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By Joël Pütz | Sports journalist
Half a century after, the 1970s remain one of the most complicated periods in the history of the NBA. Charles Barkley had also made particularly strong remarks on the subject by evoking the impact of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
Today, the NBA has become one of the most lucrative sports leagues in the world. All this is not due to chance, but rather to a long -term work done behind the scenes. Since the arrival of Adam Silver as a commissioner, everything has been done for example so that it becomes as public as possible. Even if it means getting rid of certain traditions like trash-talking almost completely.
Before that, his predecessor David Stern also kicked the anthill by opening the NBA to the international market. It was with him that the first European stars set foot on American soil, when it was previously very complicated to break through across the Atlantic. It is therefore also thanks to the former lawyer that the MVP race is played today between international basketball players.
Charles Barkley merciless with the NBA of the 70s
In addition to that, Stern also knew how to capitalize on the rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the 80s, when he had just become the boss of the League. And the latter then needed a new stroke, having spent a particularly complicated previous decade. Charles Barkley also admitted in Jimmy Kimmel's show that the two Hall of Famers had changed everything for the NBA:
Obviously, Michael Jordan brought the league to another level, but I am old enough to remember that before the arrival of Magic and Larry in the NBA, there were too many blacks in the league, there were too many drugs, she did not bring money. So I wanted to do something special for Magic, because what he and Larry did is indescribable. You can never thank them enough.
I like LeBron, Kobe, Tim Duncan, Patrick Ewing and all these guys, but the two most important figures are Magic and Bird. I told them that it would be a privilege to be part of the documentary (out of the two players, note).
Strong words from the chuckster, even for him when he is not known to keep his tongue in his pocket. However, it is difficult to contradict him.
Indeed, if the 1970s had seen the domination of a legend called Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as well as the splendor of the Knicks, they had also been marked by many scandals linked to drugs in the locker room. From there to say that the players' skin color had played a role in there, there is only one step, but it is clear that the joint arrival of Magic and Bird had been able to relaunch the machine.
Rivals from university, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird had been able to transpose this relationship to the NBA parquets and this in an immediate way. Enough to allow it to gain popularity again, after having almost disappeared in the 1970s.
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