GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Aaron Rodgers has never met Magic Johnson, but the Green Bay Packers quarterback knows how the formerLos Angeles Lakersstar feels about fellow basketball Hall of FamerLarry Bird.
That's why Rodgers felt so special when Johnson recently compared the QB to Bird.
"To be compared to Larry, who I know Magic has the utmost amount of respect for, is way too big of a compliment," Rodgers said Tuesday on his ESPN Milwaukee radio show. "And I really appreciate that from Magic. I have a ton of respect for him and his career and what he's done, and the philanthropic things he's done off the court, as well."
Johnson took to Twitter on Sunday to praise Rodgers during the Packers' 53-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
"Larry, like the nickname suggests, is a legend," Rodgers said on his show. "The comparison really is very humbling for me."
Rodgers, a native of Chico, California, said his dad was a Lakers fan during the Johnson era. But Rodgers joked about being a bigger fan of Vlade Divac.
"The only one that could possibly compare would be maybe if he had said something about Vlade Divac," Rodgers said. "But I'll take Larry Bird."