Magic Johnson

American basketball legend who revolutionized the point guard position, leading the Lakers to five NBA championships and becoming one of the greatest players ev

Earvin Johnson Jr. was born in Lansing, Michigan in 1959, earned his nickname at 15 after a 36-point, 16-rebound, 16-assist high school game, and was drafted 1st overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979. He spent his entire NBA career at the Lakers (1979–1991, 1995–96), winning 5 championships — the most successful dynasty of the 1980s. At 6ft 9in he was the tallest point guard in NBA history, averaging 19.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg and a career 11.2 assists per game — the second-highest apg average in NBA history behind only John Stockton. He scored 17,707 career points and dished 10,141 assists — the third-highest total in NBA history — across 906 regular season games. His debut Finals performance in 1980 — 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists filling in at centre for injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — remains the greatest performance by a rookie in Finals history. He won 3 league MVPs and 3 Finals MVPs. His top speed of 41.8 km/h was exceptional for a player of his size. He won Olympic gold with the original Dream Team in 1992. In 1991 he announced he had contracted HIV — the announcement that changed global understanding of the disease. He became a successful businessman and co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Exceptional court vision, passing ability, and leadership as a 6'9" point guard

Transformed the point guard position and helped popularize NBA globally

• NBA Champion 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988 (Los Angeles Lakers)
• NBA MVP 1987, 1989, 1990
• Finals MVP 1980, 1982, 1987
• All-Star 12x
• Olympic Gold 1992 (Dream Team)
• All-NBA First Team 9x
• Assists Champion 4x