BUSTED THROUGH. THAT WAS A SPECIAL MOMENT FOR
HIM AND MYSELF.
>> WELCOME IN THE MAN HIMSELF,
MAGIC JOHNSON.
MAGIC JOHNSON. GOOD MORNING, SIR.
>> GOOD MORNING, CRAIG.
HOW ARE YOU DOING?
>> DOING WELL.
DOING WELL.
DOING WELL. BY THE WAY, I’D LIKE TO POINT
OUT THAT ONLY MAGIC JOHNSON
WOULD GO FULL SUIT AND TIE AT
5:30 IN THE MORNING IN
CALIFORNIA FOR US.
YOU LOOK FANTASTIC.
LAST NIGHT YOU’RE WATCHING
REALTIME LIKE THE REST OF US.
LOOKING BACK ON THAT HUG IN THE
TUNNEL BETWEEN THE TWO LOCKER
ROOMS BACK IN ’91 AND MIKE IS
CRYING AND YOU’RE PROBABLY
CRYING.
CRYING. IN THAT EMBRACE, DID YOU KNOW
THE TORCH WAS BEING PASSED?
>> FOR SURE, CRAIG.
WE KNEW THAT WAS PROBABLY GOING
TO BE OUR LAST RUN AT TRYING TO
WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP, AND WE KNEW
THAT THE BULLS, THAT WAS THE
START OF THEIR REALLY DYNASTY,
BECAUSE IN ’91 WHEN THEY BEAT
US, THEY DOMINATED THE ’90s JUST
LIKE THE LAKERS THE ’80s.
I REMEMBER ON THE DREAM TEAM BUS
AND HE SAID TO LARRY AND I, HEY,
THERE’S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN.
THAT’S ME AND THE BULLS.
SO WE HAD TO START LAUGHING AND
SAY, MICHAEL, YOU’RE RIGHT.
YOU ARE THE NEW KING AND GOOD
LUCK.
LUCK. MAN, HE DID NOT DISAPPOINT
EITHER.
EITHER. >> YOU MENTIONED THE DREAM TEAM,
THAT APPARENTLY IS GOING TO BE
PART OF THE FOCUS OF THE NEXT
EPISODE.
EPISODE. THAT ’92 TEAM ARGUABLY THE BEST
SPORTS TEAM EVER ASSEMBLED
REGARDLESS OF YOU AND LARRY AND
MICHAEL JORDAN AND THESE GUYS.
BEFORE THAT YOU HADN’T PLAYED
WITH LIKE.
WITH LIKE. WHEN YOU PLAYED WITH HIM IN ’92,
HOW DID THAT CHANGE YOUR VIEW OF
MICHAEL JORDAN?
MICHAEL JORDAN? >> WELL, IT STARTED REALLY OUR
FRIENDSHIP.
FRIENDSHIP. WE REALLY STARTED -- WE PLAYED
CARDS EVERY NIGHT TOGETHER.
WE WORKED OUT IN TERMS OF WHEN
WE HAVE PRACTICE.
I SHOT WITH HIM, WHETHER IT WAS
JUMP SHOTS OR FREE THROWS.
IT REALLY BROUGHT US CLOSER
TOGETHER AS FRIENDS.
THEN CRAIG, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU
CAN HAVE MICHAEL JORDAN ON YOUR
RIGHT-HAND SIDE, MAN, ON THE
FAST BREAK, I COULD THROW IT
ANYWHERE, HE WAS GOING TO GO GET
IT AND DUNK IT, MAN.
THE HIGHLIGHT REEL THAT HE
PROVIDED, ALL THOSE MOVES THAT
HE DID ON THE DREAM TEAM WAS
UNBELIEVABLE.
UNBELIEVABLE. HE’S THE FIRST ATHLETE I’VE EVER
SEEN -- THE OPPONENT STARTED
CRYING WHEN MICHAEL JORDAN
FOULED HIM.
FOULED HIM. HE STARTED CRYING.
I CAN’T BELIEVE IT.
MICHAEL FOULED ME.
OH, MY GOD.
RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME.
IT WAS CRAZY.
THE IMPACT OF THE DREAM TEAM WAS
UNBELIEVABLE.
UNBELIEVABLE. >> MAGIC, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
STRUCK ME ABOUT LAST NIGHT’S
EPISODE, AND I’M SURE IT STRUCK
YOU, TOO, THEY ARE SHOWING
MICHAEL -- THEY ARE SHOWING
JORDAN THIS VIDEO OF ISAIAH
THOMAS TALKING ABOUT THE ’90s
FINALS EXPLAINING WHY THEY TEAM
DIDN’T SHAKE MICHAEL’S HAND.
THIRTY YEARS LATER MICHAEL
JORDAN IS STILL VISIBLY ANGRY,
VISIBLY ANGRY ABOUT THIS
HANDSHAKE
HANDSHAKE HANDSHAKE.
HANDSHAKE. >> IT’S ALWAYS GOING TO HAPPEN
LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW. THEY HATE
THE PISTONS.
THE PISTONS. >> STILL.
>> STILL. >> STILL TODAY.
THAT WAS A BITTER RIVALRY WITH
MICHAEL AND HIS BULLS AND ISAIAH
AND HIS PISTONS.
YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL YOU’VE
GOT TO GIVE THE PISTONS CREDIT
BECAUSE THEY LEARNED FROM THE
CELTICS, RIGHT?
CELTICS, RIGHT? YOU HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO WIN A
CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE YOU CAN
ACTUALLY WIN ONE.
SO THE BULLS KEPT TRYING TO GO
THROUGH AND THEY DENIED THEM
SEVERAL TIMES.
SEVERAL TIMES. IT MADE THE BULLS THE
CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM THEY WERE.
SO BECAUSE THE PISTONS WERE SO
PHYSICAL, AND THEY TOOK A LOT OF
CHEAP SHOTS, TOO.
I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY MICHAEL WAS
SO UPSET, BECAUSE EVEN WHEN WE
PLAYED AGAINST THEM TWICE,
SHOTTIMESHOT
SHOTTIMESHOT SHOWTIME LAKERS THEY TOOK A LOT
OF CHEAP SHOTS.
THAT’S HAD YOU THEY PLAYED.
THEY WERE A ROUGH, TOUGH TEAM,
ONE OF THE BEST DEFENSIVE TEAMS
EVER PLAYED.
EVER PLAYED. MICHAEL, THAT WAS A BITTER
RIVALRY FOR BOTH THOSE TEAMS.
EVEN TODAY THEY STILL HATE EACH
OTHER.
OTHER. THE GREAT THING IS, I THINK THE
PISTONS MADE MICHAEL JORDAN BE
THE G.O.A.T.
THE G.O.A.T. LAST NIGHT WE SAW HIM SAY, HEY,
I’VE GOT TO GET STRONGER, SO HE
STARTED LIFTING WEIGHTS.
THAT’S THE REASON WHY HE BECAME
THE FOCUS BECAUSE HE HAD TO GO
THROUGH THE PISTONS TO BEAT
THEM.
THEM. AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE ALL
HAVE BITTER RIVALS.
WE STILL HATE CELTICS, THAT’S
HOW IT GOES.
YOU’RE GOING TO HATE YOUR
RIVALS.
RIVALS. I’M FRIEND WITH LARRY, ISIAH AND
MICHAEL, THEY AREN’T FRIENDS.
>> BEFORE I LET YOU GO.
YOU’RE PART OWNER OF THREE
DIFFERENT SPORTS FRANCHISES.
A LOT OF FOLKS IN THIS COUNTRY
REALIZING HOW MUCH WE NED SPORTS
IN OUR LIVES.
HOW DO WE GET BACK TO
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS IN THIS
COUNTRY?
COUNTRY? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE?
>> I THINK IT LOOKS LIKE IN THE
BEGINNING, NO FANS.
YOU’VE GOT TO KEEP THE PLAYERS
SAFE.
SAFE. FIRST YOU’VE GOT TO TEST ALL THE
PLAYERS AS WELL AS THOSE WHO
WORK WITH THEM, THOSE TEAMS, THE
STAFF, THE MEMBERS OF THE TEAM.
I THINK IT’S GOING TO START
WITHOUT FANS IN THE BEGINNING.
I THINK ALL OF US WILL TAKE
THAT.
THAT. BECAUSE P WE’RE AT HOME AND WE
GET TO SEE SPORTS, THAT’S ALL WE
WANT IN THE BEGINNING.
WE JUST NEED SOMETHING TO MAKE
US FEEL GOOD AND TO GIVE US SOME
HOPE
HOPE HOPE, AND WE CAN LAUGH OR CHEER
FOR OUR TEAM AND YELL AT THE TV
SCREEN.
SCREEN. WE NEED THAT RIGHT NOW.
I JUST WANT TO SAY GOD BLESS THE
WHOLE COUNTRY AND THEN OUR FIRST
RESPONDERS AND EVERYBODY WHO IS
RISKING THEIR LIVES FOR ALL OF
US.
US. ALL OF THESE PEOPLE WORK AT
THESE GROCERY STORES, SO WE CAN
KEEP EATING.
KEEP EATING. MAN, THIS IS JUST A HARD THING
FOR ALL OF US, BUT WE NEED
SPORTS TO COME BACK, AND I HOPE
THAT HAPPENS SOON.
>> MAGIC JOHNSON.
ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU, SIR.
>> YOU TOO, CRAIG.
>> GIVE MY LOVE TO COOKIE.
TAKE CARE.
TAKE CARE. >> WHAT A GREAT GUY.
ALL THIS HUMILITY TALKING ABOUT
MICHAEL AND PASSING THE TORCH,
YEAH, HE WAS THE BEST.
>> IT WAS HIS TIME.
FOR FOLKS THAT HAVEN’T WATCHED