When Magic Johnson approached HBO Sports around 18 months ago about making a documentary about his relationship with Larry Bird, it took them “two seconds” to get on board, said Ross Greenburg, president of HBO Sports.
“Magic & Bird: a Courtship of Rivals” follows the intense rivalry that began with the N.C.A.A. championship game in 1979, when Johnson’s Michigan State team defeated Bird and Indiana State, 75-64.
“I knew it was gonna haunt him forever because we were gonna see each other a lot,” Johnson said in the film...
“We got this connection that’s never been broken,” Bird said. “I mean, right to our graves. They’ll be talking about this a hundred years from now.”
Greenburg reflects on the film, which airs through April 5:...
