WATCH: Historic pregame interview before Larry Bird, Magic Johnson’s 1st NBA showdown

At the start of a career-spanning rivalry, the two friends prepared to meet for the first time in the NBA.

In honoring the legacy of Boston Celtics legendary small forward Larry Bird, you can’t get too deep into his career without bringing up his longtime foil, rival and friend Magic Johnson. The pair came up together in the NCAA ranks as rivals all the way to the national title game of the annual tourney.

The two met many more times throughout the years in the course of countless regular-season contests and on the greatest of stages in the NBA Finals. But the very first time they met in the league was captured on film, and some of the most compelling moments of the interview that took place before it are to be found in the video we have embedded below.

Courtesy of our friends at CLNS Media’s “NBA History & Legends on CLNS” YouTube channel, be sure to check it out in full.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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