Basci Data:  Complete Name: Earvin Johnson Jr.
Position:
Point Guard
Nickname: Magic
Born: Aug 14, 1959 in
Lansing, MI
Height: 6-8
Weight:
215 lbs
High School: Everett in Lansing, MI
College:
Michigan State University
Career: Drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1st round (1st pick) of the 1979 NBA draft... Played his entire career for the Lakers.
NBA Seasons: 13 (1979-80/1990-91 and 1995-96)
NBA Titles: 5 - 1980, '82, '85, '87, '88
Olympic Gold Medals: 1 - in Barcelona 1982 with the "Dream Team"
The Player:
Pure talent. Maybe that's what better defines Johnson. His "magic" revolutionized the game of basketball.
Behind-the-back passes, no-look passes,
alley-oops from halfcourt, pivot moves, a smile for the history, were just parts of the endless arsenal of the tallest point guard in league history.
Considered one of the best players ever, he was the model of the perfect basketball player: team play, talent, fun, and he seemed to do everything right, he could score, assist, rebound and be the man to go in clutch time, whatever his team needed to win.
The NBA didn't need any time to notice his greatness. In his rookie year the Lakers made the Finals and were 3-2 up but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
was sidelined with a badly sprained ankle. At the age of 20 Magic Johnson took the Lakers to the victory in the
series-clinching sixth game with a legendary performance. He
played center in place of Abdul-Jabbar and with 42 points, 15 boards, 7 assists and 3 steals gave the Lakers the championship and became the first rookie ever to win the Finals MVP Award. During his brilliant career he got every title and award available (except for the Rookie of The Year that went to Larry Bird), from the NCAA Championship to the NBA and the Olympic Gold, he was the leader of some of the best teams the basketball has seen including the Showtime Lakers and the one who was clearly the best ever: Magic was the point guard in the Jordan-Bird-Barkley-Ewing-etc 1992 original Dream Team.
In 13 seasons highlighted by the Lakers/Celtics and Magic/Bird rivalries, Magic Johnson made the NBA Finals 9 times, winning 5 titles, 3 Finals MVPs, 3 Season MVPs and 2 All-Star MVPs in 12 All-Star Game selections.
The Magic is not over:
Before the 1991-92 season Magic stunned the basketball world with his retirement and the announcement that he had the HIV virus. He still played the All-Star Game that season leading the West to a 153-113 victory and earning his second MVP.
After that, Magic played for the 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream Team, and with 16 games left to play in the 1993-94 season, he made an interim replacement of Randy Pfund as the head coach of the Lakers.
He made a final comeback as a player in the 1995-96 season. He played the final 32 games, the Lakers entered the playoffs but were defeated by Houston in the first round and Magic retired definitely.
He has made campaigns to promote AIDS awareness and has run several businesses including theaters in minority neighborhoods in Los Angeles and other cities. He's also a part-owner of the Lakers.
When he retired in 1996
he was the NBA's all-time leader in assists in the regular season and in the playoffs. He is currently the Lakers all-time leader in assists and steals in both the season and the playoffs. |
| Statisticss |
Season |
Playoffs |
| Points |
19.5 |
19.5 |
| Rebounds |
7.2 |
7.7 |
| Assists |
11.2 |
12.3 |
| Steals |
1.90 |
1.88 |
NBA Titles:
 1979-80 Lakers
1981-82 Lakers
1984-85 Lakers
1986-87 Lakers
1987-88 Lakers
Teams:
Lakers
NBA Finals MVP 3 times (1980, 1982, 1987)
NBA Season MVP 3 times (1987, 1989, 1990) NBA All-Star MVP twice (1990, 1992)
12-time NBA All-Star (1980, 1982/92) NBA Career Leader in Assist per Game with 11.19
Lakers all-time leader in assists in the season (10,141 ast and 11.19 apg) and in the Playoffs (2,346 ast and 13.35 apg) Lakers all-time leader in steals in the season (1,724 stl) and in the Playoffs (358 stl and 1.88 spg) All-NBA 1st Team 9 times (1983/91)
All-NBA 2nd Team once (1982)
NBA assists leader 4 times (1983: 10.49 apg; 1984: 13.06 apg; 1986: 12.60 apg; 1987: 12.21 apg)
NBA steals leader 2 times (1981: 3.43 spg; 1982: 2.67 spg) One of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996).
Inducted into Hall of Fame as Player in 2002
another Magic profile... |
* The Baby Hook *