by Bird, Larry
First published 2009
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson step onto opposite sides of the court as enemies. Their battles define 1980s basketball: Celtics against Lakers, East against West, old school against showtime. Each player drives the other toward excellence through pure competitive fire. Bird obsesses over winning while chronic pain tears at his body. Johnson faces the shock of learning he has contracted HIV. The devastating news changes everything he knows about basketball and life. Their rivalry saves the struggling NBA during its most vulnerable period. Together they collect eight championships and six MVP awards. The bitter enemies slowly become lifelong friends. Their relationship spans three decades of professional basketball's greatest moments.
Genres: 20th-century, sports, biography-memoir, 21st-century, basketball, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: East, West
Period: 1980s
340 pages · Paperback · Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Content warnings: mental-illness