When the Game Was Ours - Larry Bird [124]
Although Bird had agreed to be part of Magic's ceremony, he truthfully would have preferred to skip it. He felt uncomfortable, misplaced.
"The whole time I was thinking, 'What the hell am I doing here, hanging with all these Lakers, when my own team is standing right over there?'" he admitted.
As Bird listened to Kareem thank Magic for teaching him how to enjoy the game, he began reflecting on his own teammates, who were standing court-side, in uniform, watching the tribute. Bird glanced over at McHale, Parish, and D.J. He wondered what it would be like to say goodbye to them. He knew he'd be doing it soon—sooner than anyone realized.
As Johnson embraced Abdul-Jabbar, sobbing as he pulled the Hall of Fame center closer, Bird felt a lump catch in his throat.
"I was sitting there wondering how long it would be before he was gone," Bird said.
When Magic finally took the microphone, he thanked his family and his teammates. Then he turned to his lifelong rival and embraced him.
"It's sort of too bad Larry and I couldn't go on forever," Magic told the crowd. "I enjoyed so many of those battles, whether we won or lost, because you got a chance to play at your highest level when you played the Celtics and Larry.
"I want to thank Larry Bird personally for bringing out the best of Magic Johnson because, without you, I could have never risen to the top."
Johnson ended his own retirement ceremony by telling the fans he hoped they wouldn't be too mad if he decided to come back and do it all over again. The crowd cheered; Jerry West blanched.
Later that winter, Johnson and Rosen went on a business trip to New York. The Knicks were playing that night, and Magic called ahead to Riley to see if he could work out at Madison Square Garden in between the two teams' shoot-arounds.
Riley met his former point guard at the gym and put him through a rigorous workout. For more than an hour, Riley ran Magic through wind sprints, dribbling drills, and shooting repetitions. Riley normally adhered to a strict pregame routine that included watching film and reviewing his notes of the opponent, but for one afternoon he abandoned all of it. On this day, his only focus was on rebounding for a friend. Just before tip-off of the game between the Knicks and the Lakers, the Madison Square Garden scoreboard ran a video highlight of the career of Earvin Johnson to the tune of "Do You Believe in Magic?"
"It was," said Magic, "the nicest thing anyone did for me during that time."
When Magic returned to Los Angeles and resumed his workouts, he discovered that he had company during off-hours at the Forum. Miami Heat center Rony Seikaly, who was rehabilitating an injury, could often be found shooting down at the far end of the court. One afternoon he called down, "Want to play?"
Johnson looked around. He had no personal relationship with Seikaly and wasn't sure if the center was talking to him.
"Magic," Seikaly said. "C'mon, let's get some work in."
It was a small gesture, yet one that Magic grew to cherish during a tumultuous time in his life. It gave him hope that someday he would regain his place in the NBA. It was a baby step toward resuming his life as he had known it.
10. AUGUST 7, 1992
Barcelona, Spain
IT BEGAN as a friendly game of pool.
Magic Johnson awaited his turn while Michael Jordan, a premium Cuban stogie dangling from his mouth, lined up his shot in the game room of the Ambassador Hotel in Barcelona, Spain, a cordoned-off area on the second floor designated as a sanctuary for the members of the U.S. Olympic basketball team.
It was a welcome and needed hideaway. This traveling troupe of basketball legends, whom coach Chuck Daly likened to a band of rock stars, caused a near-stampede simply by arriving. Spectators grappled with one another for a glimpse of Michael and Magic and Larry as they exited the team bus and checked into the hotel. As fans clamored to photograph this historic sports moment,