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Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Jr. (born August 14, 1959 in Lansing, Michigan) is a
6' 9" (2.06 m) former American professional basketball star who played for
the Los Angeles Lakers during the 1980s and early 1990s. Playing point guard,
he led the Lakers to five NBA championships (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and
1988), as well as four other NBA Finals appearances. He also led Michigan
State University to the NCAA title in 1979 against arch-rival Larry Bird's
Indiana State University. Johnson is also the only NBA rookie to win the NBA
Finals MVP Award. He is one of only four players to win NCAA and NBA
championships in consecutive years. He was the purest passer of all time.
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He was named to the NBA All-Star team 12 times and was named league MVP
three times, in 1987, 1989, and 1990. He was named to the NBA's First-Team
nine times and the Second Team once. He is widely considered to be the best
point guard who ever played the game, although some believe it is John
Stockton, mostly because Stockton was more of a "true" point guard, who
played the position the way it was traditionally played. Essentially, this
means that he was a shorter player who relied more on quickness and leverage.
Johnson is the tallest dedicated point guard in NBA history, standing 6'9.
He combined the skills of the "true" point guard with those of a forward and
a center. In fact, he made his mark on the NBA in his first season when he
played all 5 positions on the court (Point guard, shooting guard, small
forward, power forward, and center) in an NBA Finals game, starting the game
at center for an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Magic Johnson had a positive impact at every level of competition. He
enjoyed championship seasons in high school, college, professional
basketball and was a key member of the 1992 gold-medal winning Olympic
basketball team (the so-called "Dream Team").
Johnson earned the nickname "Magic" at Everett High School in Lansing from a
local sports writer named Fred Stabley Jr., both for his flamboyant passing
style and winning ways. In different periods of his career, he led the
league in assists and steals. He led the Lakers in scoring three times
(1987, 1989, and 1990) and in rebounding twice (1982 and1983). Although he
and Bird eventually became the best of friends off the court, they revived
the heated Lakers-Celtics Rivalry and drew millions of new fans to the NBA.
The greatest game of Johnson's career arguably came in his rookie season:
May 16, 1980, in Game 6 of the NBA Finals at Philadelphia. Filling in for
the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic started the game at center and
eventually played every position on the floor in a dominating performance.
Scoring a game-high 42 points and grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds, he led
the Lakers to the NBA crown, stunning Julius Erving a.k.a. "Dr. J", the
Philadelphia 76ers, and a national television audience who came to
understand the moniker "Magic".
Profile:
Position: Guard/Forward
College: Michigan State
NBA draft: 1979, Undergrad, Los Angeles
Pro career: 1979-1991, 1996
Hall of Fame: Pro Basketball |
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