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Rick Carlisle: ‘Nobody can tell me that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird wouldn't have been top players in the league today. Greatness is going to be great regardless of the era. You are going to try to tell me that Russell wouldn't be great in this era? Russell, the guy who threw up before every game because he couldn't stomach the idea of losing and he had such impact on winning, can you imagine having that guy leading your team? That was the early version of Draymond Green.’
Earvin Magic Johnson: After trading for one of the best two way players in the league and NBA All Star Jaylen Brown, the Sixers then signed the biggest free agent on the market this summer, 4x NBA champion and future Hall of Famer LeBron James. LeBron makes the Sixers one of the best teams in the NBA and the biggest threat to the World Champion Knicks in the Eastern Conference. Philly’s starting lineup will have four All Stars, LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey, and offensively they will be great. But all four are used to having the ball in their hands, so I’m interested to see what type of offense Coach Nurse draws up. I have two big questions for Philly: one is on the defensive end, and two is their team chemistry. If they answer those two… watch out!
Derek Fisher: "I think some of it, you think about the greats of Lakers past, many of those guys were kind of born and raised as Lakers for the most part. You think about James Worthy, number one draft pick. You think about Magic Johnson. Even though Kareem was traded to LA, he spent a considerable amount of time here in Los Angeles and really felt like a piece of the fabric of LA. And so many greats, even Shaq, eight years here. It is as though people forgot he played in Orlando as well. But it is the years here in LA that changed everything. Obviously Kobe being here for 20 seasons. And so I think other stars felt more like they became who they were as Lakers and I think a lot of Lakers fans had a difficult time receiving the fact that LeBron was already LeBron before he got here. He didn't owe Lakers fans anything. He was already LeBron. And I think fans had a hard time reconciling how to fully support a guy that didn't need support for anybody."
Magic Johnson: I want to thank LeBron James and his super agent Rich Paul for taking a meeting with me back in 2018 when I was President of the Lakers and deciding to sign with us. He created a whole new era for the Lakers, including leading us to an NBA Championship in 2020 and all the milestones he surpassed in a Lakers jersey. I’ll always love and be grateful for him and wish him all the best in the next phase of his life, on and off the court!
Vladimir Radmanovic on being recruited by the Lakers: ‘When I was a free agent deciding where to sign, my manager told me that three people were going to contact me: Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and Phil Jackson. No matter how humble you try to be, it is incredibly flattering when those three individuals call you personally and tell you they want you in their organization. Vlade Divac acted as a mediator, likely sharing my phone number. I knew that joining the Lakers might not be the best option for my personal statistics or my minutes on the floor, but it was an experience I wouldn't trade for anything. Playing for the Lakers is something special in every sense: the constant media attention and the unique pressure are things very few other NBA teams ever experience. When Kobe calls and says, 'I want you here because we need your shooting to help us win,' it changes your perspective on team dynamics and individual sacrifice for the sake of a legacy.’
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There are multiple groups looking at landing the new franchise and potentially building a new arena in Las Vegas, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Review-Journal. One group, the MAGI, led by NBA legend turned businessman Earvin “Magic” Johnson, expressed interest in Las Vegas in February, before the vote to explore Las Vegas and Seattle for expansion occurred. Johnson and members of his group met with Gov. Joe Lombardo and other civic leaders in relation to expansion.
Legion Hoops: Magic Johnson on De'Aaron Fox: “He should’ve pulled the ball back out… I think that play really hurt the Spurs. Wemby’s two free throws he missed hurt the spurs. De’Aaron is a point guard, you gotta know every situation. My job as a point guard was to know every situation.” (via @FirstTake , h/t @NBA__Courtside )
NBA Courtside: Magic Johnson on all the conversation about Jalen Brunson can’t lead a team at his size: “You hear me start laughing? You know why the man is a winner. He won in high school, won at Villanova this the guy who you want have on your team in those moments in the situation where it’s tough because he will figure it out he’s so intelligent and he’s tough physically, and mentally. So this doesn’t surprise me. I love Jalen Brunson want he stands for, what he’s capable of in the biggest moments and he’s been doing it his whole career.”
Earvin Magic Johnson: We just watched the Knicks make the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history! The first and second half were two completely different stories - the Spurs dominated in the first half and Knicks stormed back in the second. Jalen Brunson put the team on his back with his 36-point performance, but OG Anunoby was the true hero tonight, finishing with 33 points AND the game-winning tip in! De’Aaron Fox made a huge mistake when he got the ball with seconds left in the fourth and decided to go for a layup instead of dribbling the ball out to be fouled. I think the Spurs have another win in them and the Series will stretch out to 6 or 7 games, but I still see the Knicks winning it all.
One night later, Stacey ripped his suit pants from the thigh to the ankle while boarding the bus to the arena. He gently chided our producer for wanting to use gaffer tape to fix a very expensive outfit. But he kept his infectious smile as our producer stapled his pants shut. When we sat down at our broadcast position, he pointed across the floor at a then-19-year-old Victor Wembanyama and said, “Just watch. That dude is about to change the league.” Then, in the very next moment, as if it were the most natural occurrence, he introduced me to Magic Johnson. He and I shook hands, and Stacey adjusted his fixed pants and smiled, as if to say “Congrats, you both just met a cool person.”
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While James won’t directly make the case that he’s the most influential athlete of the past half-century, on the barroom debate about the basketball GOAT, he doesn’t hesitate. “I’m not taking nobody over me,” says James. “There’s no question. But I think Mike will say the same thing. Rest his soul, Kobe will say the same thing. Magic will say the same thing. Bird will say the same thing. Shaq could say the same thing. The late great Wilt. Kareem. I don’t think none of us are going to take somebody else. If there’s a general manager and he’s eyeballing all of us on a baseline, with the No. 1 pick, it’s gonna be hard not to take me, champ.”
Keerthika Uthayakumar: Victor Wembanyama with 32 points in the win, becoming the third-youngest player to have 30+ points in the Finals in NBA history. Youngest since Magic Johnson in 1980.
Q. How do you think that your Showtime teams would do in today's game? James Worthy: The athlete today is a superior athlete. The stamina, the way they approach the game. But I still, for me, I mean if I had to pick a point guard to start my team, I got to pick Magic Johnson every time. Every time. And he could play today. He's got pace. He's got size. I'm not going to say we would dominate. A lot of people say, 'Oh, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic we…' No, I don't think we would dominate, but I think we could hold our own. I think we could we ran plays. Everybody had a play. Today's game, it's open and it's fluid like you said and that would be a problem, the way we guarded. Kareem would have to go out and guard some shooters. So, there would be some disadvantages, but I think we could adapt.