NBA
OTD in 1979: Los Angeles Lakers Drafted PG Magic Johnson 1st Overall
June 25, 1979: Magic Johnson was selected by the Lakers first overall and would go on to win the NBA championship in his rookie season
Marty Lederhandler/AP Images
The ’70s are widely left out of NBA discussions, except between players who grew up idolizing the era’s stars. There are a number of suggested reasons for this, from a high degree of parity and lack of a decade-defining superstar like Michael Jordan or Bill Russell, to a declining image due to publicized drug use. Looking back, the league would never have evolved into the world-wide-phenomenon it is today if it continued down that path into obscurity. The league needed a jolt, and that is just what it got in the form of Magic Johnson.
LA LAKERS DRAFTED MAGIC JOHNSON 1ST OVERALL, CHANGING THEIR FRANCHISE FOREVER
The Los Angeles Lakers had a relatively successful run in the ’70s, winning the championship in 1972 at the tail end of the Wilt Chamberlain era before stringing together a number of successful regular seasons with Kareem Abdul-Jabaar later in the decade. Despite having arguably the best player at the time, LA was unable to translate regular-season success into post-season success. Kareem needed help. As luck would have it, the Lakers had received a first-round pick in the 1979 Draft from the New Orleans Jazz.
The pick came due to a league rule requiring the Jazz to compensate the Lakers for signing one of their veteran free agents, Gail Goodrich. New Orleans finished the ’78-’79 season at the bottom of the league standings, turning that pick into a number one overall selection. LA used it to draft a point guard out of Michigan St., Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and the Showtime Lakers were born. LA would win the next season’s title and help skyrocket the NBA’s popularity across the country while becoming one of the most storied franchises in sports with Magic leading the way.
June 25, 1979: Los Angeles #Lakers selected Michigan State PG Magic Johnson 1st overall, who would become the 1st and only #1 pick to win an NBA Championship in his rookie season pic.twitter.com/02rGR2tWp7
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) June 25, 2021
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