Legendary NCAA and NBA basketball stars Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Larry Bird will present the game ball at the 2009 NCAA national championship game Monday night at Ford Field in Detroit.

Johnson and Bird, both members of the Naismith Hall of Fame, are famous in part for leading their teams to legendary games against one another, beginning with the 1979 national title game between Johnson’s Michigan State Spartans and the Bird-led Sycamores of Indiana State. The 30th anniversary of that game, the highest-rated game in the history of the NCAA championship, will be a focal point of celebrations throughout Final Four weekend, culminating with Bird and Johnson presenting the game ball to team captains and officials.

“The NCAA men’s basketball tournament is one of the world’s most popular sporting events, and a great deal of that can be contributed to Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, two of the greatest players the sport has ever seen,” said Mike Slive, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference and chair of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee.

Read a review of a new book by CBS’ Seth Davis on the Bird-Magic rivalry.