It didn’t take long for the Los Angeles Lakers to realize how correct and correct their decision was to select Magic Johnson with the first pick in the 1979 NBA Draft.

 

In his first professional season, Johnson averaged 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 2.4 steals per game, earning a spot on the All-Star team. -Western Star. He also led the Lakers to the NBA championship in his rookie season. Johnson’s performance that year is considered one of the greatest performances in NBA Finals history.

After the Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the 1981 Playoffs, they watched helplessly as their rival Boston Celtics won the championship. The purple and gold club enters the next season with the determination to win the championship and Johnson is the nucleus of that plan.

 

In June 1981, Lakers owner Jerry Buss announced that Magic Johnson had signed a 25-year contract worth $25 million. At the time, it was the longest and most valuable deal in sports history, lasting from 1984 to 2009.

Johnson announced his retirement in 1991 after being diagnosed with HIV. He attempted a comeback before the 1992/93 season, Buss signed Johnson to a one-year contract worth $14 million as a “tribute to his former star over the years”.

 

Johnson was ultimately sidelined for the whole of that season – he returned briefly in 1995/96 – but Buss “insisted on paying Johnson the full amount anyway”.

Financially, Johnson still makes a lot of money, as he is currently worth more than $600 million. Just as Buss predicted before, he is a “smart kid”.