Was my hero. Was in high school during showtime. Tried to play ball just like him. I know I am not alone here. Michael was definitely a better scorer, Magic made everybody on the team a better scorer. Best team leader in history.
Growing up as a Lakers fan, I had the privilege to watch him play on TV and follow every Lakers game most intensely the rivalry between La and Boston. Boy that rivalry was something. It's one for the ages!
What made Magic the greatest of all time wasn’t just his unbelievable passing or his clutch shooting or his ability to win, but his ability to make everyone of his teammates look like all stars! He made his teammates better than their own abilities ever could. No one has ever done it like him and most likely no one ever will. I’m so grateful to have been able to watch his entire career! He was unbelievable!
@@mja91352 well, that’s easy. First of all it’s an opinion, but so you don’t have to wait for eternity, here we go. First Kareem was great from high school through UCLA and into the pros. He was statistically great! Head and shoulders above the rest. His skyhook was the most unstoppable 2 points the game has ever seen. You would have had to be blind not to see the impact that Magic had on Kareem’s career. He became more animated with Magic as a teammate. Kareem exhibited much more joy in the game with Magic than he did prior. I believe that Kareem would not have won any of those 5 Laker championships with out Magic. I also believe that Magic helped extend Kareem’s career. I think he would have retired a few years earlier. Of course it’s all conjecture and opinions. I’m entitled to mine, I’ve watched and paid close attention to both of them for their entire careers. You are entitled to your opinion though. Remember opinions are like ass holes, everybody’s got one. That’s what makes these topics fun. So now you don’t have to wait for eternity!
michael jordan was mj oscar robertson was the big o kareem abdul-jabbar was cap wilt chamberlain was the big dipper and wilt the stilt and bill russell was russ
What's funny is, he was a highlight reel every game. Most players highlights are the same incredible 15-20 plays, but Magic has unlimited moments. From passes to clutch shots he was incredible to watch
I really miss this style of basketball. I haven't watched enough in recent years to say the game was better then than it is now, but the game was certainly more entertaining to watch. Also the championship games between the Lakers - Sixers, Lakers-Celtics, Lakers-Pistons produced some extraordinary games. It was a great ride and I'm grateful that I got to see it.
Greatest player of all time..I love the way he has played, absolutely amazing..It NEVER gonna be someone like Magic.His personality, his passion for Basketball and his great talent and skills make him the absolutely greatest player of all time. 4 ever Magic and 4 ever the 80s Showtime Lakers!!!!! The Best Team ever with the best 2 players of all time JABBAR & MAGIC!!!
@@EzMoney95 Jordan was amazing but ruined the game- turned it from a team game to hero ball. The individual-skills era he ushered in is amazing for the individual skill but the game is worse off because of it. Bird and Magic made the game beautiful and exhilarating to watch. Maybe Jokic can reinspire the next generation of basketball players.
Best point guard ever!! Just imagine what his stats would be if he were just a little more selfish with the ball!....And the thing is he could score at will...In my opinion he's one of the best post players I've ever seen down on the blocks...just deadly!!
I was lucky enough to have grown up in LA during the "showtime" Lakers era and thank God for Chick Hearn and channel 9 I watched every game. I only wish I would have gone to more games. Magic was the greatest of all time he could play Guard, Forward, and Center...GOAT
Bird was a better scorer and rebounder and close in passing. Really, you can't talk about one without the other. Both amazed me and I feel lucky to have watched them play.
@@whitneymacdonald4396 Love Magic but Larry def had a better all around game. 3's, rebounding, defense Bird had no fundamental weaknesses. 90% FT shooter as well.
Must be nice. I had to wait for the nationwide telecasts to see the Lakers but hell they showed them on ALL the national TV outlets so it was like they were the local team. I saw the showtime Lakers during the ENTIRE decade of the 80's. The 1st time i saw Magic was the famous national championship game against Larry Bird and Indiana St.
I remember early 80s in San Diego, my friends would go out on Friday nights, I'd stay home and listen to the Lakers on 570 a.m. I was just in junior high, but I was a frequent caller to Chick's pregame show. One day, I called and spoke to him, then watched the game on Prime Ticket. anyhoo, as I'm watching the game, lo and behold, Chick talks about my phone call during the telecast! He mentioned what I asked and what he replied to me! You can only imagine how 13 yr old me felt.
Magic figured out early that getting his teammates involved made the difference to them playing all out; and Winning!They were valued so they ran the court, believed Magic would find them if they ran the court, played Defense, and played as a team! Magic won @ every level from High school (State Championship), College (National Championship), NBA (World Championship), And Olympic Gold Medalist! He’s a winner, controlled the flow of the game, and understood his teammates strengths and weaknesses. A True Champion. Larry Bird was cut from the same cloth. Michael Jordan figured it out later in his career.
Butter 2926 Nah MJ didn't have a Kareem and he had to be as offensive as he was. Not to mention he was also the best defensive player in the league years before he won his first ring. Once he had some better calibre players to ball with he was not reluctant to distribute more and involve his teammates. When MJ was asked to play the point guard position for a stretch in the 1988/89 season he was as dominant a point guard as Magic. The fact is that MJ was the only allstar on the Bulls when he won his first title (Pippen was not yet an Allstar in 1990/91). Something that can't be said for almost every championship team since the Magic/Bird era.
Exactly, I think that the only other point guard in NBA history that's even came close to achieving Magic's greatness since then has been Steph Curry. But he's never gonna beat Magic's legacy.
CoolKid BraDude Magic, Stockton, Curry, those are the top 3 of the last 40 years, I wasn’t alive to know about the ones before them, but since 80 that would be my top 3.
Jii Hjkj Well do Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, and Steve Nash have 3 rings? Did they set multiple records in one season? Did they revolutionize how the game of basketball is played? Did they lead their team to 73 wins? No. I didn’t think so. As great as CP3, Kidd, and Nash are. None of them have anywhere close the same legacy as Curry.
Magic Johnson perhaps..the most intelligent player of the NBA ! The heart of the team he was the man of the match.. most of the times , that makes him a legend
He’s passing is insane. The creativity, shiftiness it just makes you think where is he going to pass it to and u can’t think because you only have about a second of time to think. Best passer of all time
@Tray Ross ...lol .magic better passer , defender and magic often led nba in steals...better rebounder...better scorer, better leader and the term " making other players better" is based on magic, better winner..magic never missed the playoffs..never not once...better free throw shooter...le Bron is nowhere near as good as magic was and as long as LeBron shooting free throws at 68 or 69 percent he can never be the goat... Bron is good but what your saying is a joke
@Tray Ross DO YOU BLIND HOW YOU CAN SAID THAT SHIT AFTER looking THIS VIDEO OF magic Johnson MAGIC JOHNSON IS MUCH better BASKETBALL PLAYER THAN LeBron James AND PROBABLY THE ONLY REAL GOAT FROM THIS SPORT OF BASKETBALL.by a MILE MAGIC BETTER THAN LeBron James NOT EVEN CLOSED
I appreciated the Lakers-Celtics rivalry. Me and my sibs were Lakers fans and my dad was a diehard Celtic fan. My dad (a Mississippian) told us that he was a Celtics fan because back in the 1950s and 1960s Bill Russell (along with pro football’s Jim Brown) was a hero to Black Americans👍🏾
Magic Johnson was the best after he retired I enjoyed watching Jordan play but I always miss watching magic he will always be my favorite no matter what
There will never be no basketball player on the planet earth,that passes a basketball like Magic Johnson or play all 5 positions in s NBA championship game and not only win but also win MVP.
Red Army Lebron James is a great player,but he is not like Magic Johnson,and yes I do like Lebron James,and he is 6" 8,Magic was 6" 9 ,they are two different players.Magic won a NBA championship in his rookie year,played all 5 positions on the court when Kareem Abdul Jabbar was hurt,You cannot say the same about the great Lebron James.(But with all respect,Lebron James will break records and go to the Hall of Fame when he is finished,but like I said before ,there will never be another Ervin Magic Johnson)
@Boredasfuc I love them both. But you actually has to put Steph in the conversation. Magic was incredible in every category and tops steph. but Stephs handle is better for me. And then there is outta world shooting... don't say he#s the best. but you have to discuss him...
Watching him on TV never did him justice. When I saw my first no-look pass at the Forum, it was breathtaking. He’s still my all-time favorite Laker. It was so much fun watching him.
Along with regular half-court game winners, Magic made an insane amount of buzzer beaters from the opposite side of the court. I say "insane" relative to what other super stars have made. Can you think of any prayers from the opposite side of the court Lebron, MJ or Kobe made? Magic hit so many of them, and I'm glad this video showed some of them. His clutchness has been glossed over by the media. And of course, people talk about his passing, but he scored when he needed to. People often ask why no one has ever learned Kareem's hook, which is another thing the media has glossed over, Magic did it! Maybe it wasn't a complete skyhook but Magic mastered the "baby" hook, and like the skyhook, no one has bothered to master the baby hook. Double him, he makes the right play. Single coverage, he scores on you easily. Foul him, he makes 85% of his FT's, and was 90% in his prime. If all the stars in the history of the game were 25 yrs old again, I'd draft Magic with the #1 pick.
Great comment. Magic is far underrated as a finisher. I can´t think of anyone better at getting and converting good shots near the basket. One aspect of his genius is how he was able to clone the games of other great players on to his own. Earl Monroe, Pete Maravich, George Gervin, Oscar Robertson, Kareem--notice how he perfected elements of their games and made them his own.
He's my g.o.a.t for those reasons named..Magic could've easily averged mid to high 20's for his entire career but he was a true pass first point guard 9 final appearances 5 chips in 13yrs of playing and he lost to and beat power houses 76ers Celtics Pistons Bulls...playoffs every year yes the g.o.a.t in my book
There was no NBA in Spain back in the beginning of the 80's. It was known Americans were the best at basketball but we couldn't really tell. Then a genius called David Stern globalized the product and a 14 years old Spanish kid could see a Lakers-Celtic from the 1985 finals. I couldn't believe those guys were from the same planet as mine...Kareem, Bird, Worthy....Magic tho. He was from another galaxy. Magic Johnson made me love basketball forever.
No one have ever had that carisma and magic in the history of NBA!! Only Magic Johnson could do that magic with the ball!! Hats off to one the greatest to ever play this amazing sport!!
I'm a 80s baby from Australia 🇦🇺🦘I heard Of magic.what a legend he was.i never watched him Play Live on TV.im so honoured n grateful bit emotional with joy I can watch his highlights n documentaries of this legend 🙌🏿🙏🏿.#peoples champ👌🏿#the ali of basketball 😎👍🏿
If I could put one all-time great NBA player in his prime in a time machine and bring him to the present day, I'd choose Magic. He was way ahead of his time. Would *love* to see what Magic could do running a modern, high-pace, NBA offense with constant pick-n-rolls, 3 shooters and a rim-rolling big man.
@@landrewilkinson2833 I absolutely love Magic He won on every level However the greatest basketball player ever won on every level also His high school team is still team of the century. Won 3 national championships in college Won 3 Most valuable player final 4 they took the dunk out of college because of him so he developed the most unstoppable shot in the history of basketball freshman couldn't play when he was in college He has 6 NBA Championships He has a record 6 MVP awards and is the all time leading scorer in NBA history his name KAREEM ABDUL JABBAR. and it's not even close
@@MrBishop1954you make a great case. I have to go with Wilt his numbers speak for themselves. He dominated the game like no one else. Magic is my #2, Bird #3, #4 Moses Malone, #5 MJ. Nice starting five, huh? :) i don't think Kareem gets 6 titles without Magic. He 33 yrs old with one title, the next 5, LA was Magic's team.
No, Ronaldinho is a legend of football/soccer but he wasn't at the same level as Magic. This guy was not only a great basketball player, he was the basketball game himself. As I always say, Michael Jordan was the greatest basketball player of all times (the "GOAT"), but Magic was the game himself.
Magic’s unreal. The pace and tempo these guys played at is unreal. The way a rookie gets out there and has everyone believing they’re gonna beat the sixers in six is unreal. He’s the greatest of all time.
I am born and raised in Los Angeles. I am so blessed as a Laker Fan to have lived to see Magic and the Showtime Lakers play!!! It still to this day give me chills!
i know rite! even Snoop Dogg got an ol skool Pontiac car with gold paint gloss exterior and purple plesh interior & called it Magic! but i seen it on MTV Cribs & Mike Jones video called My "64" check it out on RU-vid bcuz Snoop car is badd-azz!
I was turning 19 years old when he was first drafted in NBA, he was my first NBA fav player & became my forever fav of all times that's why i became an avid Lakers fan up to now because of him. He's really the greatest player of all times, his passing was incredibly unbelievable to watch, i love watching all his games. It's like always watching a showtime. I love Magic. ❤
Magic O Magic there will be no show time again I am so privileged to watch you live many times you have done to the NBA in ten years others couldn't charisma, Magic smile, respected by all NBA players True GOAT one more thing... can you guys imagine if he played 15-18 seasons Best of the best to say the least Thank you Magic for your Magic.... i love you for what you have showed us during the show time
Compliments to the editor of this video. The music perfectly reflects the somber knowledge that this kind of greatness we witnessed live so many years ago is likely gone forever. Magic was the ultimate team player on and off the court. It was a grand time in NBA history and I miss it dearly. And Chick Hearn was THE perfect voice of the last great era of the NBA.
I was too young when he was playing i was born in 1980 so I never paid him attention. Being a basketball fan or my life, I see the greatest of my time, Jordan, kobe, lebron, wade, curry, durant, grant hill, Shaq, tim duncan, the claw, iverson, morant, anteteokumpo, so many. Yet when I see this highlights. I see real magic on basketball. He is my goat. No matter what others say about him. He was and will always be amazing.
Terms I never heard of before I saw the Great Magic Johnson. The Triple Double, coast to coast lay up, (or Dunk), and of course "6'9" Point Gaurd". A match up Nightmare for the other Point Gaurd 's in his Era. I know that the "Big O" averaged a triple double, but he was slightly before my time.
You can't watch anymore an NBA player played like Magic Johnson now a days. There's always the thrill & excitement in watching him , that's why i love to watch repeatedly all his games.
I truly think Magic was the best. I was old enough to remember the 80’s and 90’s where it seemed like there were a ton of superstars playing, all relatively during the same time... I always thought Magic was the GOAT. Yes Jordan was Jordan, but Magic was pure.... well... MAGIC! Dude was not only fun to watch, he made everyone have their mouths to the floor with his play. You never knew what was going to happen when he was playing. Nobody could guard him and his passing made the Lakers damn near impossible to beat!
ain't no top 5 NBA great for Magic bcuz he number #1. Magic iz the G.O.A.T. of the NBA, Magic saved the NBA, set the standard 4 the NBA and brought excitement 2 the NBA, the Harlem Globetrotters wanted Magic 2 play 4 them but he turned it down bcuz Magic don't play silly b-ball, he play real b-ball, Magic was the captain ov the Dream Team in "92" bcuz being apart ov Magic b-ball team was a dream kom tru, even Dr.J. Bird, Isaiah, & Jordan wood agree & approve this message, thay don't call him Showtime 4 nothing, this highlight film is the reason.
When the Lakers lost to the Bulls in '91, they were riddled with injuries, and therefore not playing at their full potential. Even though they lost in 5, it was still a great series, and would have been a lot better if they were all healthy. Plus that was a weaker version of the 80s "Showtime" Lakers. Jordan and Pippen were able to give Magic all of their attention, and somewhat contain him. It's a great compliment to have 2 of the best defenders in NBA history devoting their full attention to just one player. Magic is a Bball god, and will always be considered one of the greatest to ever play the game.
This guy is beyond words, hes an omniscient being on the court, he sees all and knows all, that what makes the passes so unique and accurate. Hes a really smart dude. Feels like hes playing everyone scene in his mind before he makes them. He truly dominanted the court because of how unpredictable he is. What a Legend.
This video confirms why he was and will always be my favorite basketball player ever. I grew up in the 80s & 90s in Miami before there was The Heat. Me and my friends would play ball trying to throw passes and make assists like Magic and would hit people in the face cause we sucked but we were inspired by how he played. It was beautiful to watch him play, nothing was more entertaining in the NBA than Magic leading the fast break. Magic will always be my #1.
Thank God I am just old enough to have witnessed "Magic" in the second half of his career. This man was my childhood idol, I wore #32 thru 7 years of playing. The man who made "passing" the ball, cool. To this day, I would prefer to see a beautiful pass instead of a beautiful scoring play - Top 5 player of all time and quite possibly, the #1 most versatile player EVER - He's an All Star and Legend, playing both the Point Guard position and Center - never happened before, never will again. When Larry Bird calls you the greatest player he's ever seen...that means something.
Best ever ..show time at its best...made everyone on his team better players.. made basketball fun to watch pure entertainment...there will only be one magic man...
When I was 13 years old in 1987, I didn't care, nor know much about basketball at all. Never even touched a basketball before. But there were all these commercials on TV hyping up this "Magic vs. Bird", "Lakers vs. Celtics" game 1 for the upcoming NBA finals. So there it was - a hot summer day in June, and I needed a break from playing "Mike Tyson's Punch Out" on my Nintendo. Lo and behold, game 1 was starting on TV, so I decided to watch. I wanted to know who this Larry "Bird" was and who this so-called "Magic" Johnson was. Figured I'd watch for a few minutes to at least see their faces before I got back to my Nintendo. I watched.....and I watched a bit more. The first quarter went by and I couldn't stop watching. By the end of the game, I was an instant Magic Johnson fan (and I'm a white guy!!)! About a week later, I found an old bent up basketball hoop somewhere, of course with no net on it. I nailed it to a big oak tree that was on the side of our gravel driveway. Got an old, bald basketball from somewhere (God only recalls where), and I shot that basketball at that hoop the rest of the summer, pretending I was Magic Johnson playing for the "Show Time" Lakers. I went on through junior high and high school, making the basketball team each year. Had a life size poster of Magic in my bedroom through the rest of my teen years. I wore #32 and had Magic's Converse shoes too when I played HS basketball. Watching videos like these of Magic brings back a lot of great memories!! Wish I could go back.
I think Magic said once that Pistol Pete Maravich influenced his style of basketball. I can see that because Maravich was also very flashy and so was Magic
+Ramses Stafford lol!😅 This video popped up on my recommendation list, so I just clicked on it. Your favorite? Mine as well, him and Micheal Ray Richardson if the drugs and being banned didn't happen.
It's awe inspiring the passion and focus he displayed on the court. Even in the half court shots he was so focused on making it. He always played hard but, not wild. He used his bball iQ like no other and was just a true competitor. He loved the game and the game repayed him for it. So unique. True winner and leader. Awesome, awesome player.