John "Mr. Magic" Rivas, (March 15, 1956 – October 2, 2009)^[1] was a prominent hip hop radio DJ.

Mr. Magic debuted in 1981 on WHBI-FM in New York City with the first exclusive rap radio show to be aired on a major station. Billing itself as Rap Attack, Magic's show featured Marley Marl as the DJ and Tyrone "Fly Ty" Williams as the show's co-producer. Magic moved to WBLS-FM in July 1982. Magic's reign on the New York City airwaves lasted six years and was instrumental in broadening the scope and validity of hip-hop music.^[2] Mr. Magic recorded one 12" single as an artist "Magic's Message (There's A Better Way)",^[3] produced by Spyder D for Posse Records in 1984.

During the mid-80s there was a rivalry between Mr. Magic and Kool DJ Red Alert, who hosted a weekly show on WRKS-FM. The feud also played out between proxy rap groups, the Juice Crew and Boogie Down Productions (see The Bridge Wars). The Juice Crew - headed by Mr. Magic's on-air assistant, DJ Marley Marl - was named after one of Magic's aliases, "Sir Juice."^[4] In April 2000, Mr. Magic began to take on a new role, with new faces; Kdabra, and Mah Gambino (aspiring rap artists). Mr. Magic first met Kdabra then was introduced to Mah Gambino, and soon discovered their lyrical capabilities. He then took them under his wing as their manager and offered them positions to become interns at Hot 97 FM on his then show "The Classic Showcase" with Fly Ty, and DJ Mr. Cee.

In 2002 Magic lent his voice to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, as himself, a DJ on one of the in-game radio stations.

As confirmed by DJ Premier, Mr. Magic died on the morning of October 2, 2009 from a heart attack.^[5]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Excerpt about Mr. Magic from "The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop," (New American Library/Penguin, 2010
• Biography on Allmusic
• Vice City biography on IGN

Mister, usually written in its abbreviated form Mr or Mr. (American English), is a commonly used English honorific for men under the rank of knighthood. The title derived from master, as the equivalent female titles, Mrs., Miss, and Ms, all derived from the archaic mistress. The title master was retained and used for boys and young men, but is now less commonly used. The plural form is Misters, or the abbreviation Messrs (UK) or Messrs. (US) ( /ˈmɛsərz/).^[1][2] This is an English abbreviation of the French "messieurs" (French pronunciation: [mesjø]), sometimes pronounced /ˈmɛsərz/ in English.

Usage[link]

When addressing someone directly: Mr. is usually used with the last name only ("May I help you, Mr. Thompson?"). In other circumstances, it can be used with either the last name or the full name ("This is Mr. John Smith."; "Would you please help, Mr Smith?"). In formal written address, it is usually used along with the full name, or with initials and surname.

When a man's name is unknown, "mister" is sometimes used informally by itself in direct address, as in, "Hello, mister," or "Are you all right, mister?" rather than the standard form of address, "Sir". Though not necessarily meant disrespectfully, such use may to some people seem rude.

In some subcultures, including the Southern United States, West Africa, and in some US urban communities, Mister is often used along with only the first name to simultaneously indicate familiarity and respect; some children are encouraged to use this form when referring to or addressing adults.

A formal written address to related men with common surnames may list each person on separate lines, or in the form "Misters John and Elias Smith", "The Messieurs Smith" or "Messrs. John and Elias Smith".^[3]

Historic etiquette[link]

Historically, Mr., like Sir, once indicated an ill-defined social status only applied to gentlemen or persons at or above one's own station as a mark of respect. This understanding is all but obsolete today.

In past centuries, Mr. was used with a first name to distinguish among family members who might otherwise be confused in conversation: Mr. Smith would be the eldest present; younger brothers or cousins were then referred to as Mr. James Smith and Mr. Robert Smith and so on. Such usage survived longer in family-owned business or when domestic servants were referring to adult male family members with the same surname: "Mr. Robert and Mr. Richard will be out this evening, but Mr. Edward is dining in," but such usage today is rare.

Professional titles[link]

"Mr" is sometimes combined with certain titles (Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Justice, Mr. Dean). The female equivalent is Madam. All of these except Mr. Justice are used in direct address and without the name. The title Mr. Justice is not used in direct address. In certain professional contexts in different regions, "Mr." has specific meanings; the following are some examples.

Medicine[link]

In the United Kingdom, some Commonwealth countries, South Africa and Ireland, many surgeons use the title Mr (or Miss, Ms, Mrs, as appropriate), rather than Dr (Doctor). Until the 19th century, earning a medical degree was not required to become a qualified surgeon.^[4]

Military usage[link]

In the United States Military, Warrant Officers and Chief Warrant Officers are addressed as Mister. In the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard it is proper to use Mister to refer to commissioned officers below the rank of commander.

In the British Armed Forces, a Warrant Officer is addressed as "Sir" by Other Ranks and Non-Commissioned Officers; Commissioned Officers, particularly of junior rank, should address a Warrant Officer using his surname and the prefix Mister, for example Mr Smith, although often their rank or appointment is used, for example "Sergeant Major," "Regimental Sergeant Major,", or "RSM".

In the British Armed Forces a Subaltern is often referred to by his surname and the prefix Mister by both Other Ranks and more senior Commissioned Officers, e.g. "Report to Mister Smithe-Jones at once" rather than "Report to 2nd Lieutenant Smithe-Jones at once".

Judges[link]

In the Courts of England and Wales, Judges of the High Court are called, for example, Mr Justice Crane (unless they are entitled to be addressed as Lord Justice). Where a forename is necessary to avoid ambiguity it is always used, for example Mr Justice Robert Goff to distinguish from a predecessor Mr Justice Goff. The female equivalent is Mrs Justice Hallett, not Madam Justice Hallett. When more than one judge is sitting and one needs to be specific, one would refer to My Lord, Mr Justice Crane. High Court Judges are entitled to be styled with the prefix The Honourable while holding office: e.g. the Honourable Mr Justice Robert Goff. In writing, such as in the law reports, the titles "Mr Justice" or "Mrs Justice" are both abbreviated to a "J" placed after the name. For example, Crane J would be substituted for Mr Justice Crane.^[5]

The Chief Justice of the United States may be referred to as either "Mr. Chief Justice," or "Chief Justice." For example, "Mr. Chief Justice Roberts," or "Chief Justice Roberts."

Catholic clerics[link]

Among Catholic clergy, "Mr" is the correct title and form of address for seminarians and other students for the priesthood and was once the proper title for all secular and parish priests, the use of the title "Father" being reserved to religious clergy only. This is still the case on the continent of Europe but the use of the title "Father" for parish clergy became customary around the 1820s.^{[clarification needed]}

A diocesan seminarian is correctly addressed as "Mr," and once ordained a transitional deacon, is addressed in formal correspondence (though rarely in conversation) as the Reverend Mister (or "Rev. Mr"). In clerical religious orders (orders which include or are primarily made up of priests), Mr is the title given to scholastics. For instance, in the Jesuits, a man preparing for priesthood who has completed the novitiate but who is not yet ordained is properly, "Mr John Smith, SJ" and is addressed verbally as "Mister Smith"—this is to distinguish him from Jesuit brothers, and priests. (Although, before the 1820s, many Jesuit priests were also called "Mr".) Orders founded before the 16th century do not, as a rule, follow this practice: a Franciscan or Dominican, for instance, becomes a friar after novitiate and so is properly titled "Brother," or, if a cleric, "Father."

Permanent deacons are not to be styled "the Reverend Mr", but instead simply as "Deacon" or "the Reverend Deacon" followed by their first and last names (e.g., "Deacon John Jones".^[6] It is also customary in some places, especially in the Eastern Catholic Churches to address deacons while speaking, like presbyters, as "Father" or "Father Deacon".

Other usages[link]

• "Mister" can also be used in combination with another word to refer to someone who is regarded as the personification of, or master of, a particular field or subject, especially in the fields of popular entertainment and sports, as Gordie Howe is referred to as "Mr. Hockey" or Reggie Jackson is known as "Mr. October."
• The husband of a famous woman is sometimes referred to with "Mr" prefixed to her name; e.g. Denis Thatcher was sometimes referred to as "Mr Margaret Thatcher." Such usage is not traditional and usually meant satirically.
• In Italian football, deference to a coach is shown by players, staff and fans referring to him as "Il Mister," or directly, "Mister." This is traditionally attributed to the conversion of the local game of Calcio to English-rules Association Football by British sailors, who would have been the first coaches.^[7]

Foreign equivalents[link]

• Afrikaans: Meneer (Mnr.)
• Amharic: አቶ (Ato)
• Albanian: Zotëri (Z.)
• Arabic: سيد (Sayyid)
• Armenian: Պարոն (Paron, Eastern Armenian), Պարոն (Baron, Western Armenian)
• Azeri: Cənab
• Bengali: জনাব (Janab)
• Belarusian Спадар (Spadar), Пан (Pan)
• Bulgarian: Господин (Г-н, G-n) (Gospodin)
• Burmese: U
• Catalan: Senyor (Sr.)
• Chinese: 先生; Hanyu Pinyin: Xiānsheng; Tongyong Pinyin: sian1 sheng; Jyutping: sin1 saang1; Cantonese Yale: sīn sāang; Zhuyin Fuhao: ㄒ｜ㄢ ㄕㄥ
• Croatian: Gospodin (Gosp.)
• Czech: pan (p.)
• Dutch: De heer, only when referred to in the third person and on envelopes; meneer or mijnheer (archaic), in all situations, but mostly in speech, except on envelopes; (dhr. but not Mr. as this is an academic title.)
• Esperanto: Sinjoro (S-ro)
• Estonian: Härra (Hr.)
• Finnish: Herra (Hra)
• French: Monsieur (M. or, more rarely, M^r)
• Filipino: Ginoo (G.)
• Georgian: ბატონი (Batoni)
• German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish: Herr (Hr)
• Greek: Κύριος, Kýrios (literally: "Lord"), abbreviation: κ., k. – plural: Κύριοι, Kýrioi, abbreviation: κ.κ., k.k.. Unlike English practice, this style is never to be used for the deceased; in such cases styles of religious connotation ("blessed", "forgiven", etc) are used..
• Hebrew: אדון (Adon) or מר (Mar)
• Hindi: श्री (Shri)
• Hungarian: úr
• Icelandic: Herra (Hr.)
• Ido: Sioro (Sro.) is used to refer to any adult person, male or female, married or not. If it is necessary to indicate that the person in question is an adult male, then Siorulo (Srlo.) is used.
• Indonesian: Tuan (Tn.)
• Irish: An t-Uasal (An tUas.)
• Italian: Signore (Sig.)
• Japanese: Japanese honorifics are affixed to the end of a proper name or official title and are defined less by gender than by the relationship between the speaker and addressee. The most common, however, is -san (さん^?), itself derived from the more formal -sama (様^?). In newspapers and other (mostly written) contexts, the most common honorific used is the Chinese-based -shi (氏^?).
  For more details on this topic, see Japanese honorifics.
• Kannada: ಶ್ರೀ (Shree)
• Kazakh: Мырза (Myrza)
• Korean: the suffix 씨 (Hanja: 氏, McCune-Reischauer Ssi, pronounced somewhat like "shi"). Honorific form is 군 (gun), and the feminine form is 양 (yang).
• Kotava: weltikye
• Latvian: kungs (k-gs)
• Lithuanian: Ponas (p.)
• Macedonian:Господин (Gospodin), Г-дин (G-din)
• Maltese: Sinjur (Sur)
• Malay: Encik (En)
• Marathi: श्री (Shri)
• Norwegian: Herr (Hr.)
• Occitan: Sénher (Sr.)
• Oriya: Sriman
• Papiamento: Sr.
• Persian: آقا (Āqā)
• Polish: Pan (P.)
• Portuguese: Senhor (Sr.)
• Punjabi: ਸਰਦਰ (Sardar), ਸਦਰ (Sdr.)
• Romanian: Domn (D-n)
• Russian: Господин (Gospodin), Г-н (G-n)
• Sanskrit: महानुभाव (Mahānubhāva)
• Serbian: Господин (Gospodin), Г-дин (G-din)
• Sinhalese: මහතා (Mahatha)
• Slovak: pán (p.)
• Slovene: gospod (g.)
• Spanish: Señor (Sr.)
• Somali: Seeydi
• Syriac: ܡܝܩܪܐ (Myaqro)
• Tamil: திரு (Thiru)
• Telugu: శ్రీ (Sri)
• Thai: นาย (Nai)
• Turkish: Bey (used after a first name, e.g. Mehmet Bey)
• Tswana: Rra
• Ukrainian: Пан (Pan)
• Urdu: ﺼﺎﺣﺐ (Sahib) used as a suffix after the name
• Vietnamese: ông
• Yiddish: רעב (Reb), abbreviated 'ר, used with the first name rather than the surname.

See also[link]

• Aptronym

References[link]

Grover Washington, Jr. (December 12, 1943 - December 17, 1999)^[1] was an American jazz-funk / soul-jazz saxophonist. Along with George Benson, John Klemmer, David Sanborn, Bob James, Chuck Mangione, Herb Alpert, and Spyro Gyra, he is considered by many to be one of the founders of the smooth jazz genre.^{[citation needed]} He wrote some of his material and later became an arranger and producer.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Washington made some of the genre's most memorable hits, including "Mister Magic," "Reed Seed," "Black Frost," "Winelight," "Inner City Blues" and "The Best is Yet to Come". In addition, he performed very frequently with other artists, including Bill Withers on "Just the Two of Us" (still in regular rotation on radio today), Patti LaBelle on "The Best Is Yet to Come" and Phyllis Hyman on "A Sacred Kind of Love". He is also remembered for his take on the Dave Brubeck classic "Take Five", and for his 1996 version of "Soulful Strut".

Washington had a preference for black nickel-plated saxophones made by Julius Keilwerth. These included a SX90R alto and SX90R tenor. He also played Selmer Mark VI alto in the early years. His main soprano was a black nickel plated H.Couf Superba II (also built by Keilwerth for Herbert Couf) and a Keilwerth SX90 in the last years of his life.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Washington was born in Buffalo, New York on December 12, 1943. His mother was a church chorister, and his father was a collector of old Jazz gramophone records and a saxophonist as well, so music was everywhere in the home. He grew up with the great jazzmen and big band leaders like Benny Goodman, Fletcher Henderson, and others like them. At the age of 8, Grover Sr. gave Jr. a saxophone. He practiced and would sneak into clubs to see famous Buffalo blues musicians.

Early career[link]

Washington left Buffalo and played with a Midwest group called the Four Clefs and then the Mark III Trio from Mansfield, Ohio. He was drafted into the U.S. Army shortly thereafter, which was to be to his advantage, as he met drummer Billy Cobham. A music mainstay in New York City, Cobham introduced Washington to many New York musicians. After leaving the Army, Washington freelanced his talents around New York City, eventually landing in Philadelphia in 1967.^[1] In 1970 and 1971, he appeared on Leon Spencer's first two albums on Prestige Records, together with Idris Muhammad and Melvin Sparks.

Washington's big break came at the expense of another artist. Alto sax man Hank Crawford was unable to make a recording date with Creed Taylor's Kudu Records,^[2] and Washington took his place, even though he was a backup. This led to his first solo album, Inner City Blues. He was talented and displayed heart and soul with soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones. Refreshing for his time, he made headway into the jazz mainstream.

Fame[link]

Whilst his first three albums established him as a force in jazz and soul music, it was his fourth album in 1974, Mister Magic, that proved a major commercial success. The album climbed to number 10 in Billboard's Top 40 album chart and the title track reached #16 on the R&B singles chart (#54, pop). All these albums included guitarist Eric Gale as a near-permanent member in Washington's arsenal.^[1] His follow-up on Kudu in 1975, Feels So Good also made #10 on the album chart.

A string of acclaimed records brought Washington through the 1970s, culminating in the signature piece for everything he would do from then on. Winelight (1980) was the album that defined everything Washington was then about, having signed for Elektra Records, part of the major Warner Music group. The album was smooth, fused with R&B and easy listening feel. Washington's love of basketball, especially the Philadelphia 76ers, led him to dedicate the second track, "Let It Flow", to Julius Erving (Dr. J). The highlight of the album was his collaboration with soul artist Bill Withers, "Just the Two of Us," a huge hit on radio during the spring and summer of 1981, peaking at #2 on the Hot 100. The album went platinum in 1981, and also won Grammy Awards in 1982 for Best R&B Song ("Just The Two of Us"), and Best Jazz Fusion Performance ("Winelight"). "Winelight" was also nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.^[1]

In the post-Winelight era, Washington is credited for giving rise to a new batch of talent that would make its mark in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is known for bringing Kenny G to the forefront as well as such smooth jazz artists as Walter Beasley, Steve Cole, Pamela Williams, Najee, and George Howard. His song Mr. Magic is noted as being influential on Go-go music starting in the mid-1970s.^[3]

Death[link]

On December 17, 1999, while waiting in the green room after taping four songs for The Saturday Early Show, at CBS Studios in New York City, Washington collapsed. He was taken to St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 7:30 p.m. He was 56 years old. His doctors determined that he had suffered a massive heart attack.^[1]

Tributes[link]

A large mural of Washington, part of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, is just south of the intersection of Broad and Diamond Streets.^[4]

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

• 1971: Inner City Blues (Kudu Records)
• 1972: All the King's Horses (Kudu)
• 1973: Soul Box (Kudu)
• 1974: Mister Magic (Kudu)
• 1975: Feels So Good (Kudu)
• 1976: A Secret Place (Kudu)
• 1977: Live At The Bijou (Kudu)
• 1978: Reed Seed (Motown)
• 1979: Paradise (Elektra Records)
• 1980: Skylarkin' (Motown)
• 1980: Winelight (Elektra)
• 1981: Come Morning (Elektra)
• 1981: Baddest (Motown)
• 1982: The Best Is Yet To Come (Elektra)
• 1984: Inside Moves (Elektra)
• 1986: House Full Of Love (Music from The Cosby Show) (Columbia Records)
• 1987: Strawberry Moon (Columbia)
• 1988: Then and Now (Columbia)
• 1989: Time Out of Mind (Columbia)
• 1992: Next Exit (Columbia)
• 1994: All My Tomorrows (Columbia)
• 1996: Soulful Strut (Columbia)
• 1997: Breath of Heaven: A Holiday Collection (Columbia)
• 2000: Aria (Columbia)
• 2001: Discovery - The First Recordings (Prestige)
• 2010: Grover Live (G-Man Productions, Inc.)

As sideman[link]

With Kathleen Battle

• So Many Stars (Sony, 1995)

With Kenny Burrell

• Togethering (Blue Note, 1985)

With Dexter Gordon

• American Classic (Elektra, 1982)

With Urbie Green

• Señor Blues (CTI, 1977)

With The Mark III Trio

• Let's Ska at the Ski Lodge (Downhill, 1964)

With Gerry Mulligan

• Dragonfly (Telarc, 1995)

With Don Sebesky

• Giant Box (CTI, 1973)

With Leon Spencer

• Sneak Preview (Prestige Records, 1970)
• Louisiana Slim (Prestige, 1971)

With Mal Waldron

• My Dear Family (Evidence, 1990)

With Randy Weston

• Blue Moses (CTI, 1972)

With Bill Withers

• "Just the Two of Us" (Columbia Records, 1981)
• "In the Name of Love" (Columbia, 1981)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Grover Washington, Jr. at Legacy Recordings
• Grover Washington TV Interview from C Music TV
• Jazz Conversations with Eric Jackson: Grover Washington Jr. from WGBH Radio Boston
• Grover Washington Jr. At Find A Grave

Earvin "Magic" Johnson

No. 32
Point guard / Forward
Personal information
Born	(1959-08-14) August 14, 1959 (age 52) Lansing, Michigan
High school	Everett (Lansing, Michigan)
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)[1]
Listed weight	255 lb (116 kg)[2]
Career information
College	Michigan State (1977–1979)
NBA Draft	1979 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Pro career	1979–1996
Career history
1979–1991, 1996	Los Angeles Lakers
Career highlights and awards
5× NBA Champion (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987–1988) 3× NBA Most Valuable Player (1987, 1989–1990) 12× NBA All-Star (1980, 1982–1992) 3× NBA Finals MVP (1980, 1982, 1987) 9× All-NBA First Team (1983–1991) All-NBA Second Team (1982) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1980) 2× NBA All-Star Game MVP (1990, 1992) NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team NCAA Champion (1979) #32 Retired by Los Angeles Lakers
Career statistics
Points	17,707 (19.5 ppg)
Rebounds	6,559 (7.2 rpg)
Assists	10,141 (11.2 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player

Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers. He won a championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his rookie season, and won four more championships with the Lakers during the 1980s. Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. After protests from his fellow players, he retired again for four years, but returned in 1996, at age 36, to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time.

Johnson's career achievements include three NBA MVP Awards, nine NBA Finals appearances, twelve All-Star games, and ten All-NBA First and Second Team nominations. He led the league in regular-season assists four times, and is the NBA's all-time leader in average assists per game, at 11.2.^[3] Johnson was a member of the "Dream Team", the U.S. basketball team that won the Olympic gold medal in 1992.

Johnson was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996, and enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.^[4] He was rated the greatest NBA point guard of all time by ESPN in 2007.^[5] His friendship and rivalry with Boston Celtics star Larry Bird, whom he faced in the 1979 NCAA finals and three NBA championship series, were well documented. Since his retirement, Johnson has been an advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention and safe sex,^[4] as well as an entrepreneur,^[6] philanthropist,^[7] broadcaster and motivational speaker.^[8] Johnson was a part-owner of the Lakers for several years, and was part of a group that purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012.

Amateur career[link]

Early years[link]

Earvin Johnson Jr. was born to Earvin Sr., a General Motors assembly worker, and Christine, a school custodian.^[9] Johnson grew up in Lansing, Michigan, and came to love basketball as a youngster, idolizing players such as Earl Monroe and Marques Haynes,^[10] and practicing "all day".^[4]

Johnson was first dubbed "Magic" as a 15-year-old sophomore playing for Lansing's Everett High School, when he recorded a triple-double of 36 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists.^[4] After the game, Fred Stabley Jr., a sports writer for the Lansing State Journal, gave him the moniker^[11] despite the belief of Johnson's mother, a Christian, that the name was sacrilegious.^[4] In his final high school season, Johnson led Lansing Everett to a 27–1 win–loss record while averaging 28.8 points and 16.8 rebounds per game,^[4] and took his team to an overtime victory in the state championship game.^[12]

Michigan State University[link]

Although Johnson was recruited by several top-ranked colleges such as Indiana and UCLA, he decided to play close to home.^[13] His college decision came down to the University of Michigan and Michigan State University in East Lansing. He ultimately decided to attend Michigan State when its coach Jud Heathcote told him he could play the point guard position. The talent already on Michigan State's roster also drew him to the program.^[14]

Johnson did not initially aspire to play professionally, focusing instead on his communication studies major and on his desire to become a television commentator.^[15] Playing with future NBA draftees Greg Kelser, Jay Vincent and Mike Brkovich, Johnson averaged 17.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game as a freshman, and led the Spartans to a 25–5 record, the Big Ten Conference title, and a berth in the 1978 NCAA Tournament.^[4] The Spartans reached the Elite Eight, but lost narrowly to eventual national champion Kentucky.^[16]

During the 1978–79 season, Michigan State again qualified for the NCAA Tournament, where they advanced to the championship game and faced Indiana State University, which was led by senior Larry Bird. In what was the most-watched college basketball game ever,^[17] Michigan State defeated Indiana State 75–64, and Johnson was voted Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.^[12] After two years in college, during which he averaged 17.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game, Johnson was drafted in the 1979 NBA Draft.^[18]

Professional career[link]

Rookie season in the NBA (1979–80)[link]

Johnson was drafted first overall in 1979 by the Los Angeles Lakers. Johnson said that what was "most amazing" about joining the Lakers was the chance to play alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,^[19] the team's 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) center who became the leading scorer in NBA history.^[20] Despite Abdul-Jabbar's dominance, he had failed to win a championship with the Lakers, and Johnson was expected to help them achieve that goal.^[21] Johnson averaged 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game for the season, was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Team, and was named an NBA All-Star Game starter.^[22]

The Lakers compiled a 60–22 record in the regular season and reached the 1980 NBA Finals,^[23] in which they faced the Philadelphia 76ers, who were led by forward Julius Erving. The Lakers took a 3–2 lead in the series, but Abdul-Jabbar, who averaged 33 points a game in the series,^[24] sprained his ankle in Game 5 and could not play in Game 6.^[21] Paul Westhead decided to start Johnson at center in Game 6; Johnson recorded 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals in a 123–107 win, while playing guard, forward, and center at different times during the game.^[21] Johnson became the only rookie to win the NBA Finals MVP award,^[21] and his clutch performance is still regarded as one of the finest in NBA history.^[5][25][26] He also became one of four players to win NCAA and NBA championships in consecutive years.^[27]

Ups and downs (1980–83)[link]

Early in the 1980–81 season, Johnson was sidelined after he suffered torn cartilage in his left knee. He missed 45 games,^[18] and said that his rehabilitation was the "most down" he had ever felt.^[28] Johnson returned before the start of the 1981 playoffs, but the Lakers' then-assistant and future head coach Pat Riley later said Johnson's much-anticipated return made the Lakers a "divided team".^[29] The 54-win Lakers faced the 40–42 Houston Rockets in the first round of playoffs,^[30][31] where Houston upset the Lakers 2–1 after Johnson airballed a last-second shot in Game 3.^[32]

During the off-season, Johnson signed a 25-year, $25-million contract with the Lakers, which was the highest-paying contract in sports history up to that point.^[33] At the beginning of the 1981–82 season, Johnson had a heated dispute with Westhead, who Johnson said made the Lakers "slow" and "predictable".^[34] After Johnson demanded to be traded, Lakers owner Jerry Buss fired Westhead and replaced him with Riley. Although Johnson denied responsibility for Westhead's firing,^[35] he was booed across the league, even by Lakers' fans.^[4] Despite his off-court troubles, Johnson averaged 18.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and a league-high 2.7 steals per game, and was voted a member of the All-NBA Second Team.^[18] He also joined Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only NBA players to tally at least 700 points, 700 rebounds, and 700 assists in the same season.^[12] The Lakers advanced through the 1982 playoffs and faced Philadelphia for the second time in three years in the 1982 NBA Finals. After a triple-double from Johnson in Game 6, the Lakers defeated the Sixers 4–2, as Johnson won his second NBA Finals MVP award.^[36] 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.^[37] Johnson later said that his third season was when the Lakers first became a great team,^[38] and he credited their success to Riley.^[39]

During the 1982–83 NBA season, Johnson averaged 16.8 points, 10.5 assists, and 8.6 rebounds per game and earned his first All-NBA First Team nomination.^[18] The Lakers again reached the Finals, and for a third time faced the Sixers, who featured center Moses Malone as well as Erving.^[40] With Johnson's teammates Norm Nixon, James Worthy and Bob McAdoo all hobbled by injuries, the Lakers were swept by the Sixers, and Malone was crowned the Finals MVP.^[40] In a losing effort against Philadelphia, Johnson averaged 19.0 points on .403 shooting, 12.5 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game.^[41]

Battles against the Celtics (1983–87)[link]

Johnson battling with Bird for rebounding position in Game 2 of the 1985 NBA Finals at Boston Garden.

In Johnson's fifth season, he averaged a double-double of 17.6 points and 13.1 assists, as well as 7.3 rebounds per game.^[18] The Lakers reached the Finals for the third year in a row, where Johnson's Lakers and Bird's Celtics met for the first time in the post-season.^[42] The Lakers won the first game, and led by two points in Game 2 with 18 seconds to go, but after a layup by Gerald Henderson, Johnson failed to get a shot off before the final buzzer sounded, and the Lakers lost 124–121 in overtime.^[42] In Game 3, Johnson responded with 21 assists in a 137–104 win, but in Game 4, he again made several crucial errors late in the contest. In the final minute of the game, Johnson had the ball stolen by Celtics center Robert Parish, and then missed two free throws that could have won the game. The Celtics won Game 4 in overtime, and the teams split the next two games. In the decisive Game 7 in Boston, as the Lakers trailed by three points in the final minute, opposing point guard Dennis Johnson stole the ball from Johnson, a play that effectively ended the series.^[42] Friends Isiah Thomas and Mark Aguirre consoled him that night, talking until the morning in his Boston hotel room amidst fan celebrations on the street.^[43][44] During the Finals, Johnson averaged 18.0 points on .560 shooting, 13.6 assists, and 7.7 rebounds per game.^[45] Johnson later described the series as "the one championship we should have had but didn't get".^[46]

In the 1984–85 regular season, Johnson averaged 18.3 points, 12.6 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game and led the Lakers into the 1985 NBA Finals, where they faced the Celtics again. The series started poorly for the Lakers when they allowed an NBA Finals record 148 points to the Celtics in a 34-point loss in Game 1.^[47] However, Abdul-Jabbar, who was now 38 years old, scored 30 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in Game 2, and his 36 points in a Game 5 win were instrumental in establishing a 3–2 lead for Los Angeles.^[47] After the Lakers defeated the Celtics in six games, Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson, who averaged 18.3 points on .494 shooting, 14.0 assists, and 6.8 rebounds per game in the championship series,^[48][49] said the Finals win was the highlight of their careers.^[50]

Johnson again averaged a double-double in the 1985–86 NBA season, with 18.8 points, 12.6 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game.^[18] The Lakers advanced to the Western Conference Finals, but were unable to defeat the Houston Rockets, who advanced to the Finals in five games.^[51] In the next season, Johnson averaged a career-high of 23.9 points, as well as 12.2 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game,^[18] and earned his first regular season MVP award.^[4][52] The Lakers met the Celtics for the third time in the NBA Finals, and in Game 4 Johnson hit a last-second hook shot over Celtics big men Parish and Kevin McHale to win the game 107–106.^[53] The game-winning shot, which Johnson dubbed his "junior, junior, junior sky-hook",^[53] helped Los Angeles defeat Boston in six games. Johnson was awarded his third Finals MVP title after averaging 26.2 points on .541 shooting, 13.0 assists, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.33 steals per game.^[53][54]

Repeat and falling short (1987–91)[link]

Before the 1987–88 NBA season, Lakers coach Pat Riley publicly promised that they would defend the NBA title, even though no team had won consecutive titles since the Celtics did so in the 1969 NBA Finals.^[55] Johnson had another productive season with averages of 19.6 points, 11.9 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game.^[18] In the 1988 playoffs, the Lakers survived two 4–3 series against the Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks to reach the Finals and face Thomas and the Detroit Pistons,^[56] known as the "Bad Boys" for their physical style of play.^[57] Johnson and Thomas greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek before the opening tip of Game 1, which they called a display of brotherly love.^[44][58][59] 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.^[60] Despite not being named MVP, Johnson had a strong championship series, averaging 21.1 points on .550 shooting, 13.0 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game.^[61] It was the fifth and final NBA championship of his career.

In the 1988–89 NBA season, Johnson's 22.5 points, 12.8 assists, and 7.9 rebounds per game^[18] earned him his second MVP award,^[62] and the Lakers reached the 1989 NBA Finals, in which they again faced the Pistons. However, after Johnson went down with a hamstring injury in Game 2, the Lakers were no match for the Pistons, who swept them 4–0.^[63]

Playing without Abdul-Jabbar for the first time, Johnson won his third MVP award^[64] after a strong 1989–90 NBA season in which he averaged 22.3 points, 11.5 assists, and 6.6 rebounds per game.^[18] However, the Lakers bowed out to the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals, which was the Lakers' earliest playoffs elimination in nine years.^[65] Johnson performed well during the 1990–91 NBA season, with averages of 19.4 points, 12.5 assists, and 7.0 rebounds per game, and the Lakers reached the 1991 NBA Finals. There they faced the Chicago Bulls, led by shooting guard Michael Jordan, a five-time scoring champion regarded as the finest player of his era.^[66][67] Although the series was portrayed as a matchup between Johnson and Jordan,^[68] Bulls forward Scottie Pippen defended effectively against Johnson. Despite two triple-doubles from Johnson during the series, finals MVP Jordan led his team to a 4–1 win.^[4] In the last championship series of his career, Johnson averaged 18.6 points on .431 shooting, 12.4 assists, and 8.0 rebounds per game.^[69]

HIV announcement and Olympics (1991–92)[link]

After a physical before the 1991–92 NBA season, Johnson discovered that he had tested positive for HIV. In a press conference held on November 7, 1991, Johnson made a public announcement that he would retire immediately.^[70] He stated that his wife Cookie and their unborn child did not have HIV, and that he would dedicate his life to "battle this deadly disease".^[70] Johnson initially said that he did not know how he contracted the disease,^[70] but later acknowledged that it was through having multiple sexual partners during his playing career.^[71] At the time, only a small percentage of HIV-positive people had contracted it from heterosexual sex,^[59][72] and it was initially rumored that Johnson was gay or bisexual, although he denied both.^[59] Johnson later accused Isiah Thomas of spreading the rumors, a claim Thomas denied.^[44][73] Johnson's HIV announcement became a major news story in the United States,^[74] and in 2004 was named as ESPN's seventh most memorable moment of the past 25 years.^[75] Many articles praised Johnson as a hero, and former U.S. President George H. W. Bush said, "For me, Magic is a hero, a hero for anyone who loves sports."^[76]

Olympic medal record
Men's basketball
Competitor for  United States
Gold	1992 Barcelona	National team

Despite his retirement, Johnson was voted by fans as a starter for the 1992 NBA All-Star Game at Orlando Arena, although his former teammates Byron Scott and A. C. Green said that Johnson should not play,^[77] and several NBA players, including Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone, argued that they would be at risk of contamination if Johnson suffered an open wound while on court.^[78] Johnson led the West to a 153–113 win and was crowned All-Star MVP after recording 25 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds.^[79] The game ended after he made a last-minute three-pointer, and players from both teams ran onto the court to congratulate Johnson.^[80]

Johnson was chosen to compete in the 1992 Summer Olympics for the US basketball team, dubbed the "Dream Team" because of the NBA stars on the roster.^[81] During the tournament, which the USA won,^[82] Johnson played infrequently because of knee problems, but he received standing ovations from the crowd, and used the opportunity to inspire HIV-positive people.^[15]

Post-Olympics and later life[link]

Before the 1992–93 NBA season, Johnson announced his intention to stage an NBA comeback. After practicing and playing in several pre-season games, he returned to retirement before the start of the regular season, citing controversy over his return sparked by opposition from several active players.^[12] During his retirement, Johnson has written a book on safer sex, run several businesses, worked for NBC as a commentator, and toured Asia and Australia with a basketball team that comprised former college and NBA players.^[4]

He returned to the NBA as coach of the Lakers near the end of the 1993–94 NBA season, replacing Randy Pfund. After losing five of six games, Johnson announced he would resign after the season, choosing instead to purchase a 5% share of the team in June 1994.^[4] In the following season, at the age of 36, Johnson attempted another comeback as a player. Playing power forward, he averaged 14.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game in the last 32 games of the season.^[18] After the Lakers lost to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs,^[83] Johnson retired permanently, saying, "I am going out on my terms, something I couldn't say when I aborted a comeback in 1992."^[12]

Off the court[link]

Magic Johnson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Personal life[link]

Johnson first fathered a son in 1981, when Andre Johnson was born to Melissa Mitchell. Although Andre was raised by his mother, he visited Johnson each summer, and as of October 2005 was working for Magic Johnson Enterprises as a marketing director.^[6] In 1991, Johnson married Earlitha "Cookie" Kelly in a small wedding in Lansing which included guests Thomas, Aguirre, and Herb Williams.^[84] Johnson and Cookie have one son, Earvin III;^[6] the couple adopted a daughter, Elisa, in 1995.^[85] Johnson resides in Dana Point, California.^[86]

Media figure and business interests[link]

In 1998, Johnson hosted a late night talk show on the Fox network called The Magic Hour, but the show was canceled after two months because of low ratings.^[87] He runs Magic Johnson Enterprises, a company that has a net worth of $700 million;^[6] its subsidiaries include Magic Johnson Productions, a promotional company; Magic Johnson Theaters, a nationwide chain of movie theaters; and Magic Johnson Entertainment, a movie studio.^[88] Johnson has also worked as a motivational speaker.^[8] Johnson was an NBA commentator for Turner Network Television for seven years,^[89] before becoming a studio analyst for ESPN's NBA Countdown in 2008.^[90] In 1994, Johnson became a minority owner of the Lakers, having reportedly paid more than $10 million for part ownership. He also held the title of team vice president.^[91] Johnson sold his ownership stake in the Lakers in October 2010.^[92] In 2006 Johnson created a contract food service with Sodexo USA called Sodexo-Magic.^[93]

Los Angeles Dodgers[link]

In January 2012, Johnson joined with Guggenheim Partners and Stan Kasten in a bid for ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.^[94] In March 2012, Johnson's ownership group was announced as the winner of the proceedings to buy the Dodgers.^[95]

Politics[link]

Johnson is a supporter of the Democratic Party—in 2006, he publicly endorsed Phil Angelides for governor of California,^[96] and in 2007 he supported Hillary Clinton for president of the United States.^[97] In 2010 Johnson endorsed Barbara Boxer in her race for re-election.^[98]

HIV activism[link]

In 2003, Johnson met with Nancy Pelosi to discuss federal assistance for those with AIDS.

After announcing his infection in November 1991, Johnson created the Magic Johnson Foundation to help combat HIV,^[99] although he later diversified the foundation to include other charitable goals.^[100] In 1992, he joined the National Commission on AIDS, but left after eight months, saying that the commission was not doing enough to combat the disease.^[99] He was also the main speaker for the United Nations (UN) World AIDS Day Conference in 1999,^[100] and has served as a United Nations Messenger of Peace.^[101]

HIV had been associated with drug addicts and homosexuals,^[99] but Johnson's campaigns sought to show that the risk of infection was not limited to those groups. Johnson stated that his aim was to "help educate all people about what [HIV] is about" and teach others not to "discriminate against people who have HIV and AIDS".^[100] Johnson was later criticized by the AIDS community for his decreased involvement in publicizing the spread of the disease.^[99][100]

To prevent his HIV infection from progressing to AIDS, Johnson takes a daily combination of drugs.^[102] He has advertised GlaxoSmithKline's drugs,^[103] and partnered with Abbott Laboratories to publicize the fight against AIDS in African American communities.^[102]

Career achievements[link]

Johnson's number 32 jersey was retired by the Lakers in 1992.

In 905 NBA games, Johnson scored 17,707 points, 6,559 rebounds, and 10,141 assists, translating to career averages of 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 11.2 assists per game, the highest assists per game average in NBA history.^[18] Johnson shares the single-game playoff record for assists (24),^[104] holds the Finals record for assists in a game (21),^[104] and has the most playoff assists (2,346).^[105] He holds the All-Star Game single-game record for assists (22), and the All-Star Game record for career assists (127).^[104] Johnson introduced a fast-paced style of basketball called "Showtime", described as a mix of "no-look passes off the fastbreak, pin-point alley-oops from halfcourt, spinning feeds and overhand bullets under the basket through triple teams."^[4] Fellow Lakers guard Michael Cooper said, "There have been times when [Johnson] has thrown passes and I wasn't sure where he was going. Then one of our guys catches the ball and scores, and I run back up the floor convinced that he must've thrown it through somebody."^[4][12] Johnson was exceptional because he played point guard despite being 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), a size reserved normally for frontcourt players.^[4] He combined the size of a power forward, the one-on-one skills of a swingman, and the ball handling talent of a guard, making him one of the most dangerous triple-double threats of all time; his 138 triple-double games are second only to Oscar Robertson's 181.^[106]

For his feats, Johnson was voted as one of the 50 Greatest Players of All Time by the NBA in 1996,^[107] and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.^[108] ESPN's SportsCentury ranked Johnson #17 in their "50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century"^[109] In 2006, ESPN.com rated Johnson the greatest point guard of all time, stating, "It could be argued that he's the one player in NBA history who was better than Michael Jordan."^[5] Several of his achievements in individual games have also been named among the top moments in the NBA.^{[26][110][111]}

Rivalry with Larry Bird[link]

Johnson and Larry Bird were first linked as rivals after Johnson's Michigan State squad defeated Bird's Indiana State team in the 1979 NCAA finals. The rivalry continued in the NBA, and reached its climax when Boston and Los Angeles met in three out of four NBA Finals from 1984 to 1987. Johnson asserted that for him, the 82-game regular season was composed of 80 normal games, and two Lakers–Celtics games. Similarly, Bird admitted that Johnson's daily box score was the first thing he checked in the morning.^[80]

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.^[112][113] The rivalry was also significant because it drew national attention to the faltering NBA. Prior to Johnson and Bird's arrival, the NBA had gone through a decade of declining interest and low TV ratings.^[114] With the two future Hall of Famers, the league won a whole generation of new fans,^[115] drawing both traditionalist adherents of Bird's dirt court Indiana game and those appreciative of Johnson's public park flair. Sports journalist Larry Schwartz of ESPN asserted that Johnson and Bird saved the NBA from bankruptcy.^[12]

Despite their on-court rivalry, Johnson and Bird became close friends during the filming of a 1984 Converse shoe advertisement that depicted them as enemies.^[116][117] Johnson appeared at Bird's retirement ceremony in 1992, and described Bird as a "friend forever";^[80] during Johnson's Hall of Fame ceremony, Bird formally inducted his old rival.^[115]

Works[link]

Biographies[link]

Johnson's autobiography is Johnson, Earvin (1992). Magic Johnson: My Life. Random House. ISBN 0-449-22254-3.  Other biographies include:

• Haskins, James (1981). Magic: A Biography of Earvin Johnson. Hillside, New Jersey: Enslow Publishers. ISBN 0-89490-044-7. 
• Gutman, Bill (1991). Magic: More Than a Legend. New York, New York: Harper Paperbacks. ISBN 0-06-100542-8. 
• Morgan, Bill (1991). The Magic: Earvin Johnson. ISBN 0-606-01895-6. 
• Gutman, Bill (1992). Magic Johnson: Hero On and Off the Court. Brookfield, Connecticut: Millbrook Press. ISBN 1-56294-287-5. 
• Johnson, Rick L. (1992). Magic Johnson: Basketball's Smiling Superstar. New York, New York: Dillon Press. ISBN 0-87518-553-3. 
• Rozakis, Laurie (1993). Magic Johnson: Basketball Immortal. Vero Beach, Florida: Rourke Enterprises. ISBN 0-86592-025-7. 
• Schwabacher, Martin (1993). Magic Johnson (Junior World Biographies). New York, New York: Chelsea Juniors. ISBN 0-7910-2038-X. 
• Bork, Günter (1994). Die großen Basketball Stars. Copress-Verl. ISBN 3-7679-0369-5.  (German)
• Frank, Steven (1994). Magic Johnson (Basketball Legends). New York, New York: Chelsea House Publishers. ISBN 0-7910-2430-X. 
• Bork, Günter (1995). Basketball Sternstunden. Copress-Verl. ISBN 3-7679-0456-X.  (German)
• Blatt, Howard (1996). Magic! Against The Odds. New York, New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-00301-1. 
• Rosner, Mark (1999). Michael MacCambridge. ed. Earvin "Magic" Johnson: The Star of Showtime. New York: Hyperion ESPN Books. pp. 251–52.  (In ESPN SportsCentury)
• Gottfried, Ted (2001). Earvin Magic Johnson: Champion and Crusader. New York, New York: F. Watts. ISBN 0-531-11675-1. 

Instructional[link]

• Johnson, Earvin "Magic" (1992). Magic's Touch: From Fundamentals to Fast Break With One of Basketball's All-Time Greats. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co. ISBN 0-201-63222-5. 
• Johnson, Earvin "Magic" (1996). What You Can Do to Avoid AIDS. New York: Times Books. ISBN 0-8129-2844-X. 
  • Updated version of Johnson, Earvin "Magic" (1992). Unsafe Sex in the Age of AIDS. New York: Times Books. ISBN 0-8129-2063-5. 

See also[link]

• List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders
• List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders
• List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders
• List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders
• List of National Basketball Association career playoff scoring leaders
• List of National Basketball Association career playoff rebounding leaders
• List of National Basketball Association career playoff assists leaders
• List of National Basketball Association career playoff steals leaders
• List of National Basketball Association career playoff turnovers leaders
• List of National Basketball Association career playoff free throw scoring leaders
• List of National Basketball Association players with most assists in a game
• List of National Basketball Association players with most steals in a game

References[link]

External links[link]

• Magic Johnson Official Website
• Career statistics and player information from NBA.com, or Basketball-Reference.com

• Magic Johnson at DatabaseBasketball.com
• Magic Johnson at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• Magic Johnson Bio, NBA Encyclopedia, Playoff Edition
• Magic Johnson Foundation

Links to related articles v t e Michigan State Spartans Men's Basketball 1978–79 NCAA Champions 11 Terry Donnelly 12 Mike Brkovich 15 Ron Charles 21 Don Brkovich 31 Jay Vincent 32 Greg Kelser 33 Earvin Johnson (MOP) 35 Rob Gonzalez Head Coach Jud Heathcote Assistant Coach: Bill Berry v t e NBA first overall draft picks 1947: McNeely 1948: Tonkovich 1949: Shannon 1950: Share 1951: Melchiorre 1952: Workman 1953: Felix 1954: Selvy 1955: Ricketts 1956: Green 1957: Hundley 1958: Baylor 1959: Boozer 1960: Robertson 1961: Bellamy 1962: McGill 1963: Heyman 1964: Barnes 1965: Hetzel 1966: Russell 1967: Walker 1968: Hayes 1969: Alcindor 1970: Lanier 1971: Carr 1972: L. Martin 1973: Collins 1974: Walton 1975: D. Thompson 1976: Lucas 1977: Benson 1978: M. Thompson 1979: E. Johnson 1980: Carroll 1981: Aguirre 1982: Worthy 1983: Sampson 1984: Olajuwon 1985: Ewing 1986: Daugherty 1987: D. Robinson 1988: Manning 1989: Ellison 1990: Coleman 1991: L. Johnson 1992: O'Neal 1993: Webber 1994: G. Robinson 1995: Smith 1996: Iverson 1997: Duncan 1998: Olowokandi 1999: Brand 2000: K. Martin 2001: Brown 2002: Yao 2003: James 2004: Howard 2005: Bogut 2006: Bargnani 2007: Oden 2008: Rose 2009: Griffin 2010: Wall 2011: Irving v t e 1979 NBA Draft First round Earvin Johnson David Greenwood Bill Cartwright Greg Kelser Sidney Moncrief James Bailey Vinnie Johnson Calvin Natt Larry Demic Roy Hamilton Cliff Robinson Jim Paxson Dudley Bradley Brad Holland Phil Hubbard Jim Spanarkel Lee Johnson Reggie King Wiley Peck Larry Knight Sly Williams Kyle Macy Second round Tico Brown Johnny High Oliver Mack Bruce Flowers Reggie Carter Danny Salisbury Tony Price Gary Garland Edgar Jones Tony Zeno Lawrence Butler Kim Goetz James Bradley Clint Richardson Bernard Toone Larry Wilson Victor King Andrew Fields Mark Young Paul Mokeski Johnny Moore Joe DeSantis v t e Los Angeles Lakers 1979–80 NBA Champions 7 Marty Byrnes 9 Jim Chones 10 Norm Nixon 14 Brad Holland 15 Butch Lee 21 Michael Cooper 31 Spencer Haywood 32 Magic Johnson (Finals MVP) 33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 52 Jamaal Wilkes 54 Mark Landsberger Head coach Paul Westhead Assistant coaches Mike Thibault Pat Riley Regular season • Playoffs v t e Los Angeles Lakers 1981–82 NBA Champions 5 Eddie Jordan 8 Jim Brewer 10 Norm Nixon 11 Bob McAdoo 21 Michael Cooper 30 Kevin McKenna 31 Kurt Rambis 32 Magic Johnson (Finals MVP) 33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 34 Clay Johnson 40 Mike McGee 41 Mitch Kupchak 52 Jamaal Wilkes 54 Mark Landsberger Head coach Pat Riley Assistant coaches Bill Bertka Mike Thibault Regular season • Playoffs v t e Los Angeles Lakers 1984–85 NBA Champions 1 Earl Jones 4 Byron Scott 11 Bob McAdoo 12 Ronnie Lester 21 Michael Cooper 25 Mitch Kupchak 31 Kurt Rambis 32 Magic Johnson 33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Finals MVP) 35 Larry Spriggs 40 Mike McGee 42 James Worthy 43 Chuck Nevitt 52 Jamaal Wilkes Head coach Pat Riley Assistant coaches Bill Bertka Dave Wohl Regular season • Playoffs v t e Los Angeles Lakers 1986–87 NBA Champions 1 Wes Matthews 4 Byron Scott 21 Michael Cooper 24 Adrian Branch 31 Kurt Rambis 32 Magic Johnson (Finals MVP) 33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 42 James Worthy 43 Mychal Thompson 45 A. C. Green 52 Mike Smrek 55 Billy Thompson Head coach Pat Riley Assistant coaches Bill Bertka Randy Pfund Regular season • Playoffs v t e Los Angeles Lakers 1987–88 NBA Champions 1 Wes Matthews 3 Jeff Lamp 4 Byron Scott 19 Tony Campbell 20 Milton Wagner 21 Michael Cooper 31 Kurt Rambis 32 Magic Johnson 33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 42 James Worthy (Finals MVP) 43 Mychal Thompson 45 A. C. Green 52 Mike Smrek 55 Billy Thompson Head coach Pat Riley Assistant coaches Bill Bertka Randy Pfund Regular season • Playoffs v t e 1992 Olympic Champions Men's Basketball Team – United States 4 Laettner 5 Robinson 6 Ewing 7 Bird 8 Pippen 9 Jordan 10 Drexler 11 Malone 12 Stockton 13 Mullin 14 Barkley 15 Johnson Head coach: Daly Assistant coaches: Krzyzewski Wilkens Carlesimo Main article: 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team v t e Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2002 Players Magic Johnson Dražen Petrović Coach Larry Brown Lute Olson Kay Yow Teams Harlem Globetrotters v t e Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Based in Springfield, Massachusetts Members   Coaches (86) Allen Anderson Auerbach Auriemma Barmore Barry Blood Boeheim Brown Calhoun Cann Carlson Carnesecca Carnevale Carril Case Chancellor Chaney Conradt Crum Daly Dean Díaz-Miguel Diddle Drake Ferrándiz Gaines Gamba Gardner Gill Gomelsky Gunter Hannum Harshman Haskins Hickey Hobson Holzman Hurley Iba Jackson Julian Keaney Keogan Knight Krzyzewski Kundla Lambert Litwack Loeffler Lonborg Magee McCutchan A. McGuire F. McGuire Meanwell Meyer Miller Moore Nikolić Novosel Olson Ramsay Riley Rubini Rupp Rush Sachs Sharman Shelton Sloan Smith Stringer Summitt Taylor Thompson VanDerveer Wade Watts Wilkens Williams Winter Wooden Woolpert Wootten Yow Boldface indicates those who are also inducted as players   Contributors (58) Abbott Bee Biasone H. Brown W. Brown Bunn Buss Colangelo Davidson Douglas Duer Embry Fagan Fisher Fleisher Gavitt Gottlieb Gulick Harrison Hearn Hepp Hickox Hinkle Irish Jones Kennedy Lemon Liston Lloyd McLendon Mokray Morgan Morgenweck Naismith Newell Newton J. O'Brien L. O'Brien Olsen Podoloff Porter Reid Ripley Sanders Saperstein Schabinger St. John Stagg Stanković Steitz Taylor Teague Tower Trester Vitale Wells Wilke Zollner   Players (149) Guards Archibald Beckman Belov Bing Blazejowski Borgmann Brennan Cervi Cooper-Dyke Cousy Davies Drexler Dumars Edwards Frazier Friedman Gervin Goodrich Greer Hanson Haynes Holman Hyatt Jeannette D. Johnson E. Johnson K. Jones S. Jones Jordan Lieberman Maravich Marcari Martin McDermott McGuire Meyers Monroe Mullin Murphy Page Petrović Robertson Roosma Russell Schommer Sedran Sharman Steinmetz Stockton Thomas Thompson Vandivier Wanzer West Wilkens Woodard Wooden Forwards Arizin Barkley Barry Baylor Bird Bradley Cunningham Curry Dalipagić Dantley DeBusschere Dehnert Endacott English Erving Foster Fulks Gale Gates Gola Hagan Havlicek Hawkins Hayes Heinsohn Howell G. Johnson Lucas Luisetti K. Malone B. McCracken J. McCracken McHale Mikkelsen Miller Pettit Phillip Pippen Pollard Ramsey Rodman Schayes Schmidt Stokes Thompson Twyman White Wilkins Worthy Yardley Centers Abdul-Jabbar Barlow Bellamy Chamberlain Cooper Ćosić Cowens Crawford DeBernardi Donovan Ewing Gallatin Gilmore Gruenig Harris-Stewart Houbregs Issel W. Johnson Johnston Krause Kurland Lanier Lovellette Lapchick Macauley M. Malone McAdoo Meneghin Mikan Murphy Olajuwon Parish Pereira Reed Risen Robinson Russell Sabonis Semjonova Thurmond Unseld Wachter Walton Boldface indicates those who are also inducted as coaches   Referees (13) Enright Hepbron Hoyt Kennedy Leith Mihalik Nucatola Quigley Rudolph Shirley Strom Tobey Walsh   Teams (8) 1960 United States Olympic Team 1992 United States Olympic Team Buffalo Germans The First Team Harlem Globetrotters New York Rens Original Celtics Texas Western Awards Bob Cousy Award Curt Gowdy Media Award John Bunn Award Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award Official website v t e National Basketball Association's 50 Greatest Players in NBA History Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Nate Archibald Paul Arizin Charles Barkley Rick Barry Elgin Baylor Dave Bing Larry Bird Wilt Chamberlain Bob Cousy Dave Cowens Billy Cunningham Dave DeBusschere Clyde Drexler Julius Erving Patrick Ewing Walt Frazier George Gervin Hal Greer John Havlicek Elvin Hayes Magic Johnson Sam Jones Michael Jordan Jerry Lucas Karl Malone Moses Malone Pete Maravich Kevin McHale George Mikan Earl Monroe Hakeem Olajuwon Shaquille O'Neal Robert Parish Bob Pettit Scottie Pippen Willis Reed Oscar Robertson David Robinson Bill Russell Dolph Schayes Bill Sharman John Stockton Isiah Thomas Nate Thurmond Wes Unseld Bill Walton Jerry West Lenny Wilkens James Worthy v t e Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award 1969: West 1970: Reed 1971: Alcindor 1972: Chamberlain 1973: Reed 1974: Havlicek 1975: Barry 1976: White 1977: Walton 1978: Unseld 1979: D. Johnson 1980: E. Johnson 1981: Maxwell 1982: E. Johnson 1983: Malone 1984: Bird 1985: Abdul-Jabbar 1986: Bird 1987: E. Johnson 1988: Worthy 1989: Dumars 1990: Thomas 1991: Jordan 1992: Jordan 1993: Jordan 1994: Olajuwon 1995: Olajuwon 1996: Jordan 1997: Jordan 1998: Jordan 1999: Duncan 2000: O'Neal 2001: O'Neal 2002: O'Neal 2003: Duncan 2004: Billups 2005: Duncan 2006: Wade 2007: Parker 2008: Pierce 2009: Bryant 2010: Bryant 2011: Nowitzki v t e NBA Most Valuable Player Award 1956: Pettit 1957: Cousy 1958: Russell 1959: Pettit 1960: Chamberlain 1961: Russell 1962: Russell 1963: Russell 1964: Robertson 1965: Russell 1966: Chamberlain 1967: Chamberlain 1968: Chamberlain 1969: Unseld 1970: Reed 1971: Alcindor 1972: Abdul-Jabbar 1973: Cowens 1974: Abdul-Jabbar 1975: McAdoo 1976: Abdul-Jabbar 1977: Abdul-Jabbar 1978: Walton 1979: M. Malone 1980: Abdul-Jabbar 1981: Erving 1982: M. Malone 1983: M. Malone 1984: Bird 1985: Bird 1986: Bird 1987: Johnson 1988: Jordan 1989: Johnson 1990: Johnson 1991: Jordan 1992: Jordan 1993: Barkley 1994: Olajuwon 1995: Robinson 1996: Jordan 1997: K. Malone 1998: Jordan 1999: K. Malone 2000: O'Neal 2001: Iverson 2002: Duncan 2003: Duncan 2004: Garnett 2005: Nash 2006: Nash 2007: Nowitzki 2008: Bryant 2009: James 2010: James 2011: Rose 2012: James v t e NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award 1951: Macauley 1952: Arizin 1953: Mikan 1954: Cousy 1955: Sharman 1956: Pettit 1957: Cousy 1958: Pettit 1959: Baylor & Pettit 1960: Chamberlain 1961: Robertson 1962: Pettit 1963: Russell 1964: Robertson 1965: Lucas 1966: A. Smith 1967: Barry 1968: Greer 1969: Robertson 1970: Reed 1971: Wilkens 1972: West 1973: Cowens 1974: Lanier 1975: Frazier 1976: Bing 1977: Erving 1978: R. Smith 1979: Thompson 1980: Gervin 1981: Archibald 1982: Bird 1983: Erving 1984: Thomas 1985: Sampson 1986: Thomas 1987: Chambers 1988: Jordan 1989: Malone 1990: Johnson 1991: Barkley 1992: Johnson 1993: Stockton & Malone 1994: Pippen 1995: Richmond 1996: Jordan 1997: Rice 1998: Jordan 1999: No game played 2000: O'Neal & Duncan 2001: Iverson 2002: Bryant 2003: Garnett 2004: O'Neal 2005: Iverson 2006: James 2007: Bryant 2008: James 2009: Bryant & O'Neal 2010: Wade 2011: Bryant 2012: Durant v t e NBA season assists leaders 1947: Calverley 1948: Calverley 1949: Davies 1950: Phillip 1951: Phillip 1952: Phillip 1953: Cousy 1954: Cousy 1955: Cousy 1956: Cousy 1957: Cousy 1958: Cousy 1959: Cousy 1960: Cousy 1961: Robertson 1962: Robertson 1963: Rodgers 1964: Robertson 1965: Robertson 1966: Robertson 1967: Rodgers 1968: Robertson 1969: Robertson 1970: Wilkens 1971: Van Lier 1972: West 1973: Archibald 1974: DiGregorio 1975: Porter 1976: Watts 1977: Buse 1978: Porter 1979: Porter 1980: Richardson 1981: Porter 1982: Moore 1983: Johnson 1984: Johnson 1985: Thomas 1986: Johnson 1987: Johnson 1988: Stockton 1989: Stockton 1990: Stockton 1991: Stockton 1992: Stockton 1993: Stockton 1994: Stockton 1995: Stockton 1996: Stockton 1997: Jackson 1998: Strickland 1999: Kidd 2000: Kidd 2001: Kidd 2002: Miller 2003: Kidd 2004: Kidd 2005: Nash 2006: Nash 2007: Nash 2008: Paul 2009: Paul 2010: Nash 2011: Nash 2012: Rondo v t e NBA season steals leaders 1974: Steele 1975: Barry 1976: Watts 1977: Buse 1978: Lee 1979: Carr 1980: Richardson 1981: Johnson 1982: Johnson 1983: Richardson 1984: Green 1985: Richardson 1986: Robertson 1987: Robertson 1988: Jordan 1989: Stockton 1990: Jordan 1991: Robertson 1992: Stockton 1993: Jordan 1994: McMillan 1995: Pippen 1996: Payton 1997: Blaylock 1998: Blaylock 1999: Gill 2000: Jones 2001: Iverson 2002: Iverson 2003: Iverson 2004: Davis 2005: Hughes 2006: Wallace 2007: Davis 2008: Paul 2009: Paul 2010: Rondo 2011: Paul 2012: Paul v t e J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award 1975: Unseld 1976: Watts 1977: Bing 1978: Lanier 1979: Murphy 1980: Carr 1981: Glenn 1982: Benson 1983: Erving 1984: Layden 1985: Issel 1986: Cooper & Sparrow 1987: Thomas 1988: English 1989: Bailey 1990: Rivers 1991: K. Johnson 1992: M. Johnson 1993: Porter 1994: Dumars 1995: O'Toole 1996: Dudley 1997: Brown 1998: Smith 1999: Grant 2000: Divac 2001: Mutombo 2002: Mourning 2003: Robinson 2004: Miller 2005: Snow 2006: Garnett 2007: Nash 2008: Billups 2009: Mutombo 2010: Dalembert 2011: Artest 2012: Gasol v t e NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player 1939: Hull 1940: Huffman 1941: Kotz 1942: Dallmar 1943: Sailors 1944: Ferrin 1945: Kurland 1946: Kurland 1947: Kaftan 1948: Groza 1949: Groza 1950: Dambrot 1951: Spivey 1952: Lovellette 1953: Born 1954: Gola 1955: Russell 1956: Lear 1957: Chamberlain 1958: Baylor 1959: West 1960: Lucas 1961: Lucas 1962: Hogue 1963: Heyman 1964: Hazzard 1965: Bradley 1966: Chambers 1967: Alcindor 1968: Alcindor 1969: Alcindor 1970: Wicks 1971: Porter * 1972: Walton 1973: Walton 1974: Thompson 1975: Washington 1976: Benson 1977: Lee 1978: Givens 1979: Johnson 1980: Griffith 1981: Thomas 1982: Worthy 1983: Olajuwon 1984: Ewing 1985: Pinckney 1986: Ellison 1987: Smart 1988: Manning 1989: Rice 1990: Hunt 1991: Laettner 1992: Hurley 1993: Williams 1994: Williamson 1995: O'Bannon 1996: Delk 1997: Simon 1998: Sheppard 1999: Hamilton 2000: Cleaves 2001: Battier 2002: Dixon 2003: Anthony 2004: Okafor 2005: May 2006: Noah 2007: Brewer 2008: Chalmers 2009: Ellington 2010: Singler 2011: Walker 2012: Davis *Ruled ineligible after tournament v t e 1979 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans First Team Larry Bird Mike Gminski David Greenwood Earvin Johnson Sidney Moncrief Second Team Bill Cartwright Calvin Natt Mike O'Koren Jim Paxson Jim Spanarkel Kelly Tripucka Sly Williams v t e Los Angeles Lakers head coaches John Kundla (1948–1958) George Mikan (1958) John Kundla (1958–1959) John Castellani (1959–1960) Jim Pollard (1960) Fred Schaus (1960–1967) Butch van Breda Kolff (1967–1969) Joe Mullaney (1969–1971) Bill Sharman (1971–1976) Jerry West (1976–1979) Jack McKinney (1979) Paul Westhead (1979–1981) Pat Riley (1981–1990) Mike Dunleavy, Sr. (1990–1992) Randy Pfund (1992–1994) Bill Bertka# (1994) Magic Johnson# (1994) Del Harris (1994–1999) Bill Bertka# (1999) Kurt Rambis# (1999) Phil Jackson (1999–2004) Rudy Tomjanovich (2004–2005) Frank Hamblen# (2005) Phil Jackson (2005–2011) Mike Brown (2011–present) (#) denotes interim head coach. v t e Los Angeles Lakers Formerly the Detroit Gems and the Minneapolis Lakers Founded in 1946 Based in Los Angeles, California The Franchise Franchise Team History All-Time roster Draft history Seasons Records Head coaches Current season Arenas Minneapolis Auditorium Minneapolis Armory Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena The Forum Staples Center D-League Affiliate Los Angeles D-Fenders Administration Dr. Jerry Buss (Majority Owner) Anschutz Entertainment Group (Minority Owner) Patrick Soon-Shiong (Minority Owner) Mitch Kupchak (Vice President & GM of Basketball Ops.) Mike Brown (Head Coach) Retired Numbers 13 22 25 32 33 42 44 Chick Hearn (Microphone) Minneapolis Lakers Hall of Famers Mikan Mikkelsen Martin Lovellette Pollard Coach Kundla NBA Championships (16) 1949 1950 1952 1953 1954 1972 1980 1982 1985 1987 1988 2000 2001 2002 2009 2010 Rivals Boston Celtics Philadelphia 76ers San Antonio Spurs Houston Rockets Detroit Pistons Los Angeles Clippers Portland Trail Blazers Utah Jazz Phoenix Suns Culture and Lore "Showtime" Wilt the Stilt Mr. Clutch Elgin Baylor The Captain Magic Lakers vs. Celtics Chick Hearn Riles Jack Kent Cooke The Fabulous Forum Mr. Basketball The Punch Big Game James Shaq–Kobe feud 81 Black Mamba The Diesel Lawrence Tanter Jack Nicholson I Love L.A. 0.4 The Zen Master 33-game win streak Bynumite Media TV KCAL FS West Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes (coming fall 2012) Radio 710 ESPN Radio 1330 ESPN Deportes Announcers Bill Macdonald Stu Lantz John Ireland Mychal Thompson v t e NBA on NBC Related programs NBA Showtime · NBA Inside Stuff · College Basketball on NBC · Olympics on NBC · NBA on USA Related articles Ratings · NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC · Like Mike · 2002 FIBA World Championship Commentators All-Star Game · Eastern Conference Finals · Western Conference Finals · NBA Finals · WNBA Finals Key figures Marv Albert · Mike Breen · Quinn Buckner · P. 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Carlesimo · Doug Collins · Bob Costas · Dick Enberg · Julius Erving · Cotton Fitzsimmons · Mike Fratello · Curt Gowdy · Jim Gray · Greg Gumbel · Matt Guokas · Tom Hammond · Kevin Johnson · Lewis Johnson · Magic Johnson · Steve Jones · Andrea Joyce · Lindsey Nelson · Bud Palmer · Ahmad Rashād · Pat Riley · John Salley · Hannah Storm · Paul Sunderland · Isiah Thomas · Tom Tolbert · Peter Vecsey · Bill Walton · Bob Wolff NBA Finals 1955 · 1956 · 1957 · 1958 · 1959 · 1960 · 1961 · 1962 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 All-Star Game 1959 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 WNBA Finals 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 Music "Roundball Rock" · "Crockett's Theme" · "Winning It All" · "Return to Innocence" · "I Believe I Can Fly" · "How's It Going to Be" · "All Fired Up" · "To the Flemish Cap" · "Unbelievable" · "An American Symphony" · "These Are Days" · "Titan Spirit" Lore Christmas Day · O.J. Simpson's low-speed freeway chase · The Clock Incident · Clutch City · Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals · Memorial Day Miracle Rivalries Bulls–Knicks · Jazz–Rockets v t e NBA on ABC Related programs NBA Countdown NBA Access with Ahmad Rashad NBA Inside Stuff ESPN College Basketball on ABC Olympics on ABC NBA on ESPN Radio NBA Shootaround NBA Wednesday NBA Friday WNBA on ESPN Personalities Lore Pacers–Pistons brawl NBA Drafts 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 WNBA Finals 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Related articles Ratings Commentators All-Star Game Eastern Conference Finals Western Conference Finals NBA Finals WNBA Finals Key figures Greg Anthony Jon Barry Mike Breen Hubie Brown Chris Broussard Doris Burke Howard Cosell Bob Cousy Jim Durham Sean Elliott Len Elmore Chet Forte Jim Gordon Chuck Howard Keith Jackson Mark Jackson Magic Johnson Steve Jones Dan Majerle Al Michaels Brent Musburger Brad Nessler Dan Patrick Scottie Pippen Jack Ramsay Doc Rivers Bill Russell Lisa Salters John Saunders Chris Schenkel Stuart Scott Hannah Storm Michele Tafoya Mike Tirico Tom Tolbert Jack Twyman Jeff Van Gundy Bill Walton Jerry West Michael Wilbon ABC Radio announcers Marv Albert Dave Barnett Chick Hearn Rod Hundley Steve Jones Fred Manfra Earl Monroe Johnny Most Oscar Robertson Dick Vitale NBA Finals 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 ABC Radio's coverage 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 All-Star Game 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 ABC Radio's coverage 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 Music "Let's Get It Started" "ABC" "Lose My Breath" "This Is How a Heart Breaks" "Runnin' Down a Dream" "Right Now" "It Ends Tonight" "Nine Lives" "Get On Your Boots" "Rip This Joint" "All I Want for Christmas Is You" "Oh Santa!" "Black Dog" Lore "I think we see Willis coming out!" Christmas Day Rivalries Bryant–O'Neal Lakers–Pistons Celtics–Lakers v t e NBA on TNT Related programs Inside the NBA · NBA on TBS · NBA All-Star Weekend · NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Related articles Ratings · NBA TV · TNT's Next 10 Greatest NBA Players · NBA 07 Commentators All-Star Game · Eastern Conference Finals · Western Conference Finals Key figures Danny Ainge · Marv Albert · David Aldridge · Charles Barkley · Rick Barry · Gary Bender · Tim Brando · Mike Breen · Hubie Brown · Kevin Calabro · Skip Caray · P. J. Carlesimo · Vince Cellini · Rex Chapman · Doug Collins · Chuck Daly · Matt Devlin · Mike Dunleavy, Sr. · Jim Durham · Marc Fein · Mike Fratello · Jack Givens · Kevin Harlan · Ernie Johnson, Jr. · Lewis Johnson · Magic Johnson · Steve Kerr · Bob Lorenz · Verne Lundquist · Kevin McHale · Cheryl Miller · Reggie Miller · Bob Neal · Pam Oliver · Shaquille O'Neal · Gary Payton · Mel Proctor · Doc Rivers · Craig Sager · Kenny Smith · Marty Snider · Dick Stockton · Reggie Theus · John Thompson · Jeff Van Gundy · Pete van Wieren · Dick Versace · Chris Webber · Matt Winer NBA Drafts 1990 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 All-Star Game 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2014 Music "Burn It Down" · "Come On Get It" · "More" · "Remember the Name" · "We Made It" · "Winner" · Lore Christmas Day · NBA outdoor games · Disputed Foul Against Scottie Pippen v t e Principal owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise Brooklyn Atlantics/Grays/Bridegrooms/Grooms/ Superbas/Robins/Dodgers (1883-1957) Abell & Byrne Abell, Byrne & Chauncey Abell & C. Ebbets Abell, C. Ebbets, Hanlon & Von der Horst Abell, C. Ebbets, Hanlon & Medicus C. Ebbets & Medicus C. Ebbets, E. McKeever & S. McKeever Brooklyn Trust Company, G. Ebbets, Gilleaudeau & Stephen McKeever Brooklyn Trust Company, G. Ebbets, Gilleaudeau, J. Mulvey & D. Mulvey J. Mulvey & D. Mulvey, O'Malley, Branch Rickey & Smith W. O'Malley Los Angeles Dodgers (1958-present) W. O'Malley P. O'Malley Fox Entertainment Group McCourt Guggenheim Baseball Management (Walter, Johnson, Guber, Kasten, Patton and Boehly)