NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 4. Magic Johnson
The Showtime Lakers were the show of the 1980s, featuring a high-flying offense centered around their tall, personable point guard: Earvin “Magic” Johnson. The Lakers won five titles in the span of nine seasons, regaining their legacy as a title-winning franchise and establishing Johnson as a household name.
Growing up in Michigan, Johnson was liked by everyone that knew him. That continued at Michigan State, which he led to an NCAA title in 1979 by taking down Larry Bird and Indiana State. Johnson was then drafted first overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the ’79 NBA Draft, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and owner Jerry Buss. That partnership would be a prolific one, not only to win titles but also to help the NBA overcome its viewership problems.
Johnson was a dynamic player in the open court, a point guard despite standing 6’9″ tall. Four times Johnson led the league in assists, and all but his final season averaged between 18 and 24 points. He was a three-time Finals MVP among those five titles and won three league MVPs as well. He was a 12-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA selection and his career 11.2 assists per game average ranks first all-time.
Johnson and Bird partnered together to launch college basketball into the national spotlight as a sport, and then entered the league and saved the NBA by multiplying its popularity exponentially and winning eight of the ten titles in the 1980s. Magic Johnson’s personality, charm and fast-paced offensive style made him the perfect face of basketball as it launched into an era of knowable superstars. The era of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Steph Curry began with Earvin “Magic” Johnson.