The Saviors

Mohaned Aljundi

When the Game Was Ours
By Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson

Two of the greatest cities, two of the greatest players; and the never-ending rivalry. Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson have competed against each other throughout the 1980s and ’90s. Their rivalry started when they played against each other in college basketball and since then; they have made each other their “Measuring stick” (Johnson Intro xi) Since they desperately wanted to be better than each other and had this constant thrive to have a better career which made both of them become better players. Although this rivalry was very intense back then, they both feel like “The respect was always there” ( Bird Intro VIII) and feel like they wouldn't be where they are without each other. This rivalry/relationship has greatly affected their personality and mindsets. In this book, it also talks about how both players affected how people view racism since Larry Bird was white and Magic was black. This difference of race made many fans either like or dislike each player; in the beginning, the majority of black people liked Magic and didn't like Bird and majority of white people liked Bird but didn’t like Magic. However, after the fans got to see how great both players are despite the difference of color and it got them to change their views on racism.

I personally love this book since I know both these players, and it was really interesting for me to see how they truly felt in some situations that I’ve seen them in. I like how this book uses both the player's voices since I could then interpret what they really felt instead of what an author thought they felt. For me, It was really cool to see both Magic and Bird work on this book together and it felt heartwarming to see that they became friends after their very intense rivalry. This book also gave me an insight into how these two players single-handedly saved the struggling NBA from bankruptcy with their dynamic talent and athleticism. Since the NBA wasn't as popular as it is today, “Superstars like them really helped save our game” (Collins 110).

I would recommend this for people who are really interested in basketball or sports in general because it shows how this huge company/brand was saved by two people who come from completely different backgrounds. Even if you aren't really interested in basketball, this book also talks about an improbable friendship which started out of a rivalry, and I think all readers would like to see how these two players who almost have nothing in common but still found a way to connect with each other.