How Long Did Magic Play in the NBA?

How long did Magic Johnson play in the NBA? Magic Johnson played in the NBA for 13 seasons, from 1979 to 1991.

Magic Johnson’s NBA Career

Magic Johnson played in the NBA for 13 seasons, all with the Los Angeles Lakers. He is widely considered one of the greatest players in NBA history. Magic was a 12-time All-Star, a three-time NBA MVP, and a five-time NBA champion. He was also named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history.

Drafted by the Lakers in 1979

In his rookie season, Johnson helped lead the Lakers to their first NBA Finals appearance in eight years. The team lost the series to the Philadelphia 76ers, but Johnson’s play was widely praised. He was named the Rookie of the Year and was selected for the All-Star team.

Helped lead the Lakers to five NBA championships

In his 13 seasons with the Lakers, Johnson helped lead the team to five NBA championships, and was named the Finals MVP three times. He also earned nine NBA All-Star selections, and was named the All-Star MVP three times. He was voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002, and his jersey number 32 was retired by the Lakers in 1992.

Won three MVP awards

In his 13-year NBA career, Earvin “Magic” Johnson won three MVP awards, nine NBA Finals titles, and an Olympic gold medal. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History

Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player and current president of basketball operations of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played point guard for the Lakers for 13 seasons. 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 good.

Because of his peeled-back style of play and versatile skillset at 6’9″, Johnson was noted as one of the best big men to ever play point guard; he has been described as “a towering Magician with a 6’9″ frame capable of playing any position on court”, and as “the prototype of what every team today wants from their floor leader”. Within weeks of his rookie debut, Walton remarked: “You’re looking at maybe the greatest player ever to wear a Laker uniform.” Conversely, Celtics coach Red Auerbach called him “the most unbelievablly turnover-prone player I have ever seen”; however, following Johnson’s 1982 retirement announcement due to HIV infection scare – during which NBC analyst Al McGuire said that it would be “a death sentence” – Auerbach came out in strong support for Johnson saying that Magic is one of two players he would pay to watch (the other being Michael Jordan), adding that “this young man is not just a credit to basketball; he’s a credit to mankind”.

Magic Johnson’s Retirement

In November of 1991, Magic Johnson shocked the world when he announced his retirement from the NBA. At the time, he was only 32 years old and still in the prime of his career. He had just won his fourth NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers and was widely considered to be the best player in the world. So, what caused Magic to retire?

Announced his retirement in 1991

Magic Johnson announced his retirement from the NBA in 1991. He had been diagnosed with HIV, and he felt that it was time for him to step away from the game. Magic played in the NBA for 12 seasons, winning five championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a 10-time All-Star and was named the MVP of the league in 1987-88. After his retirement, Magic remained active with the Lakers, serving as a vice president and then as head coach. He also remains active in HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention efforts.

Cited HIV diagnosis as the reason for his retirement

On November 7, 1991, Earvin “Magic” Johnson shocked the world by announcing his retirement from the NBA. The Lakers star point guard cited his testing positive for HIV as the reason for his early retirement. Just a few months prior to his retirement announcement, Johnson had helped lead the United States to a gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He was just 31 years old when he ended his NBA career.

Although he was no longer an active player, Johnson remained involved with the Lakers organization. He served as a part-owner and head of basketball operations from 1994 until he sold his stake in the team in 2010. In 2012, he became co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. Magic Johnson’s impact on and off the court continues to be felt today.

Returned to the Lakers in 1996

In 1996, after a brief retirement, Johnson returned to the Lakers, who had added top draft pick Kobe Bryant to their roster. The 36-year-old Johnson was still a mismatch nightmare for opposing teams, as he averaged 14.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 52.2 percent from the field. The Lakers cruised to a 61-21 record and entered the playoffs as the top seed in the Western Conference. They then proceeded to defeat the Houston Rockets in five games in the opening round before losing to the Utah Jazz in the conference semifinals.

Magic Johnson’s Legacy

Magic Johnson is one of the most iconic basketball players in history. He played for the Lakers for 13 seasons, winning 5 NBA championships. He was a 3-time MVP and a 12-time All-Star. But how long did he actually play in the NBA? Let’s take a look.

Regarded as one of the greatest players of all time

Johnson played point guard for the Lakers for 13 seasons. After winning championships in high school and college, he 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 32 games for the Lakers in the 1992–93 season, winning a fifth championship. After protests from his players, he retired again for four years, but returned in 1996 to play 32 games for the Lakers before ultimately retiring for good.

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, is the NBA’s all-time leader in average assists per game, at 11.2, and ranks fourth all-time on the league’s career assists leaders list. He is also one of only four players to win https://en.wikipedia.organ NBA championship and an NCAA basketball championship as a player (the other three being Bill Russell, Danny Manning and Jerry Lucas). Johnson was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history in 1996, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame that same year,[note 1] and was voted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007. His friendship and rivalry with Boston Celtics star Larry Bird garnered them much attention as one of sports’ greatest rivalries

Credited with popularizing the “no-look pass”

Johnson played point guard for the Lakers for 13 seasons. He started at point guard for the Lakers in 1980, the year the team drafted him with the first overall pick in the NBA draft. He won a championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his rookie season, and he continued to play at an All-Star level for more than a decade. In 1991, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. After announcing his HIV positive status in November 1991, Johnson retired from the NBA but returned to play 32 games for the Lakers during the 1995-96 season. At the time of his retirement, he had played in 906 NBA games, scored 17,707 points, and made 10,141 assists, which were all all-time records.

In 1996, Johnson was a member of the Olympic gold medal-winning United States national team, and he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame that year. He became head coach of the Lakers in 1994 but stepped down after only 32 games due to disagreements with management over personnel decisions. In 2002, he took on a role as head coach and president of basketball operations for the struggling franchise AutoNation Crossroads Chevrolet (nowwalmart Chevy) In 2006 Johnson sold his share of the Lakers to Jerry Buss’s family trust through The Guggenheim Group; however he still remains a vice president with club

Helped promote the NBA globally

Magic Johnson is a retired American professional basketball player who helped promote the National Basketball Association (NBA) globally during his playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. was born on August 14, 1959, in Lansing, Michigan. He played point guard for the Lakers for 13 seasons before retiring in 1991. In 1992, he was diagnosed with HIV and announced his retirement from the NBA. However, he made a comeback in 1996 and played 32 games for the Lakers before retiring again. For his career, Magic Johnson averaged 19.5 points, 11.2 assists, and 7.2 rebounds per game.