Second-greatest player in the history of each NBA franchise
Los Angeles Lakers: Magic Johnson
Greatest Player: Kobe Bryant
Magic Johnson came into the NBA as one of the most hyped college prospects of all time. After going No. 1 overall to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979, he proceeded to outplay the loftiest of expectations into a Mount Rushmore-type career.
It was easy to Magic’s future greatness in just his rookie season because he displayed it on the Finals stage. His series-clinching 42-point 15-rebound seven-assist performance in Game 6 against Philly — as the starting center — holds a special spot in Finals lore.
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From there, Johnson began making his case as the greatest point guard there ever was. In orchestrating LA’s high-octane Showtime offense, he led the league in assists per game four out of five years.
He became a 12-time All-Star and three-time MVP, leading the charge to four more championships for the Lakers in the 1980s, claiming Finals MVP in three of them.
At 31, his abrupt retirement in Nov. 1991 cut short a career that still had what left to give. But because of the length resume he compiled in 12 seasons, Magic’s legacy as one of the NBA’s 10 greatest players remains strong regardless.