Earvin "Magic" Johnson enshrined as player in 2002

Earvin "Magic" Johnson

Enshrined 2002
Born August 14, 1959
Lansing, MI

Few players in history have exhibited as much enthusiasm for basketball or displayed such an engaging personality both on-and-off the court as Earvin "Magic" Johnson. It was Johnson's incredible passion, coupled with his amazing skills that dazzled generations of fans and turned basketball into "Showtime." At 6-foot-9, Johnson was a point guard in a power forward's body. No player Johnson's size had ever done what he could do with a basketball and his incredible talents resulted in a national championship at Michigan State (1979) and five with the Los Angeles Lakers (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988). Throughout the 1980s, he turned the triple double - double figures in three statistical categories - into an art form. The all-time assist (10,141) and steals (1,724) leader in Laker history, Johnson was the NBA's all-time leader in assists when he retired. Johnson redefined the sphere of traditional position play because he could excel at every phase of the game. As a rookie in the 1980 NBA Finals, Johnson played all five positions - scored 42 points - and was named NBA Finals MVP. Following his star-studded scholastic career at Lansing Everett High School and All-America career at MSU, Johnson became an immediate NBA superstar, becoming a 12-time All-Star, a two-time All-Star Game MVP (1990, 1992) and nine-time NBA First-Team selection.