she’d get the shoes, and then deal with them guys at the bank. I don’t mean she wouldn’t pay the bank, but the children always came first,” the basketball legend shared.

The retired NBA player recounted that his mother has never placed anything before the needs for her kids. That always came first. While they had good living conditions, maintaining a family of 8 was tough. Georgia was married to Claude Joseph “Joe” Bird, who was a veteran of both World War II and the Korean War.

Apart from Larry, she and her husband had four other sons and one daughter. The 3x NBA champ was always motivated whenever he watched his mother. Her journey was an inspiration to him. The values that Bird’s mother instilled in him remained with him. He has always been a humble and down-to-earth person.

“It motivates me to this day. I never once worried about college when I was in high school, and I never worried about the pros in college,” he says. “When it was the Celtics drafted me, I could’ve cared less,” the Celtics legend said. It was also Georgia Bird’s kind gesture that was the reason the two rivals became friends.

How did Georgia Bird end the famous rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird?

Magic Johnson’s rivalry began during their college years. This was when the Michigan State Spartans handed a tough defeat to the Indiana State Sycamores in the 1979 NCAA championship. This fierce competition between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics only further fanned the sparks, which continued for many years.

In a book by Jackie MacMullan called When the Game Was Ours, Johnson once explained his relationship and rivalry with Bird. “We’re so competitive anyway that there was a dislike there. I even hated him more because I knew he could beat me,” Johnson said.

His opponent, and now a great friend, shared the same sentiment. “We did it in a way where we caught the imagination of everyone in America. People wanted to see us play against one another,” Bird had said. It would have continued the same until the Celtics legend’s mother helped the two look at their connection in another way as well.

The chance came during a Converse commercial. It was the summer of 1986, and both players had arrived at Bird’s hometown in French Lick, Indiana. Johnson shared that Bird had invited him for lunch, and the reason he had to attend was because the invitation was from his mother, Georgia. “He said, ‘Magic, I’d like you to have lunch with me up at the house. My mom has prepared lunch. He threw the mom, you know, mom. You know I can’t say ‘No!’ So I go to the house and she’s bringing out all the dishes and she brought that last one and set it down,” Magic recalled.

It was during lunch that Johnson found out his rival’s mom was his fan. “She hit him [Bird] and said, ‘Did you tell him, yet?’ Larry said, ‘No, Mom, you tell him.’ She turned and said, ‘Magic, you’re my favorite basketball player. And I just said, ‘Oh, man!’” Johnson laughed as he said. He was touched by the warm welcome Georgia had planned. It had also changed the way he saw his rival. And while this was the beginning of their friendship, the rivalry between the two was always the same.