Now, add Larry Bird to that mix. It would be the ultimate triumvirate. A team with those three would hardly ever lose a single game, let alone be denied any championship.
Pretty tough to imagine it happening, isn't it?
In light of the recent blockbuster signings that have LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all playing for the Miami Heat, both Jordan and Johnson have come out and been critical of the idea that they would have ever played together during their time in the league.
"There's no way, with hindsight, I would've ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, 'Hey, look, let's get together and play on one team,'" Jordan told NBC Sports, after playing in a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada. "But that's … things are different. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today. … In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys."
Magic wasn't a huge fan of the idea either.
"We didn't think about it, 'cause that's not what we were about," Johnson said recently. "From college, I was trying to figure out how to beat Larry Bird."
Even though Bird and Magic have become close friends since their days as rivals on the hardwood, Bird recently acknowledged that it was the competition between them that drove Bird to be a better player.
"I remember back in my days, I'd rather play against Earvin Johnson than play with him," Bird said last week. "He's a guy I always compared myself to. I'd rather stay in Boston and let him stay in L.A. and just compete every year in the Finals. That's what made me a better player.
"It would have been too easy if we had played together," Bird added.
While the idea of James, Wade and Bosh playing together isn't exactly on the same level as Jordan, Johnson and Bird, it's still the same idea.
Outside of Kobe Bryant, it's tough to think of two better players in the league right now than James and Wade — especially at the guard position. And while Bosh will never be compared to Bird, he is one of the game's elite power forwards.
But while the old guys both scoffed at the idea of ever playing together during their time in the league, James, Wade and Bosh jumped at it like they had it planned for some time. In fact, they essentially did have it planned for some time.
Their willingness to do so illustrates a large difference in the way sports are played now and the way sports used to be played. These days, James, Wade and Bosh are looking at the bigger picture. Sure, they have a chance to win multiple championships in southern Florida, but they also have a chance to take over the entire region. They have a chance to build their own empire.
The thing is though, guys like Michael Jordan did that by themselves. Jordan is one the most recognizable brands in the entire world. He — more or less — did it by himself with his competitive drive. It was the same competitive drive that made him say he'd rather beat Magic and Larry, fueling his fire.
You could argue that a player like LeBron James was never going to get the help he truly needed in Cleveland. But that's where the difference is. Players like Jordan, Johnson and Bird embraced that challenge. They weathered the storm and knew that their best would eventually be good enough some day. In each, it was.
Sure, all three of those Hall of Famers played with other Hall of Famers and top-notch NBA players throughout the course of the careers. But the difference is, Jordan, Johnson and Bird never sought out that help and they apparently never entertained the thought of playing together. They were focused on beating each other no matter who they would do it with, and at that the end of the day, they believed they were good enough to do it on their own if they had to.
And instead of looking at it like that, LeBron took the easy way out. Instead of leading, he followed. He followed Bosh to join Wade in Miami.
MJ, Magic and Larry all played with great teams. But those teams were built around them. The talent they were surrounded with came to them because those role players and supporting casts believed in those stars. They knew the stars had what it takes, they knew that the stars had that extra drive.
If nothing else, the comments of Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson remind of us of the fact that athletes today are inspired by things other than the competitive drive within that made players like Larry, Michael and Magic arguably the three best players to ever play the game.
What do you think about Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron playing together in Miami?Market Research
