Here’s why the Los Angeles Lakers couldn’t draft Larry Bird with the first pick in the 1979 NBA Draft in HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty episode 1. The sports drama chronicles the beginning of the Lakers dynasty that started after Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson joined the organization. The first episode primarily focused on Magic’s decision about whether or not he was ready to join the NBA and if the Lakers would have the opportunity to draft him.
Despite a good performance in the 1978-79 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers received the first overall pick in the 1979 draft due to a trade with the New Orleans Jazz the previous offseason. After winning a coin flip against the Chicago Bulls, the Lakers, new owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly), and coach Jerry West (Jason Clarke) began debating who to take. Most of the conversations revolved around Magic Johnson and Sidney Moncrief as the top two prospects. Winning Time episode 1 also mentions that Larry Bird was already going to the Boston Celtics, which doesn’t make a lot of sense given that the Lakers had the first pick.
The Los Angeles Lakers having the first pick in the 1979 NBA draft should’ve meant they had the freedom to draft any player. However, the reason the Lakers couldn’t draft Larry Bird is that he was already a member of the Boston Celtics by this point. Bird originally declared for the 1978 NBA draft and was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick. Instead of immediately joining the Celtics, Bird elected to go back to Indiana State for his senior season. While that created a window for him to rejoin the 1979 draft class and go to a different team, like the Lakers or Bulls potentially, Bird signed a five-year contract with the Celtics on June 8, 1979, that made it impossible for the Lakers or any other team to draft him.
There was some uncertainty leading up to the 1979 NBA draft about whether or not Larry Bird would be available as an option for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Boston Celtics’ General Manager Red Auerbach went on record saying he wouldn’t pay Larry Bird more as a rookie than anyone else on the roster. However, Bird’s agent made it clear they would accept nothing less than a top-level offer and enter the 1979 draft if a deal wasn’t agreed upon. Since Larry Bird didn’t sign a contract with the Celtics originally, the team would’ve lost his draft rights the second the 1979 draft began. The two sides ultimately agreed to a five-year, $3.25 million contract that made Bird the highest-paid rookie in sports history at the time.
If Larry Bird’s deal with the Boston Celtics didn’t happen, it is possible the Los Angeles Lakers would’ve drafted him instead of Magic Johnson. It makes for a game-changing decision on many levels, as Bird and Magic’s careers – and the contents of Winning Time – would’ve been altered. Their NBA rivalry would’ve been delayed, as Magic was going to return to college if he couldn’t play for the Lakers. Additionally, everything that happened between Bird and the Celtics led the NBA to change their draft rules, making it so NBA teams couldn’t draft players who wanted to remain in college known as the Bird Collegiate Rule.
New episodes of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty release on HBO/HBO Max at 9 pm EST every Sunday.