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Johnson, Magic
Identification Hall-of-Fame professional
basketball player
Born August 14, 1959; Lansing, Michigan
As a point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, Magic John-
son became recognized as one of histor y’s greatest profes-
sional basketball players.
After leading Michigan State University to the Na-
tional Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) bas-
ketball title in 1979, Magic Johnson signed to play
for the Los Angeles Lakers. Johnson formed a formi-
dable tandem with All-Pro center Kareem Abdul-
Jabbar. During the 1979-1980 season, Johnson
helped lead the Lakers to a 60-22 record and was se-
lected as a member of the National Basketball Asso-
ciation (NBA) All-Rookie Team. He led the Lakers
to the NBA Championship and won the NBA Finals
Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award.
During the 1981-1982 NBA season, Johnson was
again instrumental in leading the Lakers to the
championship, and he won the NBA Finals MVP
Award for a second time. In the 1982-1983 season,
Johnson was named a member of the All-NBA Team.
Although he again helped lead the Lakers to the
NBA Championship, they were swept by the Phila-
delphia Seventy-Sixers. In the 1983-1984 season,
Johnson and his Lakers again played for the NBA
Championship, but they were defeated by the Boston
Celtics, who were led by Johnson’s longtime rival
Larry Bird.
Powered by Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar, the Lak-
ers again played Bird and the Celtics for the NBA
Championship in 1985; this time, they won the series
four games to two. For his play during the 1986-1987
season, Johnson was named the NBA MVP. He again
led the Lakers to the NBA Championship and won
the NBA Finals MVP Award for a third time. Johnson
led the Lakers to the championship once more in
1988, the fifth time the team captured that coveted
title with Johnson as its point guard. During his
NBA career from 1979 into the 1990’s, Johnson
averaged 19.5 points per game, as well as achieving a
.520 field-goal percentage and an .848 free-throw
percentage. He had 10,141 career assists, 6,559 re-
bounds, and shot .303 from beyond the three-point
line. He was named an NBA All-Star twelve times and
a member of the All-NBA Team nine times, and he
earned three NBA MVP awards and three NBA Fi-
nals MVP awards.
Impact Along with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson was
instrumental in rejuvenating fan interest in the NBA.
The rivalry between the two players, which began
with the 1979 NCAA Basketball Championship, gen-
erated new excitement in the NBA. Johnson was
only one of four players to win NCAA and NBA
championships in consecutive years. Known as
“Showtime,” Johnson possessed a wide variety of
shots and superior passing and dribbling abilities.The Eighties in America Johnson, Magic 551
Los Angeles Laker Magic Johnson leaps toward the basket, begin-
ning a layup before Golden State Warrior Clifford Ray can react
on March 30, 1980.(AP/Wide World Photos)