Los Angeles Lakers: Top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history
By Frank Urbina
1. Earvin “Magic” Johnson (PG) — No. 1 pick in 1979 NBA Draft
Career stats (as a Laker): 906 GP, 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG, 1.1 STL, 0.4 BLK, 3.9 TOV, 52.0 FG%, 30.3 3P%, 84.8 FT%
Simply put, Magic Johnson is the best point guard of all time — making our decision for No. 1 pretty easy.
The 6-foot-9 floor general led the NBA in assists four times, in steals twice and in free throw accuracy once. His size, coupled with his astounding vision, helped him dish passes that weren’t possible for others who played his position.
Not to mention, he was a fierce competitor, who put winning above all else. And my, oh my, did he do a whole lot of just that. Over his 13-year career, the Lakers brought home the Larry O’Brien trophy five times; Johnson was named Finals MVP for three of them.
Like West, the inimitable Magic also has one of the biggest shots ever to his name.
Owners of a 2-1 series lead in the 1987 NBA Finals, the Lakers traveled to the Garden for a pivotal Game 4. Claim victory, and they would have three chances to win one more game, and thus another title. Falter, and the series would deadlock again at 2-2; against Larry Bird’s Celtics, that wouldn’t be a very comfortable position to be in.
With 12 seconds remaining in the contest, the Lakers down by one, Magic received the ball near the baseline. The rest, as they say, is history:
Clutch basket aside, to this day, Johnson still ranks fifth in career assists at 10,401. The four guys ahead of him (all outstanding players in their own right) participated in at least 311 more games than he did. Had his career not been cut short, it’s all but certain the supersized lead guard would own the record outright.
Today, as Los Angeles’ president of basketball operations, Johnson faces a different type of challenge, though it’ll be no less demanding.
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Gone are the days of trying to take down Bird and Michael Jordan; in their stead, the man known simply as Magic is tasked with leading the Lakers back to the forefront — from the gutter to respectability, and eventually, to once again competing for Larry O’Brien trophies.