Magic Johnson
Teams
Los Angeles Lakers - 1979-91, 1995-96
Playoffs
Appearances - 13 (1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1996)
Conference Finals - 10 (1980,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1991)
NBA Finals - 9 (1980,1982,1983,1984,1985,1987,1988,1989,1991)
Championships - 5 (1980,1982,1985,1987,1988)
Awards and Honors
Rookie of the Year - 1980
MVP - 3 (1987,1989,1990)
Finals MVP - 3 (1980,1982,1985,1987,1988)
All-NBA First Team - 9 (1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991)
All-NBA Second Team - 1 (1980,1982)
Hall of Fame - 2002
*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)
All-Time Ranks
Assists Per Game - #1
Total Assists - #6
Steals Per Game - #23
Total Steals - #24
Free Throw Percentage - #71
Field Goal Percentage - #72
Points Per Game - #79
Total Points - #85
League Leads
Total Assists (#1-1983,1986,1987, #2-1982,1985,1990,1991, #3-1984,1988,1989)
Assists Per Game (#1-1983,1984,1986,1987, #2-1982,1985,1988,1989,1990,1991)
Steals Per Game (#1-1981,1982, #5-1980,1984)
Total Steals (#3-1982, #5-1980)
Free Throw Percentage (#1-1989, #5-1991)
Three-Pointers Made (#5-1990)
After leading Michigan State to the national championship and winning the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament award as a sophomore, Magic Johnson entered the NBA Draft, where he was the #1 overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Magic was an immediate success in the NBA. He averaged 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists as a rookie, finishing as the runner-up to Rookie of the Year Larry Bird. He helped Kareem Abdul-Jabbar lead the Lakers all the way to the NBA Finals, where they faced Julius Erving and the 76ers. They took a 3-2 lead before Kareem was forced to miss Game 6 with a sprained ankle, so Johnson started at center instead of his usual point guard, recording 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists in the deciding game, which earned him the Final MVP. He is still the only rookie ever to win the Finals MVP, and joined Bill Russell as the only players ever to win an NBA title the year after being named MOP of the NCAA Tournament.
Magic suffered a knee injury early in his second season, causing him to miss 45 games, but he still led the league in steals that year with 3.4 per game. The Lakers lost to Houston in the first round of the playoffs that year, one of only 3 times in his career that he wouldn't reach at least the Conference Finals.
Fully healthy the next year, Johnson led the league in steals again, with 2.7 per game, and nearly averaged a triple-double for the season, recording 18.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game. He led them back to the NBA Finals, where they faced Philadelphia again, and after Magic recorded 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists in Game 6, the Lakers won another championship, and Magic earned another Finals MVP.
The next year, Johnson led the league in assists for the first time, averaging 10.5 per game to go with his 16.8 points, a career low at the time. The Lakers reached the Finals again, facing Philadelphia for the 3rd time in 4 years, but this time they fell to the dominant 76ers, who swept the Lakers in 4 games.
He averaged a career high 13.4 assists the next year, leading the league again, and led the Lakers to the Finals for the third year in a row, this time facing Larry Bird and the Celtics for the first time. After the ball was stolen from Magic in the final minute of Game 7, the Lakers lost the game and the series, giving Bird payback for losing to Magic's Spartans in the 1979 NCAA title game.
Magic continued his high level of play the next season, recording 12.6 assists per game, which was only good for second place that year. He led the Lakers to the Finals once again, where they had a rematch with Boston, and even though Magic set a Finals record by averaging 14.0 assists per game, Kareem was named the Finals MVP after leading the team with 25.7 points per game at age 38.
The following season Magic led the league in assists for the third time, again averaging 12.6 per game, but the season ended in disappointment when the Rockets knocked them off in the Conference Finals, ending their streak of consecutive Finals appearances at 4. It was the only time between 1982 and 1989 that Magic's season would not end in the Finals.
Magic averaged a career high 23.9 points per game the next season, and led the league with 12.2 assists per game, the fourth and final time in his career that he would win the assist title, and was named the league MVP for the first time. He led the Lakers back to the Finals, where they faced the Celtics for the 3rd time in 4 seasons, and Magic won his 3rd Finals MVP after averaging 26.2 points, 13.0 assists, and 8.0 rebounds in the 6-game series win.
At that point, no team had repeated as champions in 18 years, but the Lakers were able to end that trend. They were stretched to 7 games in the second round and the Conference Finals, then went the full 7 in the Finals as well. Magic averaged 21.1 points, 13.0 assists, and 5.7 rebounds in the Finals, but the Finals MVP went to James Worthy after he recorded a triple-double in the final game.
The next season, Magic averaged 22.5 points, 12.8 assists, and 7.9 rebounds, while leading the league by shooting .911 from the line, and was named the MVP for the second time. He led the Lakers back to the Finals yet again, but after injuring his hamstring in Game 2, the Lakers fell to the Pistons in 4 games to end their season.
Kareem retired after that season, and Magic won yet another MVP in his first season without his star teammate. Even though the regular season went well, the Lakers were upset in the second round of the playoffs by the Phoenix Suns, making it the first time since 1981 that the Lakers wouldn't reach the Conference Finals.
He had another strong season in 1990-91, averaging 19.4 points, 12.5 assists, and 7.0 rebounds per game, and he was able to lead the Lakers to the Finals for the 9th time in his career. They met up with Michael Jordan and the Bulls, and even though Magic played well, it wasn't enough to stop the Bulls, who beat the Lakers in 5 games to win their first-ever title.
Right before the start of the next season, Magic discovered that he had tested positive for HIV in a routine physical, and he announced his retirement from the game immediately. He was still voted to the All-Star team, so he unretired to play in the game, winning the All-Star MVP award, then played in that summer's Olympics before retiring again. After 3.5 seasons away from playing, Magic returned for the second half of the 1995-96 season, playing 32 games as a power forward, averaging 14.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game before retiring for good.
Magic finished in the top 2 in assist average in the NBA for 10 straight seasons from 1981-91, leading the league 4 times, and his 11.2 per game for his career is the highest average of all time. He won 3 Finals MVPs and should have had a 4th, and was also a 3-time regular season MVP. He led the league in triple-doubles 10 times in his 13 seasons, and is still #3 on the all-time list, behind only Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook. Even though he only played 13 years, he was always one of the best players in the league during his career, and is easily one of the greatest to ever play the game.
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