Magic Johnson on NBA 2K23. [192] The experience taught him to listen to his customers and find out what products they wanted. "A Midsummer Night's Magic" eventually came under the umbrella of the Magic Johnson Foundation, which he founded in 1991. [15] His public announcement of his HIV-positive status helped dispel the stereotype, still widely held at the time, that HIV was a "gay disease" that heterosexuals need not worry about; his bravery in making this announcement was widely commended. . Total points scored: 17,070 (83rd all time) Magic averaged 19.5 points per game during the. [179] In 1998, Johnson hosted a late night talk show on the Fox network called The Magic Hour, but the show was canceled after two months because of low ratings. 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". Rookie of the Year. [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. After winning a national championship with Michigan State in 1979, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, leading the team to five NBA championships during their Showtime era. [207] In March 2012, Johnson's ownership group was announced as the winner of the proceedings to buy the Dodgers. Magic Johnson Profile at Los Angeles Lakers Universe Magic Johnson Profile at Authentic Basketball Wilt Chamberlain Profile at NBA Universe NBAUniverse.com has all the details about the NBA scoring leaders, assists leaders, rebounds leaders and all the other stats and awards compared here. August 14, But being bused to Everett turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me. $1,000,000. [67] Despite his off-court troubles, Johnson averaged 18.6points, 9.6rebounds, 9.5assists, and a league-high 2.7steals per game, and was voted a member of the All-NBA Second Team. Johnson said that what was "most amazing" about joining the Lakers was the chance to play alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,[46] the team's 7ft 2in (2.18m) center who became the leading scorer in NBA history. [141][142] Johnson also became a co-owner of the club;[143] however, the project failed after one season and the club was forced into reconstruction. . Compare Magic Johnson and Stephen Curry careers through the years of your choosing. Six . Statistics; Transactions . After leaving the NBA in 1991, Johnson formed the Magic Johnson All-Stars, a barnstorming team that traveled around the world playing exhibition games.[10]. [44] The Lakers again reached the Finals, and for a third time faced the Sixers, who featured center Moses Malone as well as Erving. [72] 1989-90 Hoops #310 David Robinson IA Rookie RC BGS 10 Pristine. Everett in Lansing, Michigan, Draft: [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. Johnson was awarded his third Finals MVP title after averaging 26.2points on .541shooting, 13.0assists, 8.0rebounds, and 2.33steals per game. [41], During the 197879 season, Michigan State again qualified for the NCAA tournament, where they advanced to the championship game and faced Indiana State, which was led by senior Larry Bird. Here is Magic Johnson's season by season for his career. Rookie Scales; College Tracker; Country Tracker; Manage Roster; Best Values; Birthday Tracker; Transactions . The talent already on Michigan State's roster also drew him to the program. In the decisive Game 7 in Boston, as the Lakers trailed by three points in the final minute, opposing point guard Dennis Johnson stole the ball from Johnson, a play that effectively ended the series. Johnson sold his remaining interest in the stores back to the company in 2010, ending a successful twelve-year partnership. At the age of 20 Magic Johnson took the Lakers to the victory in the series-clinching sixth game with a legendary performance. 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. FGA, TRB, AST, PF, GS over 99% complete back to 1975-76. At just 20 years old, he remains the. There were incidents of racism, with rocks being thrown at buses carrying black students and white parents refusing to send their children to school. He went to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz with the idea that he could successfully open the coffee shops in urban areas. [165] In an impromptu news conference on April 9, 2019, Johnson resigned from the Lakers, citing his desire to return to his role as an NBA ambassador. [176] Calling Buss his "second father" and "one of [his] best friends", Johnson spent five hours visiting Buss at the hospital just a few months before his death from cancer. I n today's post, we're going to share three facts that prove that Larry Bird was a better player than Magic Johnson. Magic Johnson is among the very best players who ever played for the Lakers franchise and had been selected as a member of the All-Time Los Angeles Lakers NBA team by 2K. [209] The Dodgers won the 2020 World Series, giving Johnson a Major League Baseball title to his credit. In a press conference held on November 7, 1991, Johnson made a public announcement that he would retire immediately. 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. 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. Magic Johnson had a usage percentage of 20.8 in his rookie season in 1979-80. magic johnson usage rate by year 1979-80 Johnson 1980-81 Johnson 1981-82 Johnson 1982-83 Johnson 1983-84 Johnson 1984-85 Johnson 1985-86 Johnson 1986-87 Johnson 1987-88 Johnson 1988-89 Johnson 1989-90 Johnson 1990-91 Johnson 1995-96 Johnson 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 . Coming off the bench, Johnson had 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists to help the Lakers to a 128118 victory. Johnson, a 20-year-old rookie, enters the fray. Magic won a ring his rookie season. 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. Find out more. The Lakers took a 32lead in the series, but Abdul-Jabbar, who averaged 33points a game in the series,[53] sprained his ankle in Game 5 and could not play in Game 6. FTA complete back to 1948-49. He wondered why so many athletes had failed at business, and sought advice. In comparison, Magic`s stats are 19.5, 7.2 and 11.2, respectively. Join our linker program. [7][8] He also holds the record for most career assists in the playoffs. Of course, he would go on to win five NBA titles and become one of the best players in history. Though he lost out on Rookie of the Year to Larry Bird, Magic still averaged 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 2.4 steals. [69] Johnson later said that his third season was when the Lakers first became a great team,[70] and he credited their success to Riley. 40 years ago today, Magic Johnson scores 42 pts as a rookie (most in NBA history) while starting at center in place of the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the Lakers claim the 1980 NBA Championship with a 123-107 win over the 76ers in Philadelphia in Game 6 of the '80 NBA Finals. Random House. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? "[119] Johnson said that despite the physical, highly competitive practices and scrimmages leading up to the 1992 Olympics, some of those same teammates still expressed concerns about his return to the NBA. [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. [215] The temporary name was Los Angeles Football Club,[216] which later became permanent in 2015. During his rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979-80, Magic Johnson showed that the truth is stranger than fiction. NBA Finals MVP 1980 on Winning Time: Magic Johnson story is . [164] Under Johnson, the Lakers sought to acquire multiple star players and cleared existing players, including future All-Star D'Angelo Russell, off of their roster in an attempt to free up room under the league's salary cap. [20], Earvin Johnson Jr. was born in Lansing, Michigan, to General Motors assembly worker Earvin Sr. and school janitor Christine. While Johnson is considered the leader of the ownership group, the controlling owner is Mark Walter, chief executive officer for Guggenheim Partners. Other biographies include: On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 3. Earvin Johnson Jr. Twitter : MagicJohnson (Magic, Buck, E.J. "[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. [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. He won 3 MVP awards, 3 Finals MVP awards and 5 NBA championships. The rookie with the million-watt smile. 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. [33], Despite their on-court rivalry, Johnson and Bird became close friends during the filming of a 1984 Converse shoe advertisement that depicted them as enemies. His plans underwent a dramatic change when he learned that he would be bused to the predominantly white Everett High School instead of going to Sexton,[26][30] which was predominantly black. Magic Johnson's performance in Game 6 and the series earned him the 1980 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). [28] His career 138triple-double games places him third all-time behind Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook. He was named an All-Star starter and made the All-Rookie Team. [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. His single-game playoff record of 24 assists . 5x champion, 3x league MVP, 3x @NBA Finals MVP, 12x Allstar, & the No. [103][104] Although the series was portrayed as a matchup between Johnson and Jordan,[105] Bulls forward Scottie Pippen defended effectively against Johnson. [45], Johnson was drafted first overall in 1979 by the Los Angeles Lakers. Sign up for the The Rookie Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Although he played in a celebrity game to honor coach Jud Heathcoate in 1995,[45] this was Johnson's first meaningful game played in his hometown of Lansing in 22 years. In the final minute of the game, Johnson had the ball stolen by Celtics center Robert Parish, and then missed two free throws that could have won the game. [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. Midway through Game 5 of the Finals, Kareem suffered a severe sprained ankle. 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. 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. [33] The Lakers advanced through the 1982 playoffs and faced Philadelphia for the second time in three years in the 1982 NBA Finals. [56][160][161] At the 2019 NBA Awards, Johnson received the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award (shared with Bird). [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. [13] In 1991, Johnson married Earlitha "Cookie" Kelly in a small wedding in Lansing which included guests Thomas, Aguirre, and Herb Williams. ] his career 1979 by the Los Angeles Football Club, [ 216 ] which later became permanent 2015. Made a public announcement that he would retire immediately Robinson IA rookie RC BGS 10 Pristine magic johnson rookie stats already on State. Successfully open the coffee shops in urban areas would retire immediately the victory the. 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