Magic Johnson says Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are like him and Larry Bird: 'We changed the NBA...they changed the WNBA'
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird formed maybe the most iconic rivalry between two players in the history of the NBA. The playmaking wizard’s Los Angeles Lakers and the sweet-shooting forward’s Boston Celtics faced off in the NBA Finals three times during the 1980s, with the Lakers coming out on top in two of those three matchups.
The rivalry between Johnson and Bird also helped generate added fan interest in the NBA at a time when the league badly needed it.
Johnson seems to think that the WNBA’s Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese — both of whom are on the heels of their rookie seasons — have changed the course of their league just like he and Bird did when they were playing professional basketball.
“I love it because to your point, they dominated in college…and then they brought it over to the WNBA, just like we brought it to the NBA,” Johnson said after being asked by host Joy Taylor about a comparison between the rivalries. “We changed the NBA. They changed the WNBA. And now everything that these young ladies have been fighting for, they’re about to get, right?
“They end up getting private planes now. They’re gonna get more money in terms of salary because of the new collective bargaining agreement that the NBA and WNBA did together. So, it’s just amazing the way they were able to go around arenas across the country and sell ’em out, and little girls are now dreamin’ about being like Caitlin, like Angel and others.”
https://ahnfiredigital.com/wnba/magic-johnson-says-caitlin-clark-and-angel-reese-are-like-him-and-larry-bird-we-changed-the-nbathey-changed-the-wnba/