Earvin Johnson’s famed wizardry with the ball rightfully earned him the nickname “Magic”, but his mother felt it was “blasphemous”.
According to his NBA profile, Johnson was known as ‘Junior’ during his formative years, but his on-court accomplishments earned him the name Magic, which is now what he is referred to as. The world knows him as Earvin Magic Johnson, but to his mother, a devout Christian, the nickname was unwarranted.
“Magic showed much on the court – his passing, his court vision, his idea of knowing where teammates are without looking to pass the ball, his idea of making the defender think the pass is going one way, then sending it the other,” Jeff Zillgitt wrote in USA Today.
“It was deception, sleight of hand; he was a wizard with the ball. It was a befitting nickname, given him to by a sportswriter Fred Stabley Jr., of the Lansing State Journal.”
Over the course of time, Magic became part of Johnson’s identity and was started to be addressed by the name.
He the first-overall pick of the 1979 NBA draft, and slotted him at starting point guard. Magic took the league as his own, averaging 18 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per outing; at the end of the season, he lifted the title and also claimed the NBA Finals MVP.
In his decorated career with the Lakers, he won the championship five times, and surely there was something magical about the point guard who was a vital component of the Showtime Lakers. He was their spark, and whether his mother agrees with the name or not, he still will be called Magic in the years to come.
Gilbert Arenas Explains Why Magic Johnson Had The Best Nickname In NBA History
Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas shared his two cents on why Johnson has the best nickname in NBA history.
“Magic. The reason I say that is the best nickname is because we thought that was his real name,” Arenas said. “We called him Magic Johnson. Didn’t even know his name was Earvin. Everybody else’s nickname was a nickname, we thought Magic Johnson was real. When we talk about Magic Johnson, and everyone says the best point guard and everything, we say ‘Magic’, ‘Johnson’. Not knowing the n****’s name is Earvin.”
What Arenas said is apt, as even today, most people call the iconic Johnson as Magic. It’s truly one of the most legendary nicknames, and Johnson well and wholly lived up to it.
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