Earvin "Magic" Johnson
Born: August 8, 1959
Position: Point Guard
Height: 6-9 (2.06 m)
Jersey worn: #32
In the NBA:
Nicknames: "Magic" (of course), "Buck"
One of the 50 greatest players ever to play in the NBA, Magic is famous for his spectacular, all-around game, his leadership skills and his amazing assists that were the heart of the Lakers' "Showtime". The league's tallest point guard ever (6-9 / 2.06 cm), brought new popularity in the NBA, along with his friend-opponent Larry Bird, during the 80's.
Picked in the 1st overall place of the 1979 draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. In his debut year he was a member of the first all-rookie team, won the championship and became the first rookie ever to be named the NBA finals' MVP. Three times MVP of the league (1987, '89, '90), 5 times champion (1980, '82, '85, '87, '88), 3 times MVP of the NBA finals (1980, '82, '87), 12 times All-Star (twice MVP: 1990, '92), 11 times member of the first all-NBA team (1983-'91) and the list goes on...
In 1991 he announced that he is infected by the HIV virus. That didn't stop him though from playing in the 1992 NBA All-Star game (when he won his 2nd MVP award), being a member of the original Dream-Team in the Olympic games in Barcelona and returning to the league in 1996 for 32 games. His jersey's number "32" is retired by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Statistics:
| YEAR |
Team |
Games |
Pts |
FT % |
FG % |
3PM |
3-pt % |
Reb |
Trn |
Ast |
St |
Blk |
Min |
Star? |
| 1980 |
L.A. Lakers |
77 |
18.0 |
.810 |
.530 |
7 |
.226 |
7.7 |
4.0 |
7.3 |
2.4 |
0.5 |
36.3 |
YES |
| 1981 |
L.A. Lakers |
37 |
21.6 |
.760 |
.532 |
3 |
.176 |
8.6 |
3.9 |
8.6 |
3.4 |
0.7 |
37.1 |
YES |
| 1982 |
L.A. Lakers |
78 |
18.6 |
.760 |
.537 |
6 |
.207 |
9.6 |
3.7 |
9.5 |
2.7 |
0.4 |
38.3 |
YES |
| 1983 |
L.A. Lakers |
79 |
16.8 |
.800 |
.548 |
0 |
.000 |
8.6 |
3.8 |
10.5 |
2.2 |
0.6 |
36.8 |
YES |
| 1984 |
L.A. Lakers |
67 |
17.6 |
.810 |
.565 |
6 |
.207 |
7.3 |
4.6 |
13.1 |
2.2 |
0.7 |
38.3 |
YES |
| 1985 |
L.A. Lakers |
77 |
18.3 |
.843 |
.561 |
7 |
.189 |
6.2 |
4.0 |
12.6 |
1.5 |
0.3 |
36.1 |
YES |
| 1986 |
L.A. Lakers |
72 |
18.8 |
.871 |
.526 |
10 |
.233 |
5.9 |
3.8 |
12.6 |
1.6 |
0.2 |
35.8 |
YES |
| 1987 |
L.A. Lakers |
80 |
23.9 |
.848 |
.522 |
8 |
.205 |
6.3 |
3.8 |
12.2 |
1.7 |
0.5 |
36.3 |
YES |
| 1988 |
L.A. Lakers |
72 |
19.6 |
.853 |
.492 |
11 |
.196 |
6.2 |
3.7 |
11.9 |
1.6 |
0.2 |
36.6 |
YES |
| 1989 |
L.A. Lakers |
77 |
22.5 |
.911 |
.509 |
59 |
.314 |
7.9 |
4.1 |
12.8 |
1.8 |
0.3 |
37.5 |
YES |
| 1990 |
L.A. Lakers |
79 |
22.3 |
.890 |
.480 |
106 |
.384 |
6.6 |
3.7 |
11.5 |
1.7 |
0.4 |
37.2 |
YES |
| 1991 |
L.A. Lakers |
79 |
19.4 |
.906 |
.477 |
80 |
.320 |
7.0 |
4.0 |
12.5 |
1.3 |
0.2 |
37.1 |
YES |
| 1996 |
L.A. Lakers |
32 |
14.6 |
.856 |
.466 |
22 |
.379 |
5.7 |
3.2 |
6.9 |
0.8 |
0.4 |
29.9 |
YES |
| Career |
Career |
906 |
19.5 |
.848 |
.520 |
325 |
.303 |
7.2 |
3.9 |
11.2 |
1.9 |
0.4 |
36.7 |
YES |
In Europe:
In October 25 1999, Magic played his first game in Sweden, for the team "Magic M7", which he sponsors. The team finished 2nd in the playoffs.
After that, Magic decided to leave the team and bought a team in Dermark, the Great Danes (the team had been founded just 2 years earlier), who changed their name to "Magic Great Danes". He brought with him the same coach he had in "Magic M7", Charles Barton. The team's goal was to make the Playoffs in the NEBL league. Magic played only 2 games with the team, averaging some impressive all-around numbers: 8.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 12.5 assists in 42.5 minutes played! But he also committed 8.5 turnovers during those games... He made 5 of 10 2-point shots, missed two 3-pointers and was 7-8 from the free throw line.