The press liking him was one reason I think so much was made of the Bird-Magic rivalry. I really don’t think they had a rivalry. Now Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, that was a rivalry between two men. As a rule, teams have rivalries and there really was one between Magic’s Lakers and Bird’s Celtics. But because those personalities were so pronounced, the press just made it more about those two men and that made it even more interesting. It was interesting to watch Magic grow as a person during his later years with the team. The city of Los Angeles really embraced him as an icon, and it’s been amazing to watch his success off the court, as well.
