NBA+career+and+Olympics

The Olympics Magic Johnson was a member of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona basketball team. The team was called the "Dream Team" because it was the first year pro basketball players could participate in the Olympics. The "Dream Team" won by an astonishing amount of 43.8 points. Coach Chuck Daly never used a timeout. In the title game against Croatia, Croatia led 25-23, but the "Dream Team" won 117-85. That was the closest game the U.S had the entire Olympics. Below is (from the left to right) Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Magic Johnson on the Dream Team of 1992.

NBA Career As a Los Angeles Laker Magic Johnson won 5 NBA titles and 3 league MVPs. He was forced to retire early because of his HIV diagnosis. He tried to come back but was not very successful. In 2002 he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. As a rising star Magic realized that he deserved more than he had six games into the 1981-1982. He requested coach Paul Westhead get fired or he get traded. The Lakers realized his importance and the day after Westhead was fired and assistant coach Pat Riley was promoted. Johnson was booed the next game by Laker fans. It turned out fine because the Lakers went 57-25 and won the NBA Finals. Pat Riley ended up one of the greatest coaches of all time. In the NBA his rivalry with Indiana State's Larry continued. They played in 3 NBA Finals. Larry Bird won the first series in game 7 the final game. In the final game, game 7, Magic had a key turnover to lose the game. But, the next year the Lakers bounced back and won the Finals in in six games against the Celtics. In 1986-87 Magic and the Lakers beat Bird and the Celtics for the third time. Below is a picture from 1984 of Bird and Magic.

Skills (My Evaluation) In the 1980 NBA finals, Magic, as a rookie stepped into Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's role at center. That position is opposite of his normal position of point guard. He had 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steels. He even won the opening tap. He was the first rookie was the first rookie ever to win the Finals MVP Award. He showed he could do anything to win. This showed off his unbelievable skill set. You see him in the 1980 Finals below. In my opinion Magic Johnson is one of the best NBA basketball players ever. I think this because being able to do many things is very important. media type="youtube" key="yYNDWaEmqto" height="315" width="420"