Describing Jordan and Bird’s dynamic as a “relationship” is arguably a bit of a stretch. Back in their NBA heydays, great players on opposing teams didn’t get especially chummy with each other or form super teams. As ESPN reported in 2010, Jordan called bull with regard to LeBron James jumping ship from Cleveland to Miami to team with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade. He was quoted as saying, “There’s no way, with hindsight, I would’ve ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, ‘Hey, look, let’s get together and play on one team.’ In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys.” Though, when those three did join forces for the 1992 Olympics, it was a Dream Team come true. 

Even when they got together for their iconic McDonald’s commercial, it took the form of an increasingly absurd game of H-O-R-S-E that would put Dude Perfect to shame. The competitors respected each other, though. And as Basketball Network describes, when Bird retired from basketball after the 1992 Olympics, Jordan expressed his reverence by declaring, “Larry, I hear that you’re retiring. Thank goodness. I’m glad. I’m tired of seeing your face. You brought a lot of sad memories for me. I enjoyed it and I wish you a lot of luck and I think you had a great and wonderful career. You ruined a lot of my successful games against the Boston Celtics.”