by Denise I Smithson
Earvin Johnson Jr., better known to us as “Magic” Johnson was born in 1959 in Lansing, Michigan. He started playing basketball seriously while a student at Everett High School in Lansing, MI and played at Michigan State as well – however, he was drafted by the LA Lakers in 1979. The son of a General Motors worker and a school custodian, Johnson was born into a large family and discovered his love of basketball as a child. Johnson claims that he even slept with his basketball!
Johnson became known as “Magic” while still playing on his high school basketball team. A reporter covering a game could find no other way to convey the skill with which Johnson played. After graduating from high school, Johnson chose to attend Michigan State in East Lansing, MI in order to stay close to home. While in college, Johnson played on the school team, the well known Spartans. While a Spartan, Johnson led the team to a 25-5 record and a Big Ten conference title in his first year! His record the following year was no less impressive; the Spartans defeated Larry Bird’s Indiana State team to capture the national title in one of the most closely watched NCAA games ever.
Opting the pro route, Johnson joined the 1979 draft, where the Lakers picked him up. With a new coach in hand in Jack McKinney and a new owner (Dr. Jerry Buss), the fans couldn’t wait to see one of the best college players in their Lakers uniform. Players from all teams saw the Magic of Johnson and although the NBA rookie of the year went to Larry Bird, the Lakers won the NBA Championship in 1979 with a 60-22 record. When coach McKinney was replaced by Paul Westhead the following year, Magic’s numbers matched his college efforts at 18 ppg, 7.7 rpg, and 73 apg. Proudly, he was the first rookie to start in an NBA All-Star Game-something that hadn’t been done in eleven years!
In the 1980 NBA finals, Johnson scored an incredible 42 points, 15 board, 7 assists and three steals against the Philadelphia 76ers. Johnson was the first rookie to win the MVP award in the NBA finals. Magic Johnson is a modest sort, saying only of his achievement: “I just wanted to do whatever the (Lakers) needed to do to win. I was having fun.” Sadly, torn cartilage in his knee would keep him on the sidelines for 45 games in the following season.
Johnson and his team came back in the 1981-82 season, easily winning their division and facing the 76ers once more for the NBA championship-a repeat win and a repeat MVP Award. Maybe due to some of Johnson’s comments after the 1982 season, or maybe it was just time or for whatever reason, Coach Westhead was replaced by Pat Riley-who would become a legend in coaching in his own right. While some fans weren’t happy at this decision or Magic’s comments to the press, Johnson was jeered this season, but still his averages never dipped below 17.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 10.5 assists throughout his career.
In 1984, Johnson signed a $25 million contract with the Lakers. It was a good investment for the team, which captured three of the next four NBA titles. Johnson would also score a stunning 38 points in a game against Houston and an even more incredible 46 in a match-up with Sacramento in the 1986-1987 season. This season also saw Johnson’s career-high scoring average of 23.9 points per game. Johnson would win the NBA’s MVP award this season; an honor he would also receive in 1989 and 1990.
Prior to the 1991-92 season, Magic made the announcement that he had tested positive for the HIV virus and would be retiring. He did play at the All-Star game that year and won the game’s MVP Award, but at this point in his career, Magic turned to outreach-for HIV and AIDS and received the leagues J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. Not one to be kept down, Magic played for the 1992 US Olympic “Dream Team, wrote a book on safe sexual practices, and ran several businesses. He worked for NBC as a sports commentator and with only sixteen games left in the 1993-94 season, he took the offer of replacing Randy Pfund as the Lakers head coach.
In his 13 season NBA career, Magic Johnson achieved an astounding 17,707 points ( a 19.5 point per game average), 6,559 rebounds and 10,141 assists. This is in addition to his 1,724 steals (Johnson holds the record for ninth most steals in an NBA career). Johnson was also invited to the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time team in 1997 and entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. Johnson remains as modest as ever and continues to focus on his philanthropic work, but he is indisputably a living legend in the game of basket ball. As one of his fiercest rivals and greatest admirers, Larry Bird says of Johnson: Magic is head-and-shoulders above everybody else. I’ve never seen anybody as good as him.
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