Did Magic Johnson Deserve to Win the Rookie of the Year Award Over Rival Larry Bird?

Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird. The Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Boston Celtics. The charismatic star vs. the brutal trash-talking star. Sports rivalries don’t get bigger than this. In an era where most NBA stars have a friendly relationship with their opponents, the rivalries of the past have become a distant memory. Magic’s rivalry with Bird was one of the most intense and popular in the league. Over the course of his career, Johnson has won almost everything with the Lakers. However, despite being the #1 pick, Magic lost the Rookie of the Year award to Bird. This will forever be a huge miss on his list of achievements. But did Johnson deserve to win it over Bird?

The origins of the rivalry

The rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird had a huge impact on the world of basketball in the United States. The rivalry started during the stars’ time in college. Johnson played for his home team Michigan State University. Similarly, Bird represented his home state and suited up for Indiana State University. Both stars strengthened their teams immensely. Notably, Johnson led his team to the NCAA tournament in 1978 but lost in the Final Eight against eventual champions Kentucky.

In the next season, Magic and the Spartans once again entered the tournament, and this time, reached the championship game. They faced Bird’s Sycamores who were undefeated all year. The Hall of Famer led his team to the NCAA tournament for the first time in their history and advanced to the Finals. Since Bird and Johnson were two of the best college stars in the country, there was a huge anticipation for the ultimate battle. Notably, the game is still the most highly-rated televised NCAA basketball game ever as per Statista. The championship game and their rivalry sparked a major interest among viewers for the NCAA tournament.

In the epic battle, Magic came out victorious with a scoreline of 75-64 and helped Michigan clinch the national title. While he 24 points, Bird scored 19 in the losing effort. It was his lowest point tally in the whole tournament. Despite losing the title, Bird was crowned the National College Player of the Year. This only added fuel to their burning rivalry.

Larry Bird’s impressive rookie season

After his second year at Indiana State, Larry Bird declared for the NBA draft in 1978. The Celtics selected him as the 6th overall pick. However, the young star opted to return to school for another year. Notably, there was a loophole at the time which allowed players to enter the draft after three years in college and they could opt to return if they wanted to as well. Also, a player could decide to enter the draft pool again and not sign with the team that picked him in the previous year’s draft.

So there was a huge risk involving picking Bird. If he wanted, he could have decided to not sign with the Celtics and enter the draft pool again in 1979. So it was a huge gamble by Boston. However, the management took that risk because they wanted a star who could change the fate of the franchise after multiple poor finishes. So they were willing to gamble to get their man.

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After disappointment in the NCAA championship game in 1979, Larry Legend returned to the Celtics. He hit the ground running and instantly made a difference for the C’s. In his rookie year, he helped Boston finish the regular season 61-21, a huge improvement from the previous year’s 29-53 record.

Rookie Magic Johnson led the Lakers to the Finals

Magic Johnson declared for the NBA after winning the national championship against Larry Bird. There was a major hype around Magic and everyone expected him to be the #1 pick. And as expected, the Lakers selected him as the first pick. The Lakers were already a good team and had the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. However, after finishing the season with a subpar 47-35 record, they were beaten in the Conference Semi-Finals by the Seattle SuperSonics in the previous year.

Along with the arrival of Magic, the team went through other important changes as well. Notably, Jerry West stepped down from his head coach role, and Jack McKinney and later Paul Westhead took over. Playing alongside superstars, Johnson did not need much time to settle into the league. He immediately started to run the offense for the Purple & Gold with his incredible vision and pinpoint passing.

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The rookie improved the team massively and helped them to a much improved 60-22 record. Furthermore, he continued his brilliant run in the playoffs as well and the Lakers reached the Finals.

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird’s first-year numbers

In his rookie year, Larry Bird averaged 21.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. He instantly became the most important player on the team and led the Celtics in points, rebounds, and steals that year as per Basketball Reference. After helping the team to a huge 32-game turnaround in the regular season, Bird led them to the playoffs for the first time in three years. In the Conference Semi-Finals, he helped the Celtics sweep the Rockets.

As the Celtics and the Lakers entered their respective Conference Finals, many expected to witness a Bird vs. Magic Johnson showdown again at the ultimate stage. However, the Celtics were eliminated by the Philadelphia 76ers. For his impressive season, Bird was crowned the ROY. However, many felt Magic deserved to win the award. The Lakers star was furious about the result as well and still is.

Magic averaged 18 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 2.4 steals per game in his first year. Even though Bird averaged more points and rebounds than him, Johnson was not far behind. Furthermore, similar to Bird, Magic also led his team to a better record. However, he was not yet the best player on the team. Magic’s points average was third best on the Lakers behind Abdul-Jabbar and Jamaal Wilkes.

The shocking verdict

Given the slim advantage in numbers and his overall contribution to his team, Larry Bird slightly edges his rival for the ROY award arguably. However, there were two things that made many question the verdict. First, the age. While Magic Johnson was just 20, Bird was 23. Many believed Larry did not qualify as a rookie because of his age and because he was drafted the previous year. Second, the manner in which Johnson lost the award raised some eyebrows as well. In the voting for the award, while Bird received 60 votes, Johnson only received 2. This came as a massive shock to many.

Notably, Magic is still not happy with it as well. During his recent appearance on the Club Shay Shay podcast, he reiterated his shock. He said, “It was 60 to 2. I hate to say that too, but I gotta say that on TV. I was so pissed, man, I was so mad. 2 votes, but I became the first Rookie in NBA history to be named Finals MVP.?I was only the third dude ever in NBA history to go from the college championship to the NBA Finals championship, and I get like 2 votes?”

Nevertheless, the disappointment fueled him and he went on to lead the Lakers to the championship against the 76ers. Furthermore, he also became the first and only rookie to win the Finals MVP award. (It is a whole other discussion whether he deserved to win it over Abdul-Jabbar.) So it is no surprise Magic is still furious about the lack of votes.

Editorial Disclaimer:?The?views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of EssentiallySports.