Courtship of Rivals: Magic and Larry Bird FINAL Reaction Part (4/4)! 7FootReacts

[@michelerobertson8276]

At the time, pretty much everyone who got diagnosed with AIDS died in a relatively short period of time. There wasn't enough known then about how it got transmitted and it was considered a gay man's disease. So, not only did Magic have the idea of it being a fatal disease but other people thought he was having sex with men. Once your diagnosis was "out" people would avoid the person and wouldn't touch a person with AIDS. I am a nurse and took care of people with AIDS when it first was identified and even health care professionals would refuse to care for a patient with AIDS. I lost a good friend to AIDS and I remember the last time we saw each other and I went to hug him and he pulled away because he wasn't sure if I knew he had AIDS. I hugged him knowing that and he just cried because very few people would even touch him once they knew. People were so cruel to people with AIDS/HIV, even when better information was discovered. Very scary situation for those patients.

[@FUBAR1986]

Thank you, you said it perfectly

[@carolehall1000]

I just want to say one thing about the time line. By the time Magic Johnson was diagnosed with HIV, AIDs had been around for almost a decade. Everyone should have known exactly how it was transmitted. It could be transmitted through gay sex and straight sex and blood transfusions and drug use. Sex wasn't required. An HIV positive dentist in Florida infected at least 6 of his patients. HIV was detected in people's saliva and there was at least one publicized case of a man being infected by an HIV positive woman when they didn't even have full blown sex just contact between her mouth and his genitals. Every single person in this country was bombarded with info constantly about how it was transmitted. But, a lot of people didn't want to change their own risky behavior and just lived in denial. That's dangerous for everyone. And many people did shun people with HIV. It was awful. Often, funeral homes wouldn't even take people who died of AIDS leaving their families to overcome obstacles to find a way to bury them. And people didn't just die. They suffered tremendously before they died. It was a terrible, terrible time of suffering and death. Magic Johnson got very, very lucky in that his diagnosis came at the time when a treatment - AZT - had just been discovered. But even that didn't save everyone. Remember Pedro Zamora from the Real World? And they had to give it to people at levels just below toxic. I remember Magic talking about that the side effects were bad enough to make you almost give up. He said he had those side effects for years and years until one day, his body finally adjusted to it. Thank goodness there are more drugs now and the current multi-drug treatment is much more tolerable. The current meds are really good at keeping virus levels at low - sometimes undetectable levels - as long as a person keeps taking their meds. This greatly cuts down on transmission rates. Even then, about 13,000 people still die every year in the US from AIDS. Thank you so much for the compassionate care you give people.

[@ContrarianCorner]

I lost some friends to AIDS too and it was something people were deathly afraid of at the time. Magic was basically forced out of the game because he was considered too big of a health risk for other players.

[@jinyatta4103]

I remember the day Magic announced he had HIV. I was in the 7th grade and I cried for hours in my room. Back then, we were used to people dying a few weeks after announcing they had HIV, so I was sure he wasn't going to last long.

[@MegazoneMusic23]

SO true,, I was in College driving home when a friend of mine had that on the radio. They announced it, and we all thought the same as Arsenio Hall(Magics close friend) that he was going to get skinny and die (Like Freddie Mercury) Those early times were different in the late 80's early 90s. The drugs that counter-acted the HIV werent advanced enough to keep it dormant. NBA players would avoid him and hed be more of a distraction to everyone on the court unfortunately. To answer your question.. It was WORSE back then.. WAY worse. Today you hear about people getting infected on purpose.. its ridiculous :(

[@patmuldoon9369]

I was 21 when Magic made his announcement. I remember crying because, back then, if you got HIV, you got AIDS and you died. There was no treatment that worked yet. It was also believed that only homosexuals, drug addicts, and people who received blood transfusions caught HIV. A lot of Magic's friends distanced themselves from him because they thought he was gay. But Larry didn't.

[@mariolevasseur731]

I was a teenager during this era. No matter how many times I watched this,i get tears in my eyes.

[@FUBAR1986]

I’m with you it tears me up to

[@LisaD-1969]

Same! Every time I see it I’m like “I’m not going to cry, I’ve seen it so many times.” Every time I crying at the end.

[@Lonewolfmike]

One of the greatest documentaries of all time. It did both of them justice. Whoever came up with this idea to make this is on another level.

[@johndaly1834]

I"m not even a basketball fan, but Larry Bird is my favorite athlete. He checks all the boxes of what it means to be great...

[@aronsium4714]

Larry is great as a player and person.

[@mikegoodwin2386]

Yes, the full Dream Team documentary is the logical follow-up to this. Greatest team ever assembled, in any sport.

[@PixelPro-4000]

At the time, getting diagnosed with aids was considered a death sentence. Not enough was known about the disease, which is why he retired immediately. People are afraid. People didn’t know what kind of danger magic would introduce to other players. At the time this disease was mostly a mystery to everybody.

[@michaelm6948]

It was a massive story back in the 80s. There was a huge controversy due to the unknowns about the disease. Players began to come out and declare they wouldn't play in games involving Magic Johnson. His "good friend" Isiah Thomas was questioning Magic's sexuality etc etc etc.

[@FUBAR1986]

Isaiah, being a member of the bad boy, pistons what was said about bird, the brutality, the Pistons displayed playing against Michael Jordan left a very bad taste in a lot of peoples mouths towards Isaiah

[@sschuyler1]

There's a clip of Jamal Mashburn talking about playing against the Dream Team, and how Rodney Rogers tried to trash talk Bird, how Magic overheard it, and what happened the next day. Classic Magic and Bird

[@irishgrl]

This is my favorite sports documentary 🥰 I’m glad you’re finishing it up!

[@HagFan87]

They had to detach both Achilles to remove bone spurs in his feet

[@doobiedave9686]

Because of Bird's back problems, he had to alter the way he ran on the court which in turn led to bone spurs aggravating both Achilles tendons. He had surgery on both at the same time and missed almost all of the 1988-89 season. Great video and great reaction 👏👍 I liked your editing at the end of the video when you were having trouble finding your words and inserted the kid head on your body 😂😂✌️

[@FUBAR1986]

Yep, he’s getting better at it isn’t he

[@richardlindell9976]

At the time we really never new much about hiv. All we knew was it was highly contagious and didn't want any blood around!

[@marykuettner752]

HIV was a death sentence back then. So many people died. To really understand what it was like there is a book and movie called "And the band played on".

[@XRP2020]

Thank y'all for reminding me when basketball was enjoyable.

[@nakitaufalele2213]

In 92, the bird magic era came to an end on the court in regards to their rivalry on the court, but it was the beginning and continuation of their friendship for life. When Arsenio said people were ignorant and hateful, he was talking about people who were friends and peers but his bond w Larry was most important to him. Thank you for the vid reactions looking forward to more vids from y'all in the future. I recommend that y'all check out the documentary the dream team. They will never be another team as great as the dream was.

[@805Bruin]

This was front page news all over the world when it happened.

[@shag139]

Back then AIDS was a 4-7 year death sentence where you get skinny and die.

[@daveotis35]

I grow up watching Bird And Magic. It was unbelievable. I am lucky to have seen all of it.

[@irishgrl]

Magic, by the sheer fact of his survival, showed that HIV didn’t have to be a death sentence & gave hope to millions of people everywhere. I also personally believe that bcuz of the fact that HE, a beloved bball star, caught the virus, a bigger push was made to find a cure. I’m not sure we’d have had the advances had it not been him who contracted HIV.

[@imweakfordeaky]

Just a couple of weeks after Magic announced his HIV+ diagnosis, Freddie Mercury (Lead singer of iconic British band Queen, who were hugely successful worldwide) died of AIDS. This one-two punch of HIV/AIDS hitting very beloved public figures galvanized donation drives benefitting research and development in treating the disease, as well as the pressure ratcheting up on governments to fund disease research.

[@irishgrl]

@@imweakfordeaky If I’m not mistaken, Rock Hudson was also a casualty around that time & Montgomery Clift as well.

[@805Bruin]

In that era, HIV/AIDS was basically a death sentence. We all thought Magic was going to die and we were going to watch it happen.

[@brendanpowers7945]

Yep. I thought he'd have a couple of years, that's it. I'll never forget where I was when I heard.

[@sharonsimmons6427]

The absolute best videos on Larry a Bird are ‘Making the Case: Larry Bird G.O.A.T.’, and Larry Bird Trash Talking stories told by NBA legends. Great reactions so far.

[@danieldunlap4077]

Crazy to hear somebody not know what HIV is when in the '80s and early '90s it was a death sentence. In 2015 my cousin died of AIDS complications. He had HIV, but stop taking his medication and developed AIDS which then lead to him getting an infection his body couldn't fight off. That's how serious HIV can get.

[@JasonRule-1]

I'll tell you the SECRET of a relationship where there is genuine "love." There's a hint of it in this video where they talk about where Magic and Larry each would like to have been a bit more like the other. But what it really points to is "sincere admiration." For yourselves, a habit that should be nurtured is telling your partner something that you truly admire about him or her. It will be the first thing to go when love goes, but it will be the first thing to show when love is there. So, take turns frequently telling the other that you admire him/her. Admiration is at the core of even the deepest friendships.

[@mariolevasseur731]

Back in the day h I v was a death Sentence.

[@tonyduncan7710]

They had to unattach his Achilles to remove the bone spurs he had on his heels

[@LadyShar]

Yes please the Dream Team next. I love your reactions

[@mikegoodwin2386]

You've seen some old pictures of Bird with blood on his jersey. That used to be pretty common in basketball. Bloody noses, bloody knees, whatever, you kept playing. Magic Johnson changed that. The whole thing about stopping to clean the floor if there was blood, or a player having to come out of the game and clean up and/or change clothes if there was blood, those were contingencies put in place to allow Magic to play in the All-Star game and later in the Olympics. And that's the way the game goes today.

[@mariolevasseur731]

He had to retire because they weren't sure how the disease spread. Some people we're vocal about not playing if he was going to play.

[@badhabitbabbitt7655]

During the 1980s HIV was a death sentence. Freddy Mercury of Queen died early 1990s of AIDS. Magic coming out shook the world. You heard a world gasp, and yes, we all thought he'd die in a couple of years. I don't know what breakthrough Magic found, but he was the 1st longtime survivor to this day. Many NBA players were afraid to play with him.

[@shag139]

Magic retired largely because AIDS was still an unknown on transmission and people were afraid. His health played a part but he was otherwise healthy at that point. It’s why back then You saw players with cuts and blood on their jersey still playing. Today you have to change, clean, cover up any wound before coming back into the game. As people became more aware that they couldn’t get it from shaking hands, sweat, physical contact of sports, and only through blood to blood transmission then things relaxed a bit as far as sports go.

[@ebenclukey7293]

At the time Magic was diagnosed, AIDS was a death sentence. He didn't yet have full blown AIDS, but HIV, which almost always progressed to AIDS. Magic defeated huge odds in surviving.

[@shag139]

And now you know why Isaiah Thomas was not on the Dream Team. Jordan/Pippen hated him, Bird hated Pistons Laimbeer and Thomas by association, and Magic was pissed about Thomas thinking he was gay.

[@thomasoutwater2321]

Still pissed about 87. Just before Magics hook, the refs gave the Lakers possession and time out when they NEVER had possession!

[@Rensune]

Lots of people don't understand, that as bad as most people's attitude was towards gay guys at the time was, in the Black community it was even WORSE. Even today our community is more Harsh to gay people. Back then? Magic lost almost everyone that said they liked him.

[@clifflawrence7479]

I’ve always been a Bird guy but love Magic as well but when he stepped up and took responsibility for his actions and started educating people about HIV I found a hole new respect for Magic. These two men really show how a man needs to step up and be a man

[@charlesking4780]

Not only was it the greatest rivalry EVER in any sport but also a great friendship. 😎

[@Sunny-jz3dy]

Thankfully Magic didn't have Aids! He had HIV that can be controlled with medication so the virus doesn't morph into AIDS. Bird had surgery on both Achilles & came back to play! Throughout all of Birds back issues and his Achilles tendons.... he never took pain medication! That's why his doctor talks about him being able to control the pain like few people can!

[@joeprime1164]

Dude, hiv back then was a death sentence. You literally had 2 to 3 years to live. Which is way Magics case was so unique. People didn't end up living. I lost 3 uncles to Hiv aids. You never know how to handle it as I was in my teens when I found out in my family. To see Magics reaction, is heart felt , cause he is my favorite basketball player

[@jasonthompson2355]

The greatest sports documentary - EVER

[@shag139]

Y’all have to remember this was 31 years ago (😳). Everybody thought it was a death sentence. We were in the dorm when news broke about a press conference and Magic was retiring. I thought it was about his knees. It was HUGE news. There weren’t nearly as many tv options. The internet wasn’t there yet to distract people, so everybody saw and new about.

[@kathieovercash8414]

In the beginning of HIV and Aids it was mostly gay men that got it. If you were a child that had it (could be passed to a child from the sperm or from mom through childbirth) the child wasn't allowed in school, wasn't allowed to be around their friends. In the beginning it was a death sentence. Then after some years they developed medicine for people to keep it from becoming Aids. The unknown was frightening. I'm sure he probably contracted it through sex. He wasn't careful and like he said he had a lot of activity. Someone dying of Aids would start getting pneumonia and that was when you knew they'd be close to death.

[@angelaherring5443]

You’re going to love the Dream Team documentary.

[@dreamzerg]

Here we go, home from work and ready for part 4.

[@apexshaver7301]

You need to watch Bird and magic on David Letterman could be the best interview ever!

[@christopherking4932]

Awesome video.

[@charlesking4780]

I love your Larry Bird Magic Johnson reactions. 👏

[@michaelfiguly1654]

Great job on this.... I would definitely recommend The Dream Team documentary.

[@dreamzerg]

Yep, Dream Team 100% next. It may be tough to get the wife to watch these longer videos but seems like she loves it once she's settled in. NBA "The Dream Team 1992" Full Documentary

[@julianwilcox399]

And Jordan had a losing record against both of them when he was closer to his Prime than they were

[@stgermain1074]

You want to see how people with AIDS were treated at that time, watch the movie Philadelphia, with Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington.

[@RobertGuida1015]

Back in the 80s, nobody knew enough about HIV/ AIDS at the time then, it was literally almost a death sentence! Im old enough to have lived through this era & remember coming home from school when i heard it, i couldnt believe it! Magic was able to take care of himself, get the right treatments, & was able to survive it.

[@adamr6794]

Bird had bone spurs in both heels. The surgeon had to cut through both Achilles tendons to remove the spurs. This surgery was a big deal but Birds back injury was a hell people don't understand. During the Olympics Bird could not take any meds as he feared something he'd ingest would make him test positive for a banned substance.

[@Patrick-xv6qv]

Magic was not forced to retire, he did so on his own. He decided it was for the best so he could take care of his self. At the time he was diagnosed with HIV, AIDS was the number one cause of death for men ages 24 to 44 in the US. Then there was another reason he decided to retire and that was because a lot of other players may not have wanted to play with or against him at the time. the fears associated this disease at the time and how it seemed to explode out of nowhere with limited understanding at the time even among physicians was still present when Magic was diagnosed

[@marknegrete6413]

You young uns are a trip, everybody was paranoid about AIDS after it wiped out a lot of people mostly gay during the 80s, treatment must definitely was not the same most people like arsenio Hall feared just shriveled up and died very quickly, it was like when covid first came out. Of course you had to retire right away none of the other players wanted to be near you didn't even want you sweating on them, a lot of them boys reservations playing with him in the All-Star game after that. As far as what you should do next most definitely the 92 dream team because that falls in line with the time frame.

[@marknegrete6413]

Voiced reservations it supposed to say

[@stevechrist8622]

You need to watch (THE 5 TIMES LARRY BIRD PLAYED HURT AND REFUSED TO QUIT) they will go over the back injury again but also other major injuries . The back injury happened 1985 the achilles injury happened in 1989 and he didn't play except for 6 games that year. he also hurt his shooting hand before he joined Celtics.

[@kdm71291]

On a couple of related side notes, not long after the announcement, Carl Malone said he wasn't going to play in games against magic, and Charles Barkley responded publicly by saying "We're not having unprotected sex with Magic, we're just playing basketball!" Sir Charles is funny! And when boxer Tommy Morrison was diagnosed in 1996, one of the first people he called was Magic....because Magic was open about it, and a fellow athlete, he was able to pass on support and information.

[@FUBAR1986]

HIV/aids was considered a very contagious and gay man disease a lot of very famous people from Hollywood to music where shriveling up and passing away within a short period of time after being diagnosed….. in some ways, it was worse than what we went through with Covid…… because of the rich and famous, catching and dying from the disease, people didn’t think that treatments could save your life…… as always peace, love, joy, and hope to you and yours❤✌🏽☮️🤲🙏

[@bruceschultz3121]

Awesome reaction! Best team/personal rivalry in basketball. Watched your reaction twice, back to back Best individual rivalry, Chris Everett vs. Martina Navratilova. Played 80 or so singles tennis FINALS matches against each other. There's a very good recorded story on it out there. Just sayin'.

[@kathieovercash8414]

He would have to be in traction and then spend hours getting loosened up so he could play. The video that showed him having to go to the locker room he had fractured his cheek bone when his face hit the floor. He went back out because they started losing. Another time he played with a fractured eye socket.

[@cliftonparago4547]

Back then little was known about HIV. Some thought it could be passed through the skin

[@btech09]

Bigger deal back then because of so many unknown factors. Actors in kissing scenes, Olympic diver Greg Louganis hit his head on the diving board before hitting the water and they kept his HIV positive status a secret! They were sweating bullets about others being exposed. It was a death sentence at the time. I lost a brother-in-law. He was 25. It was much bigger, then.

[@KWP1111]

In the beginning of the aids epidemic people were not sure how contagious it was. They thought if someone sneezed you could get it. So that is why he retired. Then once more information came about it. He came back

[@t.nobody120]

I loved y'all reaction. 😊! ✌❤T.NoBoDY

[@alexanderthegreat5649]

I mean this is the possibly the greatest love story ever and it's a a bromance 😂😂😂 I mean seriously you don't hear of too many "ships" that are this powerful be it a romantic or just friendship. Romance it's usually just a "we worked together, knew each other, mutual friend set us up went on a few dates boom we're here" not really that interesting even though people(mostly women) ask "so how'd you meet what's the story" like all stories are interesting/special, and friendships are usually the same ole fast friends, meet in school/work and had similar interests nothing out the ordinary. These 2 had a rivalry that fueled 1 of their entire career to becoming an all time great(Larry) that started in College during heightened racial tensions AND a league damn near entering extinction! Their rivalry-friendship transcended this all the racial aspect didn't get to either one and make them bitter towards the other which it easily could've done to a different mannered person but those 2 had the personalities to rise above it 1 was just about fun and loved everyone and wanted to be loved by everyone & the other just didn't give AF 😂. They took the league and put in on their backs which is what caused Larry problems by my diagnosis(joke people that's a joke) they both actually became great enough in the NBA to carry the rivalry from NCAA 2 NBA instead of being bums or avg, made some historic moments in the ultimate game(championships) vs 1 another, then 1 contracts what was considered a death sentence at the time and has to retire it caused the other to not have the desire anymore and retires himself because his arch nemesis was gone, and you THINK the story would emd in tragedy but nope it only showed as Magic said with tears in his eyes "who really cares about you" and they get to go out on yet another historic moment TOGETHER as TEAMMATES on the Drea Team and have nothing but love, admiration, and respect for each other over 30yrs later. Like you can't make this up, not even their entire lives, but seriously just their rivalry and stories from college on is made for Hollywood all the cheesy stuff they try and make is never actually this great and sentimental. It deserves big screen, but it's too much to tell and needs to be a series! *The Greatest Rivary To The Greatest Friendship*

[@jerrygoldman4484]

Request that you research the aids issue for your own edification. Nice reaction.

[@aaronshackelford6106]

They won the gold that year the pros beat Every country they played

[@arthurnelson]

Back then, hiv meant that the person got skinny and died.

[@aaronshackelford6106]

You guys got to watch The video on Larry birds retirement That's when Magic Johnson's wearing a Boston Celtics shirt.

[@aaronshackelford6106]

I grew up in detroit in the 70s 80s 90s That hurt The city of Detroit Losing the Boston and the Lakers.

[@OoogaBoog]

yall look good together. cheers. btw....aids was a huge thing in the late 80 through 90s. It was even taught in school and how to prevent it. Literally led to a 800% + revenue in the condom industry.

[@dalebickerstaff1543]

Larry didn't abandon Magic like his supposide friends did.

[@lorikohl2526]

You know i have the calendar of the dream team if i can find it

[@LeighMet]

Oh it blew up when Magic annouced he was HIV

[@tonyduncan7710]

FYI the 92 dream team was the first time that professional

[@sharonbird2921]

I can't believe you guys don't know about about this wow

[@btech09]

Then, actors who had had kissing scenes with actors found to have HIV were deathly afraid they may have been infected. No one knew exactly how many other ways it was transmitted.

[@imp736]

At 4:04 Sky Hook.

[@robertskae]

Would love you to do the dream team I love your channel

[@leebrandt8597]

The narrator of the documentary was 100% wrong. Larry did not have double Achilles rupture. What he did have was bone spurs on both feet that needed surgery and kept him out of most of 1988-89 season

[@gail6384]

It’s weirdly shocking to me that in the course of my lifetime, AIDS came into being, and young people now don’t really know about it.

[@mikeyv3-212]

Can you guys react to Michael Jordan Rare Voyager video. Great content!

[@chrispavlich9656]

There wasn’t HIPPA back then like there is today where your healthcare is protected unless you want to talk about. There are laws now for this.

[@richcarrCCC]

Please forgive me for taking the time to be so blunt, I mean, you seem like very good people, nice folk, kind and considerate individuals, but your ignorance to the HIV virus and its history is mind-blowing and so disappointing as it relates to how it affected so many lives, took so many lives and is still a killer and a threat to the lives around the globe.

[@marykuettner752]

If you wrote it as a screenplay people would think it was too farfetched.

[@warrenbfeagins]

I hope Hollywood doesn't try to make a movie out of this. They'd ruin it.

[@matthewpeters325]

What is the deal with head phones?? Everyone wears them on pod casts?

[@davidmullens7565]

She's a nurse?! Can't tell

[@shag139]

This is the full Dream Team Doc: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6PEqqCJisl-Zq8 There is another version out there that cut the college players they practiced against. Don’t react to that one.

[@RuinNationGaming]

I still question he ever had hiv

[@aaronshackelford6106]

Bird is right you're getting paid to work Go to work work

[@aaronshackelford6106]

I have won multiple basketball championships. Myself with my team For what they did to magic johnson After he got aids was wrong?

[@mattcoffee1269]

You guys need see who arsenic was lmao. Young people smh

[@mattcoffee1269]

Arsenio hall....

[@karenschiendelman2939]

You guys have to realize if you had aids it was an immediate death sentence

[@jjsdad4952]

Everyone else covered the HIV/AIDS clarifications so I’ll just say, what happened to reacting to The Dream Team?? You’ll love it and so will we. -Peace

[@seanmulligan3037]

Great watch-along! Next you should do the Dream Team Documentary, nearly as good! kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6PEqqCJisl-Zq8

[@zakijamil8986]

boxer/mma way better. tyson fury gonna be a big fight

[@davidmullens7565]

Dude! Educate yourself! Didn't you go to Bowling Green?

[@RickyT484]

Good lord. Pretending to not know what HIV is and then the flippant asmr comment. Just a total turn off. Sheesh

[@eddiehaskell1957]

What do you mean? The couple not knowing? Excuse my ignorance, i'm curious what your saying.

[@LauraBanker-qw4dc]

I had to quit watching because you both talk over the video way too much. You should pause the video when you want to talk.

[@H0k7g377]

Boo boo who cares 😂😂😂

[@travisgodwin6942]

Wow ...ty ...for making the video