[85][86] The Lakers met the Celtics for the third time in the NBA Finals, and in Game 4 Johnson hit a last-second hook shot over Celtics big men Parish and Kevin McHale to win the game 107106. [157] The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted him in 2002. [77][109], Johnson's HIV announcement became a major news story in the United States,[108] and in 2004 was named as ESPN's seventh-most memorable moment of the previous 25 years. [106], After a physical before the 199192 NBA season, Johnson discovered that he had tested positive for HIV. [98], Playing without Abdul-Jabbar for the first time, Johnson won his third MVP award[99] after a strong 198990 NBA season in which he averaged 22.3points, 11.5assists, and 6.6rebounds per game. [87] The game-winning shot, which Johnson dubbed his "junior, junior, junior sky-hook",[87] helped Los Angeles defeat Boston in six games. [129] Playing power forward, he averaged 14.6points, 6.9assists, and 5.7rebounds per game in 32games, and finished tied for 12th place with Charles Barkley in voting for the MVP Award. [113], Several journalists hypothesized that the JohnsonBird rivalry was so appealing because it represented many other contrasts, such as the clash between the Lakers and Celtics, between Hollywood flashiness ("Showtime") and Boston/Indiana blue collar grit ("Celtic Pride"), and between blacks and whites. 1. [76][77] During the Finals, Johnson averaged 18.0points on .560shooting, 13.6assists, and 7.7rebounds per game. [214] Johnson announced his co-ownership of a Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion franchise based in Los Angeles on October 30, 2014. $22.75. [47] Despite Abdul-Jabbar's dominance, he had failed to win a championship with the Lakers, and Johnson was expected to help them achieve that goal. [28], At the age of 36, Johnson attempted another comeback as a player when he re-joined the Lakers during the 199596 NBA season. 5, Magic Johnson combined dazzling playmaking with charisma to lead the Showtime Lakers to five titles", "Magic Johnson vs. Stephen Curry: Does Warriors star have stats case to surpass Lakers legend as GOAT point guard? Magic Johnson had perhaps one of the best performances ever as a rookie to help the Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Philadelphia 76ers to win the 1980 NBA Championship. Here are some of the best Magic Johnson stats in the NBA Finals: 1.) the Deejay, Tragic, The Magic Man, Junior), Position: The Lakers did not reach the playoffs during Johnson's executive tenure. With Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson willed the Lakers to victory in just his first season in the NBA. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. Jamaal Wilkes scored 37 points, including a dunk with 50 seconds left that gave Los Angeles a 12-point lead. There was a point early on in the episode when Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) hears that Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small) was selected as the 1980 NBA Rookie of the Year. Check out stats on every National Basketball Association Rookie of the Year winner on ESPN.com. Michigan State, High School: 8 of 9! Forgotten fact: Magic Johnson won Finals MVP as a ROOKIE. [215] The temporary name was Los Angeles Football Club,[216] which later became permanent in 2015. Although Andre was raised by his mother, he visited Johnson each summer, and later worked for Magic Johnson Enterprises as a marketing director. [124] Stating that it was never his dream to coach, he chose instead to purchase a 5% share of the team in June 1994. SPONSORED. [28] After the game, Fred Stabley Jr., a sports writer for the Lansing State Journal, gave him the moniker[32] despite the belief of Johnson's mother, a devout Christian, that the name was sacrilegious. Here are the 13 most expensive David Robinson cards: 1. [7][8] He also holds the record for most career assists in the playoffs. [44][130] The Lakers had a record of 2210 in the games Johnson played, and he considered his final comeback "a success. FTA complete back to 1948-49. the Deejay, Tragic, The Magic Man, Junior are nicknames for Magic Johnson. Holds the all-time record for highest career assists-per-game average11.2 Holds the all-time record for most assists in Playoffs2,346 Johnson is also the only player in NBA history to have at least 2,000 assists in a playoff career [1] Holds the all-time record for highest assists-per-game average in Playoffs12.4 Courtesy of his heroics in the clincher and with series averages of 21.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, 8.7 assists, and 2.7 steals, Johnson was named Finals MVP. Prior to Johnson and Bird's arrival, the NBA had gone through a decade of declining interest and low TV ratings. [20], Earvin Johnson Jr. was born in Lansing, Michigan, to General Motors assembly worker Earvin Sr. and school janitor Christine. [40], Before the 199293 NBA season, Johnson announced his intention to stage an NBA comeback. [91] Johnson and Thomas greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek before the opening tip of Game 1, which they called a display of brotherly love. Jul 17 1996 Los Angeles (LAL) . [143] He later joined the Danish team The Great Danes. "I haven't talked . The 6-foot-9 rookie averaged 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists in 1979-80. . In a press conference held on November 7, 1991, Johnson made a public announcement that he would retire immediately. The rookie with the million-watt smile. MagicJohnson, (Magic, Buck, E.J. Playing with the Canberra Cannons of Australia's National Basketball League instead of his usual group of players, Johnson's team defeated the Spartans 10485, as he scored 12 points, with 10 assists and 10 rebounds. [33] In an August 2011 interview, Johnson said that in retrospect he wished that he had never retired after being diagnosed with HIV, saying, "If I knew what I know now, I wouldn't have retired. [78] Johnson later described the series as "the one championship we should have had but didn't get". At the age of 20 Magic Johnson took the Lakers to the victory in the series-clinching sixth game with a legendary performance. 3. [207] In March 2012, Johnson's ownership group was announced as the winner of the proceedings to buy the Dodgers. . This is average NBA player's height . "[119], During his retirement, Johnson has written a book on safe sex, run several businesses, worked for NBC as a commentator, and toured Asia, Australia and New Zealand with a basketball team of former college and NBA players. SGC has graded another 1,100 and Beckett has graded another 3,800 copies for a grand total of 14,700 . He now has the type of off-ball offense and defensive tools NBA teams can picture translating. Statistics; Transactions . Magic recorded 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals in a 123-107 victory over the Sixers in Philadelphia during Game 6 while filling in for Jabbar at the center position to win his. Do you have a sports website? [75] The Lakers won the first game, and led by two points in Game 2 with 18seconds to go, but after a layup by Gerald Henderson, Johnson failed to get a shot off before the final buzzer sounded, and the Lakers lost 124121 in overtime. Averaged 19.4 points, 11.7 assists, and 7.9 rebounds in 50 NBA Finals games. Branham has put together a tremendous stretch with the Spurs and is coming off his best month of the season. Join our linker program. On NBA 2K23, this Classic Version of Magic Johnson's 2K Rating is 93 and has a 2-Way Playshot Build. Johnson's autobiography is Johnson, Earvin (1992). [65] After Johnson demanded to be traded, Lakers owner Jerry Buss fired Westhead and replaced him with Riley. [177] It was this arrangement that allowed Johnson to coach the team without receiving any additional salary. During the playoffs, while Bird scored 0.5 less points per game, Magic delivered one more assist and picked 0.5 more rebounds per game. Johnson was publicly critical of Van Exel, saying his actions were "inexcusable. 910. [16] He stated that his wife Cookie and their unborn child did not have HIV, and that he would dedicate his life to "battle this deadly disease". [152], Johnson introduced a fast-paced style of basketball called "Showtime", described as a mix of "no-look passes off the fastbreak, pin-point alley-oops from halfcourt, spinning feeds and overhand bullets under the basket through triple teams. Since Elvin Hayes 11 years ago, he became the first rookie to start in an NBA All-Star Game. He put together a 14-point, 21-assist performance in Game 3. [77][92][93] After the teams split the first six games, Lakers forward and Finals MVP James Worthy had his first career triple-double of 36points, 16rebounds, and 10assists, and led his team to a 108105win. Sign up for the The Rookie Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. [28] Johnson came from an athletic family. Stats: None. I n today's post, we're going to share three facts that prove that Larry Bird was a better player than Magic Johnson. During his seventh season in the NBA, he had a meeting with Michael Ovitz, CEO of Creative Artists Agency. Johnson averaged 8.0 points per game during the Olympics, and his 5.5 assists per game was second on the team. Second Championship Ring (Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia Sixers, 1982) The series was all about a balanced scoring attack for the Lakers. Magic Johnson played 13 seasons for the Lakers. Here is Magic Johnson's season by season for his career. . RELATED: Magic Johnson Just the Latest Member of the Showtime Lakers to Turn a Cold Shoulder to New HBO . [26] He also idolized players such as Earl Monroe and Marques Haynes,[27] and practiced "all day". [192] The partnership, called Urban Coffee Opportunities, placed Starbucks in locations such as Detroit, Washington, D.C., Harlem, and the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles. He played for the Lakers for 13 seasons . Magic was the fourth of seven children Earvin Sr. and Christine had together. Although Johnson denied responsibility for Westhead's firing,[66] he was booed across the league, even by Laker fans. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Johnson learned everything he could about business, often meeting with corporate executives during road trips. inLansing,Michigan MP over 99% complete back to 1976-77. Playing in front of a sold-out arena, Johnson had a triple-double and played the entire game, but his all-star team lost to the Spartans by two points. A year-by-year list of the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Award winners: 2021-22 Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors ( Voting) 2020-21 LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets ( Voting) 2019-20 Ja Morant,. [19][218], Johnson is a supporter of the Democratic Party. "[28] Fellow Lakers guard Michael Cooper said, "There have been times when [Johnson] has thrown passes and I wasn't sure where he was going. [16] Named by Ebony magazine as one of America's most influential black businessmen in 2009,[17] Johnson has numerous business interests, and was a part-owner of the Lakers for several years, as well as being the team's president of basketball operations from 2017 to 2019. [37], Although Johnson was recruited by several top-ranked colleges such as Indiana and UCLA, he decided to play close to home. He had become a dominant junior high player, once scoring 48 points in a game. Johnson had never seriously considered coaching, but he agreed to take the head coaching position with the Lakers in 1994 at Buss' request. 1 overall pick by the Lakers, Johnson had an immediate partner in crime with Abdul-Jabbar. "[33][128], Determined to play competitive basketball despite being out of the NBA, Johnson formed the Magic Johnson All-Stars, a barnstorming team composed of former NBA and college players. 1980 Topps Magic Johnson Rookie Card Larry Bird RC Julius Erving PSA 9 Mint . He nearly got into a fight with another player before head coach George Fox intervened. Magic Johnson Music signed R&B artist Avant as its first act. $1,000,000. [115] After qualifying for the Olympics with a gold medal at the 1992 Tournament of the Americas,[116] the Dream Team dominated in Olympic competition, winning the gold medal with an 80 record, beating their opponents by an average of 43.8 points per game. Total points scored: 17,070 (83rd all time) Magic averaged 19.5 points per game during the. [204], In 2015, Johnson completed his planned acquisition for a "majority, controlling interest" in EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, which manages $14.5 billion in annuities, life insurance and other financial products. "[128] While Johnson played well in 1996, there were struggles both on and off the court. Johnson took over for a Lakers team that was 28-38 overall. The Celtics won Game 4 in overtime, and the teams split the next two games. 8/14/1959. "[3] Bleacher Report also listed Johnson first in its all-time NBA point guard rankings. [123][124] Johnson, who took the job at the urging of owner Jerry Buss, admitted "I've always had the desire (to coach) in the back of my mind." [230] He has advertised GlaxoSmithKline's drugs,[231] and partnered with Abbott Laboratories to publicize the fight against AIDS in African American communities.[230]. [129] On February 14, Johnson recorded the final triple-double of his career, when he scored 15 points, along with 10 rebounds and 13 assists in a victory against the Atlanta Hawks. $19,999.99. Los Angeles Lakers, 1st round (1st pick, 1st overall), 1979 NBA Draft, Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 2002 (Full List), More Magic Johnson pages at Sports Reference. [129], After the Lakers lost to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs,[136] Johnson initially expressed a desire to return to the team for the 199697 NBA season, but he also talked about joining another team as a free agent, hoping to see more playing time at point guard instead of power forward. [21] Johnson, who had six siblings and three half-siblings by his father's previous marriage,[22][23][a] was influenced by his parents' strong work ethic. [125][127] Johnson, who still had a guaranteed player contract that would pay him $14.6 million during the 199495 NBA season, signed a separate contract to coach the team that had no compensation. After showing Schultz the tremendous buying power of minorities, Johnson was able to purchase 125 Starbucks stores, which reported higher than average per capita sales. A pristine copy set a new record in September 2018, selling for $125,200. [112] The game ended after he made a last-minute three-pointer, and players from both teams ran onto the court to congratulate Johnson. 13 most expensive David Robinson cards: 1. fight with another player before head coach George Fox intervened team., Tragic, the NBA had gone through a decade of declining and! The one championship we should have had but did n't get '' the Great Danes was... 77 ] during the Finals, Johnson announced his intention to stage an NBA comeback for the. 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