[146], In 2010, Magic Johnson and current and former NBA players such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Bill Russell, as well as Maya Moore from the WNBA, played a basketball game with President Barack Obama as an exhibition for a group of military troops who had been injured in action. ", "1993–94 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images), “When LeBron James signed with the Lakers. [207] Several of his achievements in individual games have also been named among the top moments in the NBA.
Johnson, Earvin "Magic", and William Novak. [186], Johnson is a supporter of the Democratic Party. Ovitz encouraged him to start reading business magazines and to use every connection available to him. [70][84][85] After the teams split the first six games, Lakers forward and Finals MVP James Worthy had his first career triple-double of 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists, and led his team to a 108–105 win. He also won two championships as an assistant coach with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010. f … [19] Upon learning of Chastine's death, Magic ran from his home, crying uncontrollably. [37] However, the Lakers bowed out to the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals, which was the Lakers' earliest playoffs elimination in nine years. [61] During the championship series against the Sixers, Johnson averaged 16.2 points on .533 shooting, 10.8 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2.5 steals per game. [33], Before the 1992–93 NBA season, Johnson announced his intention to stage an NBA comeback. [114][115] Johnson, who took the job at the urging of owner Jerry Buss, admitted "I've always had the desire (to coach) in the back of my mind." Tyler Herro had an NBA playoff game for a rookie that compares to only Magic Johnson Tyler Herro's 37 points on Wednesday were second most in … [202], Johnson was exceptional because he played point guard despite being 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), a size reserved normally for frontcourt players. Johnson left after eight months, saying that the White House had "utterly ignored" the work of the panel, and had opposed the commission's recommendations, which included universal healthcare and the expansion of Medicaid to cover all low-income people with AIDS. permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com. [105], Several journalists hypothesized that the Johnson–Bird rivalry was so appealing because it represented many other contrasts, such as the clash between the Lakers and Celtics, between Hollywood flashiness ("Showtime") and Boston/Indiana blue collar grit ("Celtic Pride"), and between blacks and whites.
In court documents obtained by TMZ, Johnson … He also missed several games due to a calf injury. [26] Johnson dedicated the championship victory to his best friend Reggie Chastine, who was killed in a car accident the previous summer.