“My personality was LA, Hollywood, his personality was Boston”: Describes Magic Johnson

“My personality was LA, Hollywood, his personality was Boston”: Describes Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson, born August 14, 1959, is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He is also recognized as one of the greatest point guards of all time. Johnson played 13 seasons in the NBA. In 1979, Johnson won a national championship with Michigan State.

In 1991, Johnson retired abruptly. After announcing that he had come into contact with HIV, he returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. Johnson’s career achievements include 3 NBA MVP Awards, 3 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Awards, 9 NBA Finals appearances, 12 All-Star games, and nine All-NBA First Team selections.

Early life

Johnson, who had six siblings and three siblings from his father’s previous marriage, was influenced by his parent’s hard work. Johnson had a very struggling life; his father worked at General Motors as a garbage collector of used cars. Sometimes his neighborhood’s children teased him by saying he and his father were “garbage men.”

Johnson loves to play basketball, and his favorite player is Bill Russell, whom he most admires. Johnson was from an athletic family; his father played high school basketball in his home state of Mississippi, and Johnson learned many things about the game from him.

Professional career

Johnson was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979. Johnson stated that the best part about joining the Lakers was the opportunity to play alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the team’s 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) center who went on to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

Early in the 1980–81 season, Johnson missed 45 games after he suffered torn cartilage in his left knee. After the 1980–81 season, in 1981, Johnson signed a $25 million contract with the Lakers, which was the highest-paying contract in sports history up to that point.

Later life

Johnson returned to the NBA as a coach near the end of the 1993–94 NBA season, replacing both Randy Pfund and Bill Bertka. Johnson took over the team, which previously had a 28–38 record, and won his first game as head coach with a 110–101 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

After all this, Johnson comes back again as a player after rejoining the Lakers during the 1995–96 NBA season, at the age of 36. His determination toward his game is just incredible.

Also Read: “Bill Russell: Legend” Releasing on February 8th, 2023 on Netflix