In this weekly blog I'm going to pick one of the top players in NBA history as voted on in this project and discuss some of his career accomplishments…in other words, what made him so great that he deserves a spot among the greatest? This week's player is Magic Johnson, a player with the body of a power forward, the skills of a point guard, and the mind of an offensive genius. Johnson case is built on that unique combination that made him effectively unstoppable offensively in a team setting, contributing strongly to one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history.
For those that would like to see a great collection of Magic's box score stats and accolades, check out his B-R page. Here are four of the facts about Magic that I find most interesting:
1. Magic finished in the top-3 of the MVP vote nine times, good for second all-time (tied with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one behind Michael Jordan at 10). Magic had finished top-3 in nine straight seasons, and top-2 in four of the last five seasons, before his untimely retirement due to HIV at only 31 years old.
2. Much like Bill Russell to defense, Magic was the architect of one of the greatest offensive dynasties in NBA history. From Magic's rookie season (1980) through 1990, the Lakers finished 1st (7 times) or 2nd (twice) in team offensive rating in every season that Magic played at least 72 games. The "Showtime" Lakers were an offensive juggernaut, including three of the top-25 offenses of All-Time according to basketball-reference.
3. Magic retired as the NBA all-time leader in assists, and still has the highest assist-per-game average in NBA history. He was also incredibly efficient, with a career true-shooting percentage of 61|PERCENT| that is the second highest ever by a guard (Reggie Miller) and eighth of all-time at any position. And he made the "triple-double" a household word, notching more of them than anyone in NBA history outside of Oscar Robertson.
4. Magic is on the short list of players with an NCAA championship, Olympic Gold medal, and NBA championship. He was the Most Outstanding Player in the 1979 NCAA Final Four, then the FInals MVP in the 1980 NBA Finals. With five NBA championships, three MVPs, and three Finals MVPs he is one of the most decorated players in NBA history.
Bonus fact: Magic Johnson will always be historically linked with his great rival, Larry Bird. They met head-to-head on the big stage four times altogether, with Magic going 3 - 1 overall (one NCAA championship, two NBA championships to Bird's one NBA championship). Bird fans would argue that Magic had more talented teams...that's what makes it such a fun debate.
In the project linked above, Johnson finished no. 4 overall, just behind Abdul-Jabbar. I actually voted Magic above Kareem, based on the notion that he had a more impressive peak/higher impact and a long enough prime (despite having his career cut short) to warrant the vote. I'm interested to hear if any of you have any takes on where Magic rates on your GOAT list, and where you think he may have ended up had he not had to retire while still in his prime.