Magic Johnson led the Lakers to the 1980 NBA Championship, becoming the youngest Finals MVP in league history as a rookie. Despite this early success, Magic wanted out of LA as a sophomore, with Michael Cooper sharing the story of how Magic nearly quit the team in Houston during the preseason.
“They talked about the rift because we won a championship and Paul (Westhead) came in and wanted to change us into being a half-court team, and everything was focused on Kareem. What they didn’t mention was that the year after we won the title, all of that happened in the exhibition season. We were like 6-0 in the exhibition, we were 5-0 and heading to Houston. Our games had been a struggle; we were winning, but we were winning by one or two points.”
Cooper elaborated on an incident in the Houston airport where Magic seemed extremely dejected.
“I’ll never forget this, as we got off the plane in Houston, Hobby Airport, the bus would pull up. Right past the bus, at the baggage claim, there was an aisle out there where traffic was going for people to get around the airport. Magic went and sat in the middle of the medium. Cars are coming by and he’s sitting there with his bags and stuff. I asked him if he was alright and he said, ‘No Coop, I can’t play this way. This is not us. We don’t walk up, we run up.'”
Cooper then reveals that Johnson came and sat with some other key players on the team and made it clear to them that he couldn’t play the way coach Paul Westhead wanted, requesting a trade from the franchise.
“The trainer Jack Kern goes over there and coaxes Magic into coming onto the bus. Myself, Worthy, Byron Scott, and Norm Nixon, we always sat in the back of the bus. He comes and sits with us and says, ‘Man this isn’t us, I’m not happy.’ What they caught was him going and asking for the trade. It wasn’t malicious, Magic wanted to play the way he was supposed to play. If he couldn’t play it like that in LA, he wanted to go somewhere else and play.”
I will never forget this… the day Magic almost quit the Lakers. Thank god he stuck around…
Check out my podcast w @CLNS_Nick for more.
⚡️ by @PrizePicks @CLNSMedia #LakeShow #LakersNation #lakers pic.twitter.com/57rRNVL1Xo
— Michael Cooper (@ShowtimeCooper) April 4, 2024
After winning the 1980 Championship with Westhead taking over as coach midway through the season, the Lakers looked poised to be a dynasty. But in his second season with the club, Westhead tried implementing a new system of play which slowed the game down to maximize what Kareem Abdul-Jabbar could bring to the table as an older center.
Magic had to hold his ground, as the ‘Showtime’ Lakers became popular due to their fast-paced style with a floor coordinator like Magic with the ball. That style went out of use under coach Westhead, who still had Pat Riley on his staff. Riley built a strong relationship with his players, Magic in particular, and would serve as the link between the coaching staff and the players.
Lakers owner Jerry Buss decided to back Magic in this tiff and fired Paul Westhead, which became one of the greatest moves in team history. Riley would take over the franchise as coach, publicly sharing responsibilities with Jerry West, but West made it clear that this was Riley’s team. Pat would coach the team to win four more championships with Magic and Kareem.
Magic Johnson would retire as the single-greatest Laker in franchise history, with many believing he still holds that spot. He won five titles, three Finals MVPs, three regular-season MVPs, made 12 All-Star teams, 10 All-NBA teams, led the league in assists four times, and led the league in steals twice.
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