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Showtime, five championships, and the reinvention of joy. Why the Lakers retired Magic Johnson's #32 — the 6-foot-9 point guard who started a Finals Game 6 at center as a rookie and never stopped smiling.
Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
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Los Angeles Lakers
1979-1991, 1996
Featured Achievements
Top 5 All-Time in Assists
10,141 assists#5 All-Time
Retired as the 5th all-time assists leader. Was #1 at retirement in 1991 before being surpassed by Stockton, Kidd, and others.
#3 All-Time Triple-Doubles Leader
138 triple-doubles#3 All-Time
Third-most triple-doubles. His court vision defined an era.
Highest Career APG (All-Time)
11.19 apg#1 All-Time
Highest career assists average in NBA history at 11.19 assists per game.
5x NBA Champion
5 ringsWon 5 championships with the Lakers (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988).
3x NBA MVP
3xWon MVP in 1987, 1989, 1990.
3x Finals MVP
3xWon Finals MVP in 1980 (as a rookie), 1982, 1987.
Won Championship as Rookie
Rookie MVPWon the 1980 Finals starting at center in Game 6 (filling in for Kareem). Named Finals MVP at age 20.
vs. Philadelphia 76ers(4-2)
12x NBA All-Star
12xCareer Earnings
~$40M
Estimated total NBA career salary
Endorsements
Magic Johnson Enterprises
Business empire including Starbucks, movie theaters, and real estate — net worth over $600M
1987-present
Converse
Signature Magic shoe line during playing career
1979-1992
Pepsi
National advertising campaigns
1980s-1990s
Los Angeles Dodgers
Part-owner of the LA Dodgers
2012-present
Los Angeles Sparks
Former part-owner of WNBA franchise
2014-2023
EquiTrust Life Insurance
Chairman and CEO
2015-present
1989-90
| Season | GP | PPG | RPG | APG | FG% | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-90 | 79 | 22.3 | 6.6 | 11.5 | 48.0% | 38.4% |
| 1988-89 | 77 | 22.5 | 7.9 | 12.8 | 50.9% | 31.4% |
| 1986-87 | 80 | 23.9 | 6.3 | 12.2 | 52.2% | 20.5% |
Magic Johnson redefined what a point guard could be by being six feet nine inches tall, possessing the body of a power forward, and playing basketball with the instincts of someone who had memorized every possible configuration of five-on-five before the ball was inbounded. His 11.2 career assists per game is the highest average in NBA history. In the 1986-87 season, his third MVP year, he averaged 23.9 points, 12.2 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game on 52.2 percent shooting — a statistical line that no point guard in any era has matched for combined volume and efficiency.
His most famous game came in his first season. When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was injured before Game 6 of the 1980 Finals, 20-year-old Magic Johnson started at center against the Philadelphia 76ers and scored 42 points while adding 15 rebounds and 7 assists. The Lakers won the championship. Johnson was named Finals MVP. He had been in the NBA for less than a year.
Over the next decade, he and the Showtime Lakers won five championships: in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988. He won three regular-season MVP awards and three Finals MVP awards. His rivalry with Larry Bird — which began in the 1979 NCAA Championship game, when Michigan State defeated Indiana State — ran through the entire decade and is widely credited with restoring the NBA to commercial viability after the league had struggled through the late 1970s.
Johnson retired in November 1991 after testing positive for HIV, returned for the 1992 All-Star Game and won MVP, played on the Dream Team that summer, and briefly came back to the NBA in 1996. The assists record, the five rings, and the assists average have not been touched.
Personal Life & Family
Partner
Earlitha "Cookie" Kelly
Children (3)
Parents & Siblings
Off the Court
Magic Johnson Foundation (HIV/AIDS awareness)
Donated tens of millions to HIV research
Did You Know?
His HIV-positive announcement on November 7, 1991, was a watershed moment that changed global awareness of AIDS and HIV.
Despite his HIV diagnosis, he played in the 1992 All-Star Game (winning MVP) and the 1992 Dream Team Olympics.
Built a billion-dollar business empire focused on underserved urban communities — among the most successful athlete-businessmen ever.
His rivalry and eventual friendship with Larry Bird is one of the greatest stories in sports history.
Son EJ is a reality TV personality and fashion figure who has been open about his identity.
Career Honors
5x NBA Champion
3x Finals MVP
3x NBA MVP
12x All-Star
Olympic Gold Medal (1992 Dream Team)
Official Jerseys
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