When The Game Was Ours

By Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson, with Jackie MacMullan
HMH, $26.00, 340 pages

Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson are names synonymous with basketball.  They have a lot in common, but in the beginning the only thing they had in common was their deep-rooted dislike for each other.  A very real rivalry started when Magic’s Michigan team beat Larry’s undefeated Indiana team for the NCAA championship title.  They entered the draft the same year only to fuel the Celtics and Lakers rivalry.  The interest in these two phenomenal players and the East Coast – West Coast showdowns nearly saved the entire NBA from bankruptcy.  Eventually these two grew not only to respect each other, but like one another. 

When the Game was Ours is an in-depth look into what basketball used to be like.  Today, players like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, seem more interested in their own statistics and endorsement deals than to focus on what the game is really all about.  Larry and Magic weren’t great players simply because of their numbers, but because they had the ability to make the other players on the court better. 

“Michael [Jordan], don’t you forget,” Magic said.  “Larry and I turned this league around.  We are the NBA.”

This is a must-have book for serious basketball fans.  It takes a look back into the style of playing I wish was still around today.  The honesty throughout When the Game was Ours (especially through Magic’s HIV diagnosis) makes you hanging on the rim for the next page. 

Reviewed by Jennifer LeBrun