Past, present and future: 3 great NBA player rivalries with stories to tell

Those of us who follow sports know that there is nothing better than a great narrative to elevate a game. As much as a tempting Bitcoin bet on the NBA can add juice to a game you’re watching, when the contest taking place on the court fits into a wider history it just adds something. Whether it’s an underdog vs. a favorite, a local or regional rivalry, or a playoff decider, or even an outright on LeBron James’ own personal quest to become the all-time top scorer. It feels more immediate when there is something beyond the win-loss record at stake.

One of the classic all-time narratives, especially in basketball, is when two well-matched players come up against one another and test their claims to greatness. It’s something that happens more on the basketball court than anywhere else: while Mahomes vs. Brady is an intriguing contest, the two players will never cross paths on the field during the game. In the NBA, there is the chance to watch two titans share a court and try their hardest to influence the result in real time. And through history, there have always been player rivalries that underpinned some of the best on-court battles. We’re going to look at three examples: one from the past, one from right now, and one we think will be huge in the future.

Bird vs. Johnson

Many people view the 1980s as basketball’s Golden Era, which may be because many people in their 40s and 50s have sportswriting jobs and grew up in that era. But that spell does have a lot going for it, not least the epic East vs. West, Celtics vs Lakers, Bird vs Johnson rivalry. The two had faced off in college before making it to the big time, which may have driven this competitive rivalry and helped both teams to ever greater heights. NBA finals series in 1984, 1985 and 1987 brought the sides, and the players, together, and while Johnson ended up winning the latter two, both players were elevated by the battle. To this day, they’re close friends. Which, if anything, makes this rivalry all the more satisfying.

James vs. Irving

This one is, in some ways, a more poignant rivalry because it carries an undercurrent of what might have been. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James were teammates with the Cavs, and won a title together in 2016. But, in Irving’s own words, when he requested a trade away it was probably a mistake due to his own immaturity. Since then, they’ve met 13 times with LeBron carrying the series 10-3. Fans have long hoped that the Lakers and Nets could meet in the NBA Finals but, for James’ part, he would rather the Lakers trade for Irving and bring the players back onto the same side, which would admittedly be thrilling to watch.

Wembanyama vs Henderson

We won’t know what kind of sporting rivalry this will become until both players are drafted next June, but only a major unforeseen circumstance will stop them from going #1 and #2 – and then we’ll all be scanning calendars for their first NBA encounter, which may be classic archive footage come 2060. Victor Wembanyama is inked in to become the dominant player for the next decade or so, but Scoot Henderson will have something to say about that. Rarely in NBA history has a rivalry caught so much attention before it begins, and even if it only lives up to half the expectations we have for it, it’s going to be compulsive viewing.

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