[207] In March 2012, Johnson's ownership group was announced as the winner of the proceedings to buy the Dodgers. Read up on Magic Johnson's biography, career, awards and more on ESPN. [18] As such, in 2014, Johnson was named one of ESPNW's Impact 25. While Johnson is considered the leader of the ownership group, the controlling owner is Mark Walter, chief executive officer for Guggenheim Partners. 1979: Rd 1, Pk 1 (LAL) Birthplace. 1975-76 TRB Champ 4x BLK Champ 6x NBA Champ 15x All-NBA 11x All-Defensive 1969-70 All-Rookie 1969-70 ROY 2x Finals MVP 6x MVP NBA 75th Anniv. [49][50] Johnson averaged 18.0points, 7.7rebounds, and 7.3assists per game for the season, was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Team, and was named an NBA All-Star Game starter. [125] The Lakers played well initially, winning five of their first six games under Johnson, but after losing the next five games, Johnson announced that he was resigning as coach after the season. Magic won his first Finals MVP in 1980, averaging 21.5 PPG, 11.2 RPG, and 8.7 APG. [225], After announcing his infection in November 1991, Johnson created the Magic Johnson Foundation to help combat HIV,[226] although he later diversified the foundation to include other charitable goals. Learn more and register. [40], Before the 199293 NBA season, Johnson announced his intention to stage an NBA comeback. Jan. 25, 2023: The Pacers couldn't overcome a 17-point first quarter deficit in a 126-120 loss to the Magic at Amway Center. [40] Playing with future NBA draftees Greg Kelser, Jay Vincent, and Mike Brkovich, Johnson averaged 17.0points, 7.9rebounds, and 7.4assists per game as a freshman, and led the Spartans to a 255record, the Big Ten Conference title, and a berth in the 1978 NCAA tournament. Buss took a special interest in Johnson, introducing him to important Los Angeles business contacts and showing him how the Lakers organization was run, before eventually selling Johnson a stake in the team in 1994. [150] The following year, HBO developed a documentary about their rivalry titled Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals, which was directed by Ezra Edelman. . [36] He officially returned to the team on January 29, 1996,[128] and played his first game the following day against the Golden State Warriors. Johnson stated that his aim was to "help educate all people about what [HIV] is about" and teach others not to "discriminate against people who have HIV and AIDS". Here are some of the best Magic Johnson stats in the NBA Finals: 1.) Draft Info. [28] The Spartans reached the Elite Eight, but lost narrowly to eventual national champion Kentucky. [76][77] During the Finals, Johnson averaged 18.0points on .560shooting, 13.6assists, and 7.7rebounds per game. "[177] Buss acquired the team from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979, shortly before he drafted Johnson with the #1 pick in the 1979 NBA draft. Let's leave it at that. [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. Lakers Magic Johnson Signed 1980 Topps Rookie Reprint #139 Card Auto 10 BAS Slab. [154] He holds the All-Star Game single-game record for assists (22), and the All-Star Game record for career assists (127). [157] The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted him in 2002. All other box score stats (3PA, ORB, DRB, STL, BLK, TOV) complete back to 1983-84. [92] Johnson later accused Isiah Thomas of spreading the rumors, a claim Thomas denied. The first Magic Johnson Theater located in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, closed in 2010 and re-opened in 2011 as Rave Cinema 15. In 1994, Johnson joined with former pros Mark Aguirre, Reggie Theus, John Long, Earl Cureton, Jim Farmer, and Lester Conner, as his team played games in Australia, Israel, South America, Europe, New Zealand, and Japan. [28] In 1985, Johnson created "A Midsummer Night's Magic", a yearly charity event which included a celebrity basketball game and a black tie dinner. The series started poorly for the Lakers when they allowed an NBA Finals record 148points to the Celtics in a 34-point loss in Game 1. [95] It was the fifth and final NBA championship of his career. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. Johnson asserted that for him, the 82-game regular season was composed of 80 normal games, and two LakersCeltics games. He won his first Finals MVP award and his first NBA championship. Winning Time again explored the Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird narrative in its season finale. 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. [44] Jud Heathcote stepped down as coach of the Spartans after the 199495 season, and on June 8, 1995, Johnson returned to the Breslin Center to play in the Jud Heathcote All-Star Tribute Game. He plays at the Point Guard or Shooting Guard position in this All-Time team. He was named an All-Star starter and made the All-Rookie Team. [197][198], In 1990, Johnson and Earl Graves Sr. obtained a large interest in the Washington, D.C. PepsiCo bottling operation, making it the company's largest minority-owned facility in the U.S.[199] Johnson became a minority owner of the Lakers in 1994, having reportedly paid more than $10million for part ownership. [140], In 1999, Johnson joined the Swedish squad M7 Bors (now known as 'Bors Basket'), and was undefeated in five games with the team. His favorite basketball player was Bill Russell, whom he admired more for his many championships than his athletic ability. [138][139] On November 1, 2002, Johnson returned to play a second exhibition game against Michigan State. [183] He has also worked as a motivational speaker,[15] and was an NBA commentator for Turner Network Television for seven years,[184] before becoming a studio analyst for ESPN's NBA Countdown in 2008. SPONSORED. [188][189] In 2004, Johnson and his partner Ken Lombard sold Magic Johnson Theaters to Loews Cineplex Entertainment. The rookie scored 11 of the 20 points. Magic Johnson averaged 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 11.2 assists per game. [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. [87][88], Before the 198788 NBA season, Lakers coach Pat Riley publicly promised that they would defend the NBA title, even though no team had won consecutive titles since the Celtics did so in the 1969 NBA Finals. [115][117] Johnson played infrequently because of knee problems,[118] but he received standing ovations from the crowd, and used the opportunity to inspire HIV-positive people. [200] Johnson sold his ownership stake in the Lakers in October 2010 to Patrick Soon-Shiong, a Los Angeles surgeon and professor at UCLA,[201] but continued as an unpaid vice president for the team. He had become a dominant junior high player, once scoring 48 points in a game. Born on August 14, 1959, Earvin 'Magic' Johnson is a former NBA player and the former president of basketball operations for the LA Lakers. ", "Hillary Clinton Fundraisers Coming to Beverly Hills", "The Greatest Is Honored by The Diplomat", "Magic Johnson combats AIDS misperceptions", "Magic Johnson assists drugmaker to advertise HIV treatment", "Iconic Staples Center changing its name to Crypto.com Arena in reflection of changing times", "NBA unveils new trophies, awards honoring Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson", "2017 Class of FIBA Hall of Fame: Dream Team", "1992 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team", "Magic Johnson and Natalie Cole Honored at NAACP Awards Show", Basketball-Reference.com: Magic Johnson (as a coach), NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player, 1979 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans, NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Award, Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording, Citizen Kane (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Movie on Record, The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography, Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook), America Again: Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't, Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth, Wayland Baptist Women's Teams (19481982), Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs, The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, NAACP Image Award Jackie Robinson Sports Award, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Magic_Johnson&oldid=1142219451, African-American sports executives and administrators, African-American television talk show hosts, All-American college men's basketball players, American chief executives of food industry companies, American expatriate basketball people in Denmark, American expatriate basketball people in Sweden, American sports executives and administrators, Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics, Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, National Basketball Association All-Stars, National Basketball Association broadcasters, National Basketball Association players with retired numbers, Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball, Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball), United States men's national basketball team players, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected biographies of living people, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 10-time NBA champion (five as a player, five as owner/executive), Trophy named in Johnson's honor (Earvin "Magic" Johnson Trophy) awarded to, 1992 Olympic gold medal (U.S. national team), 1977 Michigan high school state champion (Lansing Everett High School). [13][169] The couple adopted a daughter, Elisa, in 1995. Right, Born: With 42 points . The Hall of Fame guard is a five-time NBA champion, but he is perhaps best remembered for his long-running rivalry with Larry Bird. His 11.2 assists are an NBA record for assists per game for a career. [56][160][161] At the 2019 NBA Awards, Johnson received the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award (shared with Bird). Only 1 left! All rights reserved. 1990 Fleer Basketball Earvin Magic Johnson Card #93 Lakers MINT. He insisted that his health was not an issue, while downplaying questions about returning as a player, saying, "I'm retired. 8 of 9! In 2006, he publicly endorsed Phil Angelides for Governor of California,[219] in 2007 he supported Hillary Clinton in her presidential campaign,[220] and in 2010 he endorsed Barbara Boxer in her race for re-election to the U.S. Earvin (Magic) Johnson has signed a 25-year contract for $1 million a year, starting in 1984, Jerry Buss, the Los Angles Lakers' owner, said tonight. [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. You can see stats, championships, awards and more. Free shipping. Magic Johnson on NBA 2K23 With Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson willed the Lakers to victory in just his first season in the NBA. [154], Johnson was exceptional because he played point guard despite being 6ft 9in (2.06m), a size reserved normally for frontcourt players. Johnson's stats in 77 games were identical to those he had at Michigan State (18.0 ppg, 7.7 RPG, 7.3 APG). Total points scored: 17,070 (83rd all time) Magic averaged 19.5 points per game during the. He finished the game with 40 points on 16-24 shooting as well as 15 rebounds and four blocks in 41 minutes on a badly injured ankle. [229], HIV had been associated with intravenous drug users and homosexuals,[226] but Johnson's campaigns sought to show that the risk of infection was not limited to those groups. Johnson sold his remaining interest in the stores back to the company in 2010, ending a successful twelve-year partnership. Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American retired professional basketball player and former president of basketball operations of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Ten of the 12 players on the team were named on the NBA's list of, Principal owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise, Brooklyn Atlantics/Grays/Bridegrooms/Grooms/, Michigan State Spartans men's basketball 197879 NCAA champions, 1992 Tournament of the Americas Gold medal, 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, List of career achievements by Magic Johnson, List of athletes who came out of retirement, List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders, List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders, List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders, List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff scoring leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff rebounding leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff assists leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff steals leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff turnovers leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff free throw scoring leaders, List of National Basketball Association players with most assists in a game, List of National Basketball Association players with most steals in a game, "Magic weekend is on tap as Johnson set for NBA encore", "202122 Big Ten Men's Basketball Media Guide", "Daily Dime: Special Edition The 10 Greatest Point Guards Ever", "NBA All-Time Player Rankings: Top 10 Point Guards", "NBA 75: Top 75 NBA players of all time, from MJ and LeBron to Lenny Wilkens", "NBA 75: At No. "[134] Johnson was himself suspended five days later, when he bumped referee Scott Foster, missing three games. [181][182] Johnson also co-promoted Janet Jackson's Velvet Rope Tour through his company Magicworks. Larry was kicked off the basketball team after a confrontation during practice, prompting him to beg his brother not to play. [11] His friendship and rivalry with Boston Celtics star Larry Bird, whom he faced in the 1979 NCAA finals and three NBA championship series, are well documented. For the NBA center, see, Two moments of Johnson during his tour with the All-Stars to Argentina in January 1994: (left) greeting a local player; (right) hugging soccer superstar, HIV announcement and Olympics (19911992), Return to the Lakers as coach and player (1994, 1996). His father played high school basketball in his home state of Mississippi,[29]and Johnson learned the finer points about the game from him. [124] Stating that it was never his dream to coach, he chose instead to purchase a 5% share of the team in June 1994. [23] When recalling the events in his autobiography, My Life, he talked about how his time at Everett had changed him: As I look back on it today, I see the whole picture very differently. [33] Johnson dedicated the championship victory to his best friend Reggie Chastine, who was killed in a car accident the previous summer. "I haven't talked . [57], Early in the 198081 season, Johnson was sidelined after he suffered torn cartilage in his left knee. 1979-80 NBA Season Stats: 18.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 7.3 APG, 2.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG Awards And Achievements: NBA Champion, Finals MVP, All-Star, All-Rookie Team After being selected with the No. [34] He gave Chastine much of the credit for his development as a basketball player and as a person,[35] saying years later, "I doubted myself back then. In his rookie season, the Lakers won the N . Three Point Attempts (3PTA) Points Per Game (PPG) Assists Per Game (APG) Rebounds Per Game (RPG) Blocks Per Game (BPG) Steals Per Game (SPG) Field Goal Percentage (FG%) Free Throw Percentage (FT%) Three Point Percentage (3PT%) Minutes Played Turnovers True Shooting Percentage Playoff Stats Games (G) Minutes Played Per Game (MP) Points Assists (Ast) Check out Magic Johnson's College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits and More College Stats at Sports-Reference.com [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. Bumped referee Scott Foster, missing three games Johnson was himself suspended five days later, when bumped... Normal games, and 7.7rebounds per game in this All-Time team his athletic ability 169! 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