MAGIC is BACK!! Bulls @ Lakers 1996 

We need to see this picture! ❤

@@Julianvanderheijden My profile pic

Do you know around where he was sitting? I was at this game too as a kid, but sitting way up in the nosebleeds (by where the retired jerseys were). I had no idea Tupac was at this game until a few years ago!

He had a decent hook shot

Where's the picture?!!1

Profile pic

and Eddie Jones

8:49

🥴

Great defensive player

Good insights. I actually felt he had a bigger impact the 1st year and the 2nd year was kind of 'flat'. I do believe Michael winning ways rubbed off on people. Richard Hamilton, went on to win a championship. It seemed like playing with Michael was a positive experience and he soaked up a lot of Michael's teachings and "MO". When Michael played for the Whitesox farm team, the manager Francona went on to win two championships with the Red Sox. Michael's winning spirit did seem to influence others. I noticed Scott Pippen was a better player with Michael and the Bulls, then his time with the Rockets and Blazers. Anyway, good insights.

+mikem987 - and Magic proved your point when he immediately led the Lakers to a title in 1980. =)

Yes. Jordan had FIVE losing seasons in the NBA. Magic had NONE. 1996 showed it wasn't "talent", but HOW Magic played the game. Pippen is really a Magic clone, and so, in a lesser way, is Rodman. They both did all the little things that led to victory. Jordan was more like a Kevin Durant.

Emmanuel Enyinwa - you continue with your moronic crusade against MJ and are as usual, intentionally disingenuous by leaving out context and facts. From '84 to '89, MJ had 43 different teammates, 3 different starters each season and 3 different coaches. Magic was drafted in to an already great and stacked Lakers squad you fool. It wasn't his superlative play only. He also had one of the greatest coaches of all time in Pat Riley. Same thing with Bird - he was drafted to a super squad. MJ however was drafted on to a 27-55 Bulls team without one single player from his championship squad. And yet he dominated individually anyway. I don't get your ridiculous hatred for MJ but considering he's the greatest of all time and considering Magic himself has said this constantly about MJ - his exact words, "MJ's the GOAT. No doubt about it. He did it on the highest stage" - your intentionally deceptive points mean nothing. That's one of the countless things that separates MJ from the rest. He started with NOTHING and yet he overcame more adversity than nearly any other Champion ever. He never ran away and quite frankly, his championship squad from '91 to '93 was on paper, not as good as Magic's teams but they still won anyway. That is the hallmark of true greatness. If MJ was lucky enough to be drafted on to the Lakers, he probably would have played point guard also considering that's what Dean Smith wanted for him - he'd have won countless more championships but he had to start from zero unlike Magic Johnson - but again, he succeeded anyway and more so than Magic.

"Same thing with Bird - he was drafted to a super squad." No. Bird was added to a team that had NO McHale and NO Parish, added 31 games. How similar the pre and post Bird teams were I leave as an exercise to you.

" the next year Shaq actually tried to talk Magic out of retiring" Magic is 36 in this game & doesn't need super-duper athleticism to pass like a legend. I wish he had come for another season, maybe given the Bulls a run for their money.

The Lakers were VERY beat-up through that 1st Bulls championship series, and the team improved talent-wise after that year. That year, Magic averaged 19.4 pts, 12.5 ast, and 7 reb a game. The '95-'96 season saw him avg 14.6 pts, 6.9 ast, and 5.7 reb a game after being out of the league 4 years! Those are starter numbers, not just role player numbers. Pippin's avg was 19.4, 5.9 ast, 6.4 reb that year, and nobody would call him a role player. Basketball-reference.com can help a lot with actual facts and stats in the future.

You delusional Lakers fans are hilarious. Would have, should have and could have. And measuring stats while not considering context is ridiculous and obviously inconclusive. The Bulls would have dismantled them defensively which is an area that LA just couldn't compete with the Bulls. That's what the Bulls did to them in the '91 Finals and everybody else throughout the decade. They won through defense.

The year Michael came back

Cash Young I

DiverseLA yes.he.was

You didn't see the 91 finals?

Magic made his return the game before this. This was his second game back.