Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

There will never be another rivalry quite like the one between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. In today’s NBA, players would rather be friends than rivals, which makes the relationship between the two former legends unique.

It was on full display as the pair made an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman on Wednesday night.

Their appearance on the show touches on a wide range of topics from their storied history.

The topic that exhibits their friendship better than anything else was Johnson’s HIV announcement. When other players became wary of him and tried to keep the star at an arm’s distance, Bird continued to support him.

Johnson, who was recently part of a group that purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers, will never forget Bird doing that. Even though they went at each other hard on the court, they both understood some things are much bigger than the game.

Back in the days when the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics were going back and forth atop the league, they were fueling each other. Bird talked about shooting hundreds of jumpers in the gym and he kept going back because he felt Magic would be getting a leg up if he didn’t.

You just don’t see that anymore. Players like Dwight Howard and Deron Williams are more worried about free agency than building rivalries. Dwyane Wade, LeBron Jamesand Chris Bosh decided teaming up with the Miami Heat was better than going against each other for the next decade.

That shows how much the game has changed since Johnson and Bird were running the show. And the chance that things will ever revert back to rivalries dominating the league are slim.

All told, it’s a really interesting interview that coincided with the debut of a Broadway play, “Magic/Bird,” which showcases the rivalry.

The fact they are still good buddies shows there is no better foundation for a friendship than respect.

WRITTEN BY Tim Daniels  & FULL STORY HERE