Athletes - Magic Johnson

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	Athletes - Magic Johnson

Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Jr. (born August 14, 1959 in Lansing, Michigan) is a former point guard of the National Basketball Association, widely regarded as one of the purest passers and best point guards in the game's history. He has won championships at every level of competition, high school, collegiate, professional, and international. His professional career consisted of 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he won five NBA championships, was named to the NBA All-Star team 12 times, was league MVP three times, and NBA Finals MVP three times. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002, and was voted to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996. In 1991 he became one of the first sports-celebrities to announce his HIV-seropositivity, and as one of the most well known public figures to be HIV-positive, he has continually worked to educate and raise awareness of the disease.

High school and college

From his first days playing the game as a high school All-American at Everett High School in Lansing, Johnson was a unique player. He earned the nickname "Magic" when he was only 15 from local sports writer Fred Stabley Jr., who watched him put up 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 16 assists in one game. In 1977, Magic's senior year, he led Everett High School to a 27-1 record and a state championship, averaging 28.8 points and 16.8 rebounds for the year.

At 6'9", he was as tall as some centers yet played the point guard position (he still remains the tallest dedicated point guard in NBA history). Choosing a college close to home, Johnson put up impressive numbers his freshman year, and helped Michigan State University earn a Big Ten Conference title; the Spartans lost in the Mideast Region final to eventual champions Kentucky. His sophomore year in college, Johnson took the team even farther, winning the NCAA national title in 1979, beating player-of-the-year Larry Bird's Indiana State University. It remains the most widely watched title game in history.

1979-80: First NBA season

Leaving college after his sophomore year, Johnson was the first overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft, chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers. Johnson's impact was immediate. The Lakers were a talented team and featured one of the game's greatest centers in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but Kareem had been unable to get the Lakers to the championship series in his previous two seasons. Many observers felt that even though Abdul-Jabbar was more valuable, it was Johnson who pushed the Lakers from being a good team to a great one. He combined the skills of the "true" point guard with those of a forward and a center, and fit in well with the Lakers scheme. Featuring a fast-breaking style with often dazzling passes, the Lakers were winning games in such an exciting fashion they were dubbed "Showtime" by fans and the media. Johnson played with a great joy that was infectious, and the Lakers not only became a fun team to watch, but a team that seemed to be having fun playing. Only the Boston Celtics, featuring eventual Rookie of the Year Larry Bird, and the Philadelphia 76ers, with the dynamic Julius Erving, matched the Lakers in fan popularity.

In Johnson's first NBA post-season, the Lakers met the 76ers in the NBA Finals. As had been true throughout the season, Abdul-Jabbar was the key to the Lakers' success. However, in a game five victory, the Laker center suffered a severely sprained ankle. The Lakers led the best-of-seven series three-games-to-two, but were traveling to Philadelphia for game six without their best player and that year's league MVP (the third consecutive year Kareem had won the award). In a move that shocked and delighted fans outside of Philadelphia, point guard Magic Johnson, still not yet age 21, started the game as center in Abdul-Jabbar's place, and eventually played every position on the floor, delivering arguably the finest game of his NBA career, scoring 42 points, pulling down 15 rebounds, and passing out 7 assists. The Lakers won game six and with it the NBA championship. Johnson was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, being the only rookie to have ever won the award. Johnson is also one of only four players to win NCAA and NBA championships in consecutive years.

1980s: Controversy, championships, and the rivalry

Coming off a disappointing 1980-81 campaign where the Lakers failed to defend their title, losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Houston Rockets, the Lakers started off the 1981-82 season winning. But under Head Coach Paul Westhead the fast-breaking style of the previous years appeared to be replaced by a more deliberate offensive game plan focusing on the half-court effectiveness of Abdul-Jabbar. While far from being the only player critical of the new offense, Johnson was the first to voice his concerns publicly. After a road win against the Utah Jazz, Johnson, who earlier had a verbal altercation with Westhead, demanded a trade from the team. Laker Owner Jerry Buss instead fired Westhead, inviting league-wide scorn. For perhaps the first time in his career, Johnson found himself being booed by fans across the league, even in Los Angeles. The controversy was shortlived; Westhead was replaced by Assistant Coach and former broadcaster Pat Riley, and Johnson and Lakers went on to win the 1982 NBA Championship.

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Athletes - Magic Johnson

High school and college

1979-80: First NBA season

1980s: Controversy, championships, and the rivalry

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