MAGIC'S PROFILE
Magic Johnson was not only an
athlete. He transcended sports and became a superstar, know around the world.
Basketball is quickly becoming a global game, and Magic Johnson and Larry Bird
were it's first international stars. Erving Johnson was born in Lansing, MI on
August 8th, 1959 where he attended Everett High School.. After one of his
games, a sportswriter nicknamed Erving Johnson, "Magic". Magic went
on to Michigan State University in 1977, and as a freshman he led the Spartans
to a 25-5 record and the Big Ten Title. As a sophmore Magic's Spartans team won
the NCAA tournament, defeating Larry Bird's Indiana State team. Magic was named
the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. After two years at Michigan State,
he left early to go the NBA. In 1979, he was chosen as the first pick in the
draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. He teamed up with Kareem Abdul Jabbar, to
establish a 1-2 punch, never before seen in the NBA. In his first season, Magic
and the Lakers won the NBA Championship. In the finals, with Kareem injured in
game 5, a young Magic Johnson played both inside and out in the deciding game
6, scoring 42 points, grabbing 15 boards and dishing out 7 assists. This type
of all-around performance became regular at the Forum as Magic racked up one
triple-double after another. He is the all-time leader in triple-doules. But it
wasn't the triple double which brought about Showtime. It was Johnson's Magical
passing. At 6-9 Johnson was the tallest guard in the league. This gave him the
ability to look over defences and find his man. That is offcourse when he was
looking. Magic Johnson not only revolutionized the game with his no-look
passing and fast break style, he revolutionized the point guard position,
Career Totals
906 Games | 33250 Min | .520 FG% |
.303 3PT% .848 FT% | 7.2 Rbs | 11.2 Assts 1724 Stls | 374 Blks | 19.5 PPG