Earvin "Magic" Johnson

Few players in history exhibited as much enthusiasm for basketball or displayed such an engaging personality both on and off the court as Earvin "Magic" Johnson. Magic's incredible passion, coupled with his amazing skills, dazzled generations of fans and turned basketball into "Showtime." At 6-foot-9, Johnson was a point guard in a power forward's body. No player Johnson's size had ever done what he could do with a basketball and his incredible talents resulted in a national championship at Michigan State and five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. When he retired from the NBA, Johnson was the all-time leader in assists. Magic redefined the sphere of traditional position play because he excelled at every phase of the game. As a rookie in the 1980 NBA Finals, Johnson played all five positions, scored 42 points, and was named NBA Finals MVP. Following his star-studded scholastic career at Lansing Everett High School and All-America career at Michigan State, Johnson became an immediate NBA superstar, becoming a 12-time All Star, a two-time All Star Game MVP, and nine-time All-NBA First Team honoree.