He was close to it. Think about it. No one even considers Magic as a scorer, yet he averaged 20 per game career. He was a pass first and pass second point while doing that. Highest average of his was 23.9 in 1987 while he averaged 12.5 assists, which is a ton and not all of his passes converted in an assist either. If he were to have lowered his passing a bit, I think he would've hovered around 24-25 a game. He had a great post game, better than most forwards had and he became a good shooter by his 5th year. His handle allowed him to cut thru defenses and get lots of point blank layups and such. He had a well-rounded offensive game, it just came in bits and pieces so it wasn't as noticeable by the end of the game.
Bharles Carkley I say that if he can do a no look pass from almost the three-point line directly into the hands of Kareem, so Kareem has the easy jam, that is just as good if not better than sinking a 20 foot jumpshot in my opinion.
I really do wish that Bird and Magic could have played more than just a handful of games on the same team. Those 2 were poetry in motion... just beautiful games.
I'm a Boston sports guy.. but Magic Johnson.. damn. If ever an athlete was deserving of a nickname it"s MAGIC. The dude was absolutely ridiculous on the court. I have no idea how he made some of these plays.. I don't think anyone does. lol. Legend.
This dude is incredible. Some of these passes look like NBA Live glitches. On offense you better keep your hands up, because you might think he can't see you, but he sees you, knows exactly where you are, and where you're going next. Magic was one of those *rare* players who would not score a single point and lead the team to victory. In my opinion, he's the greatest Laker of all-time.
There's no other player in NBA history I'd rather start a team with. His combination of size and skills , court instincts, IQ, and passing may never be seen again. The greatest NBA leader ever!
Jared Banks Don't you love how joyously and unselfishly he played. There's no laker who didn't revel in being his teammate and was better than he would've been on any other team .
Magic Johnson was one of the all time greats. He won a high school championship, NCAA Championship and a NBA Championship in a four year span. He knew how to win and made the players around him better.
There ya go. Something these young Carmelo Anthony fans need to learn. Magic and Bird could have lit it up any night they wanted. They saw the bigger picture. Make EVERYONE better and you WIN
Magic's passes are like Ali's punches, or Barry's moves. One of those special athletic characteristics that will never be matched. The leaders of their craft.
Magic Johnson is my favourite player of all time. Michael Jordan was great, but Magic made teamwork exciting. His passes were so accurate and Showtime's run-and-gun style of play had fans holding their breath on every single fast break. And whether you were a fan or a defender, you never knew what he was going to do with the ball next. Gotta love the no-look pass, man.
As I always said.... Magic is the GOAT! Can score from anywhere, penetrate almost at will, left hook, right hook, free throws, can rebound, awesome handles, and I didn’t even mention the demonic court vision and passing skills. Not a single player has this complete skill set. Now imagine if he had better athleticism! Just gorgeous to watch
Was he fouled? No Did he make a miraculous shout? Yes Has he ever done it before? You bet he has Will he ever do it again? Time and time again Chick Hearn RIP
People who didn't see him play just don't understand how great he was. He still ranks as my GOAT. When Jordan left the Bulls, they made the playoffs the next year winning only 2 fewer games than with him. When Magic left, they went from West Champions to being an 8 seed, losing 15 more games than with him. That's how amazing he was.
Makes me proud to be a lifelong Lakers fans, even now during their down period I'm still loyal. The funny thing is, the type of player Magic was, he would be great in any era, even now and in the future, he could effectively play all five positions when needed, and was a super team player, skilled to the max, shooting, handles, defense, and ridiculous passes. Lakers, Los Angeles, and especially Magic Johnson for life!!;)
No other player at 6"9 could do what Magic did. We would've witnessed basketball blooping at its best if any other player at that height played point guard and floor general. Some may have been able to run the floor for five or six minutes but Johnson was able to do it for 40 plus minutes night after night for 12 seasons in fine style, flair, vision and an unrivaled basketball IQ. This is what made Magic the greatest.
I watched a lot of these games and great moments live when I was a kid growing up. Great memories and great times! All you younger people that weren't around back then or are too young to remember, boy, you sure missed a great decade of NBA basketball during the 80's. Easily, hands down, the best decade the NBA ever had. "The NBA, its FAAAANTASTIC!". Sadly, not anymore.
Good post. Unfortunately, a lot of those fans are so defensive about the nuNBA and how disgusting it is to a lot of older fans that they, in turn, shit on past decades as if today's player is a different species of human from a different time warp than the 90s players. Even the 2Ks don't qualify as nu/advancedNBA to them. They hail the 3 point tennis matches and the soft soccer flopping and stupid game stoppages as the superior NBA. They don't know what they don't know.
@@nonplayerzealot4 I think another issue for sports in general is there's TOO much coverage. People may have become sportsed-out. Do we really need some type of sporting event on television every day or night. Sports used to be special events, anticipated maybe for a whole week, piquing fan interest. It's tough to get excited these days when there's some sports event or other on TV 7days a week. Having been born and raised in Los Angeles and watched Magic's entire career with Lakers, he is the only easy pick (imo) for an all time NBA starting five. The other four could be argued endlessly. That alone tells me what he actually was: the most UNIQUE player in NBA history. Let others argue about this GOAT or that one.
@@gregrambo606 I got a theory that Earvin, Chuck and Shaq are the 3 biggest outliers ever for what they did at their size. Shaq is just a unique human being and I know there have been other behemoths at C like Yao, but Shaq is one of the FEW who did 15+ years and half of his major injuries were accidents caused by others and not resulting from congenital probs. He fully ravaged his knee in 97 and came back from it w/o any other probs with it. Thumb lig tear was on a HaS by Matt Geiger in 96, knee landing on an opp's foot in 97 -- those two caused by others. Then the ab strain in 98 and the final one when he was ancient w/ BOS. That's FAR from a Bynum or Oden type of injury history. Or poor Sam Bowie. Magic and Chuck were just weird polar opps based on height. Neither should've done what they did. And I don't count Penny as a guy who was comparable to Earv. Penny's injury history alone precludes that in my op. Earv at 6'9" controlled offenses, handled the ball 75% of the game w/ strong handles that are absolutely unappreciated by younger fans because he didn't do Xovers. And the passing was otherworldly. Chuck at his height was a beast down low, comparable #s to Malone. Chuck had a crazy vert even when he was fat. He blocked more dunks and layups at the rim than anyone. More than many centers even. I've seen him chase down Spud and small Gary Grant from halfcourt to spike what they thought was gonna be a layup rite at rim level.
@@nonplayerzealot4 Your point about Barkley is good. Too bad he didn't come a year earlier when Philly finally won the title after getting Moses Malone. I've never tried to argue "GOATS" (which people seem to be obsessed with), however, my only point about Magic vs. Jordan IN THE FINALS is this: Every team the Lakers beat in the finals in the 80's CAME BACK TO WIN THE NBA CHAMIONSHIP THEMSELVES AFTER HAVING BEEN BEATEN BY THE LAKERS. (Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit).There's no comparison regarding the strength of competition Magic's Lakers had to play in the finals vs. Jordan's Bulls; not even close. The time Jordan beat the Lakers in the finals (Magic's last year, the start of the Jordan run), Kareem had retired the year before and they had Vlade Divac at center. We're not not talking about the Magic that came back at 36 or 37 when the Lakers were not very good to help them sell some tickets. By the way, thanks for not putting annoying music on your video. It makes a big difference.
Magic Johnson. A man who dominated the 1980s with skills and drive that will still astound people in the 2080s and demonstrated in footage that looks like it was shot in the 1880s before video existed.
^^^ this. I'm not taking away from Magic's undoubtably greatest passing game ever, but its not like LeBron isn't also a gifted passer as well. I don't understand how NBA fans still fail to realize the game evolves every year, and the players get bigger and stronger and it gets tougher. MJ the GOAT, but MJ wouldn't be the same MJ today
I watched most of these highlights live and to see them again was extremely nostalgic. For those that were not around when Magic was in his prime, it is very hard to be "the man" in LA with all of the different sports and celebrities in the City and Magic owned the City when he played. Think about it, this guy's nickname is "Magic" which is a very lofty nickname in the first place and as you can see in this video, he earned every letter of his name. When he announced that he had HIV, it was crippling for LA as though someone sucked the life out of the City. He was so adored that grown men and women were crying when they heard the news. I don't think there has been another celebrity in LA that got the attention that Magic had in the City(Although Kobe owned LA, it was not even close to how Magic owned the City). On and off the court, he could do no wrong. I feel very lucky to not only watch many of his games, but to be around to witness his rivalry with Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics.
shit had a vibe...was intense...like the dodgers heyday in the 80s, and like dallas vs frisco nfl back in the 90s. glad i had a chance to soak it all up. there was no doubt that it was all special to witness, and so glad that i lived it. and now...? bleh :(
John Stockton's peak averages are higher w/ less turnovers per game. His career apg only went down due to playing less minutes at an older age. Magic never led the league in assists again after Stockton became a starter.
Ruben Benites you see all these dunks and people are scared to foul them... if they play by the rules in the 80's today...blake griffin, deandre Jordan, Christina bosh, d howard, and more...their careers would be over now...the good old days...when they can get into fist fights and stay in the game...unless they get their second technical foul...you look at the ref sideways you get ejected...todays game is a fucken joke...I'm glad I grew up in the 80's to see the magic vs. bird rivalry coming from college to the NBA...we'll never see anything like that in our lifetime again...they save the NBA...the closest thing to it is pete carrol and jim harbaugh...
This was my childhood. I remember watching most of these plays. I grew up with those late 70s- 80s teams and listening to Chick. So many memories. Magic was the best and without a doubt, the most entertaining player ever to play.
@@straightlead8 Y'all are really big on curry getting that finals mvp. That really doesn't determine his greatness, I never said Curry was the greatest point guard I said he's close , which means he needs to accomulate more awards. Doesn't matter because Curry is the greatest pg of this era anyways.
This is my 3rd time watching it and it still takes me at least 30 to 35 minutes to complete the video because o keep rewinding it. I've been watching it for 7 minutes now and haven't made it PASS 1:30
Magic Johnson was not only the greatest point guard ever, he was the greatest leader of any team sports. There is no team that he was ever on from high school to the dream team where it was not obvious that he was the leader. If you ask any laker that ever played with him, they sing his praises and would follow him gladly. People think that he was flashy, but his best attribute was that he was consistent. He made himself into a 90 percent ft shooter and a good outside shooter. He was consistent in everything he did, he was as consistent in making the routine plays as he was making the spectacular plays. He knew his own team's strengths and weaknesses as well as the oponents, and he knew exactly how to get the best out of each of his teammates.
kamran movassaghi Another thing, he was one of those 80s guys who actually proved year by year that they worked all Summer long on adding components to their game. By 91, Earv was coming down and popping a 3 in semi-break, which is unheard of from him, but it's true. He added sharp spin moves. His handle was great, very underrated because he didn't do between the leg shit lest he needed to and no X-overs. His handles were great in a functional way, meaning he did nothing that was unnecessary. Another thing, he could and DID get by players on the perimeter into the paint for point blank layups constantly, so there had to be something he did right with his footwork and all that shit that fans tend to point to today. Great post game as well, criminally underrated for his offense. A 20 ppg career guy as a pass-first and pass-second 1. Younger fans can't obviously understand that Earv and Bird weren't so much about the highlights even though I made this flim, but it was about their leadership skills and their "come thru" skills in big moments. Both clutch, both NOT afraid to have the ball in any dire situation. It's bizarre, but they were the closest overall approximates to each other, imo. Maybe Rick Barry to Bird. Mully was a poor man's Bird. I thought Kidd was the only point ever that was similar to Earvin besides the height diff. Moreso than Penny imo. Anyway.
nonplayerzealot4 To see Magic Johnson grab a rebound and run the fast break is a thing of absolute beauty...awesome compilation...shows the greatness that most people outside of Laker fans from the 80's can not see. The Maestro of Basketball, to me, no one is even close. Only Larry Bird comes close along with Gretzky in hockey.
nonplayerzealot4 Although reminds me of how great of an announcer we had in Chicky Baby, truly miss his voice, his call, his wit...we are in a very deep valley when John Ireland is calling Laker games!
+kamran movassaghi that being said, never once did Magic question the 80's Lakers being Kareem's "team". most of the egomaniacs today wouldnt be able to do that.
Seriously, Magic was like a human surveillance system. He knew where everybody was at all times and his offense is very underrated. People always ask how come no one has ever learned Kareem's skyhook? It just boggles my mind that people don't realize the second best hook shot in the history of the game was Magic. This is a terrific video where you can see Magic working in real speed. Also, you are living in the Lebron, KD, Curry era now, but ask yourself how many opposite ends of the court shot or near half-court shot can you recall? Go back to even Kobe, and further to MJ. They either don't, or they hit very few. But in this video, you can see the amount of shots Magic hit from either near half court or the opposite end is staggering. But out of respect to Jerry West, we don't call Magic Mr. Clutch, but he is by far, the most clutch in history.
I still wonder how he gets these passes through. He literally has a feel for the game because theres no way he sees all his teammates before passing to them, he must just feel theyre there. He runs the break, has two options, a teammate on the left and on the right, he looks left so i assume its a no look pass to the right (hes seen his teammate on the right earlier when the break started, so he knows hes there) but instead he does a no look pass to his teammate behind him who he never saw at all, never made eye contact and he couldnt have seen him through his peripheral vision because hes behind him. Magic must of really had eyes behind his head too. Being his teammate must of been one of the greatest experiences ever.
elsacapuntaz That's crazy that you say that. Yesterday, me and some friends were playing basketball. One of my friends friends was REALLY good at passing. After playing against him, I noticed how good of a passer he actually was. I asked him after the 4th or 5th game, "Yo dude, how are you so good at passing?" he said, "I feel them close to me..." I kinda laughed and walked away to get some water. I thought about it a bit more and the perceptual awareness he had was at a pretty high level. Something like this is definitely possible (as we can see), but makes it more believable if you see it with your own eyes. I wish I recorded it, some of the passes he was making was just impossible. I mean, he was doing behind the back passes, no-looks, left handed bounce passes, touch passes, etc. It was so hard to believe that his passes were off a "feel" so to speak, but his consistency in setting up his teammates said it all.
his vision on the basketball court was honestly ridiculous. to be that aware in fast paced situations is super impressive. defenses were just hopeless when he had the ball in his hands.
It was not just the clairvoyant passing and spectacular shots and total team management, it was his charisma and panache that you can see on display. He wanted to have fun first, dazzle the fans second, and win third. That is why he was pure sportsman
Earvin "Magic" Johnson was the most fun-to-wacth player in the history of basketball, and probably in the history of any sport. No tickets were so much valuable than the ones sold during the showtime.
Magic Johnson's passes were unbelievably amazing. Nobody passes the ball like he does. Seriously. Not only is he one of the greatest players ever, he's the greatest laker ever.
The greatest orchestrator of team offense in the history of pro sports. And that’s from a Lifelong Celtic fan here. We will never again see anyone pass the ball like Magic could. Hated him when he played but all these years later appreciate watching him. We needed Magic and the lakers to be great - or we never would have been as great as we were.
Greatness just pure gifted Greatness was the man "Magic Johnson". PEOPLE forget the greatness of all the things he did for the NBA as "Magic" and how great he really was to watch. He changed the game and brought the NBA to heights that no one could have imagined. Not to forget BIRD helping to achieve this as well. He was a champion 5x's over, he could pass the ball better than anyone with the no look pass and behind the back, he was ALWAYS clutch when needed, he could always get his shots/points, anytime he wanted, but he made everyone that played with him better, because he was an Unselfish player/team mate and played as a team player, always! Magic always stressed the point of always getting his team mates involved. What i loved about him the most was his athletic ability, in that he was 6' 9" playing the point guard position (UNHEARD OF BEFORE HIM) Magic was Magic and to me, the greatest of all time because he was a team player that made everyone around him great.
Man this guy could do it all. He's way down court, throws the ball up and it goes in. A person can do it once or a few times here and there and get lucky, but Magic did it consistently. It's like he practiced this shot. That's insane. He was a 90% ft shooter, he could shoot the three later on, he could get over 11 apg while averaging 22- 24 ppg as a number one option, and was a pretty damn good rebounder for a guy that did everything he did and played far from the hoop as a pg. Also, he could guard 5 positions. Not to mention he led the league in steals twice. Not to mention as well he was Finals MVP as a rookie. Not only all of this, but as I stated on top, he makes hail mary three's on a regular basis. People forget how great he was, how come he's not in more of the greatest ever debates? I know why, they prefer flashy dunker types, and big scorers more than they do players like this.
Bird was a better shooter, MJ was better all-around, but nobody ever put on a show like Magic. Showtime changed how basketball is played and Magic was the maestro. Thanks for this compilation and the work you put into it.
ohioscott --- Earv was without a doubt the best "special game" player. All Star games, charity games, etc. The guy could perform on the drop of a dime. He won the 92 ASG MVP with those 3s at the end. He could do that stuff whenever he wanted. I have a couple charity gms with his old player team from 1995. He could've still been playing as a pro if not for the HIV. Against an Aussie team, he hit a 3 at the buzzer to tie the game. It was one of his heave shots. He found a tiny gap to get it off. The other was a gm in Turkey. He had the crowd going with his antics. The crowd was satisfied with all his passes already and at the final buzzer, he calmly dribbles to midcourt and throws up a shot that's all net. Right on cue. The crowd went nuts on that. Unfortunately the video looks like it was shot in Borat land. I still might put it up someday.
Jordan was a great scorer. Magic could kill you with assists or rebounding and score anytime he wanted to. Like Bird, Magic could take 14 shots and dominate a game. Magic/Bird the goats!!
I am a lucky man. Not only did I watch the Lakers on tv and listen to them on the radio in LA, but I was there on a pretty good number of locations. You have not seen anything unless you were in the fourth row under a basket a watched Magic leading a fast break right into your face. Mein Gott Mann!!!!!
10:56 "Magic with the dribble, 3 seconds... Magic's 18 footer.... WINS IT! 8 tenths of a second left. Was he fouled? No. Did he make a miraculous shot? Yes. Has he ever done it before? You bet he has. Will he ever do it again? Time and time AGAIN." Probably the greatest basketball commentary I've ever heard.
I've seen a lot of them. Probably most. Been a Magic Johnson fan for almost 40 years. This is the best strictly pure in-game highlight video out there. Nicely done! And ..Thank you
If I was starting a team, I would pick Magic Johnson, bar none. He would make Everyone better. There has never been a more unselfish player ever. And he could have scored 40 a game if he wanted to. Who would guard him? A 6'9" point guard? But he had so much joy for the game, and for passing. He was so unselfish, even at all-star games. He would tell players, hey Tom Chambers, you want to be MVP of the game? OK, Done. Ralph Sampson? You got it. Karl Malone? Yes sir ! And he would go out of his way to take care of them. Just amazing, and this coming from a long time Nets fan.
Just the best Magic Johnson highlight compilation ever. Maximum respect for eschewing the typical schmaltzy/angsty/derpstep music choices that most editors fall back on, and just going with the golden throat of Chick Hearn, the best play-by-play man of all time. I'm just amazed at all the clips you found for this--there were a LOT that I'd never seen before. Great job.
featherynick Thanks, bro. I refused to use any footage that didn't come from an actual game from my collection. There were a few of his highlights that I wish I had the game to, and some were available on NBA produced tapes, but the audio didn't fit. I also had to let go of guess how many other great passes he threw that didn't result in a bucket. Some of those were better than the ones that made the final cut. Not only that, but I made this video 4 years ago and I have since found at least a few more games with Magic assists that I would've used in 2011. I have a shipload of games, I have about 4 full 100 disc spools of old Chick gms from various eras. Currently, I've been remastering them, audio and video. Takes a long time to get just one right, but it's worth it. --PS: I've gotten many quotes about how many long shots Magic hit. Bear in mind I only had no more than 33% of his games when I made this. All those clips happened to come from that lot. There are 2 more halfcourters I know of that I didn't have and one from a game he played in Turkey where he hit one at the final buzzer, but the video was shit. There's no doubt whatsoever that he hit more of those shots than any other player. Only reason I can think of is that he happened to have a quarterback's arm coupled with great offensive touch in general.
This video is pure brilliance, thank you for producing this work of art. You made the world a better place with this unbelievable collection of highlights and your Magic knowledge is unreal, good for you sir.
Man, after looking at this video, I realized Kobe is not as great as I thought he is. I know the game was different back then, but damn! MAGIC IS DA BAWS!
+brice magny Magic was not the D player Kobe was - though he would be imo if he guarded forwards, but that aside, Magic did what team needed. He could have scored 40 a night np if all he cared about was stats. He made average players good/great, like Bird, Jordan and others. Shit, I could have run the lane and gotten some layups from Magic :)
It was a sad day in basketball when Magic went away. They pump up a lot of players now days and some of them are good, but no player, no player played like Magic and made everyone better and opposing teams shake their heads in awe. He was purely Magic. Great video with audio. Love it!!
Great tribute!! It was so great to hear Chick Hearn make all those calls. Thank you so much. There will never be another like him. I was in 8th grade when the Lakers picked Magic, and in my opinion he is the best player ever. Whenever we played, we all tried to make great passes, no one cared about scoring. Very entertaining tribute, I love both Magic and Chick.
With all the talk about who’s the GOAT, there is NO ONE more exciting to watch then Magic Johnson. Makes me laugh, holler and applaud. Simply spectacular!
THIS is GREAT! Have been watching Magic live and on vid for 30 years. Yeah I'm old... Love how you got it all! Lakers, All star game stuff, a little dream team wow. You did an awesome job with this and without loud annoying music over it. SO many clips are ruined when they do that. Nothing like hearing a crowd and Chick Hearn on the call!
wow, I wish I could've watched magic throughout his playing career. he's such a unique talent, he has maybe the most entertaining highlight reel of all time, and almost none of the plays involve him shooting, that's amazing. his creativity is on another level, he was truly one of a kind.
Ill tell you...back in the early "Showtime Days". You could get a chance to witness this perfection anytime. The "scalpers" knew that the price of the tickets went down after the game began. I remember a playoff game in that magical year of 1988 were i scored a pair of tickets behind the eastern basket against Portland. I witnessed the immortal fast break of our great Lakers. Magic pushed the ball up the court with Worthy and Scott on the left and right wings... Magic gave the ball to "B" for you true Lakers fans...and Ill tell you.. i saw Byron's eyes open up so wide for the slam. Yeah, it was for two points...but it was just fabulous to witness in person!
There was an intangible that is hard to explain that Earv had yet to be duplicated by any player lucky enough to adorn the purple and gold. He oozed leadership and his game IQ is yet to be exceeded. All these years later and as I push 50 yrs. Earvin "Magic" Johnson, aka, "Buck" is still the consummate Laker at least for me. You talk about a young kid emulating a Laker. I wanted to be Magic so bad. Lol. Good times. Good memories. Thanks Earv. You're STILL the best. Laker nation forever!!!
I am thankful that I lived to watch two great laker legends, Ervin "Magic" Johnson and Kobe "Black Mamba" Bryant!!! Thank you both for the awesome memories!!! R.I.P. Kobe!!!
gerizzyYMcrew Wilt's stats are inflated, yes, but how exactly is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar overrated? He ran the floor as well as any big man ever, could score on anybody well into his late 30s, rebounded as a big man should (before he got old), and was an above-average passer from the post (3.6 ast per game). Notice I didn't even mention the sky hook, and the fact that he'd be the all time leader in blocked shots by a couple hundred if they tallied that stat in his first four seasons. This is against great bigs from two different decades. You know nothing about basketball.
Any doubt as to who the greatest PG of all time is put to rest by this compilation - I always find myself coming back to it - what an incredible PG and an incredible compilation
Thank you for this mix!! I feel blessed to have seen Magic Johnson play in person. The year was 1993 and he was touring the world with players like Bob McAdoo etc. Magic had been out of the League for 2 years but his skills were still amazing!! His passes were of military precision. He is one of the reasons why I started to play basketball. God bless Magic! Blessings to everyone!
So good on the fly--quick decisions, right basketball play, and does it with flair. Their fastbreak, especially off a steal, was shot out of a cannon. 'Showtime fast break'--there was nothing like it. Most dangerous team on the break of all-time--except when Bird would throw a full court pass to a streaking player sandwiched in a double-team for an easy lay in. That was utterly indefensible and I never even saw anyone else attempt those.
*"Are we going away to commercial?"* *"No we are going to keep it here and even if they want to go to commercial, they would have to go around my dead body!"*
his court vision was from another planet
MrAceFab he will probably see you from the other planet
Leo Rivera you probably right lol
J. Robertson m
@MANCHESTER UNITED F.C Football*
👍🏀🇺🇸
passing the ball before your teamates knew they were open. THIS is Magic
dionysis e:
if they call you magic, they call you that for a reason :)
This is great not passing to a guy open on the perimeter for 3 then say what a spectacular pass
As basketball is a team game I think Magic is the greatest ever. He made all of his teammates better.
Bird
If magic were as a good of a scorer as bird, he would have been the GOAT.
He was close to it. Think about it. No one even considers Magic as a scorer, yet he averaged 20 per game career. He was a pass first and pass second point while doing that. Highest average of his was 23.9 in 1987 while he averaged 12.5 assists, which is a ton and not all of his passes converted in an assist either. If he were to have lowered his passing a bit, I think he would've hovered around 24-25 a game. He had a great post game, better than most forwards had and he became a good shooter by his 5th year. His handle allowed him to cut thru defenses and get lots of point blank layups and such. He had a well-rounded offensive game, it just came in bits and pieces so it wasn't as noticeable by the end of the game.
Bharles Carkley I say that if he can do a no look pass from almost the three-point line directly into the hands of Kareem, so Kareem has the easy jam, that is just as good if not better than sinking a 20 foot jumpshot in my opinion.
I really do wish that Bird and Magic could have played more than just a handful of games on the same team. Those 2 were poetry in motion... just beautiful games.
I'm a Boston sports guy.. but Magic Johnson.. damn. If ever an athlete was deserving of a nickname it"s MAGIC. The dude was absolutely ridiculous on the court. I have no idea how he made some of these plays.. I don't think anyone does. lol. Legend.
This dude is incredible. Some of these passes look like NBA Live glitches. On offense you better keep your hands up, because you might think he can't see you, but he sees you, knows exactly where you are, and where you're going next. Magic was one of those *rare* players who would not score a single point and lead the team to victory. In my opinion, he's the greatest Laker of all-time.
Jared Banks not only Laker.
+Jared Banks he was the greatest of all time.
There's no other player in NBA history I'd rather start a team with. His combination of size and skills , court instincts, IQ, and passing may never be seen again. The greatest NBA leader ever!
Jared Banks Don't you love how joyously and unselfishly he played. There's no laker who didn't revel in being
his teammate and was better than he would've been on any other team .
Not to mention, he could easily put up 30 points when they needed him to.
Amazing. Johnson wasn't just an athlete. He was an artist.
Kareem too
@@brandoncazares8452 Kareem had the indefensible sky hook. All you could do was foul him. His sky hook had high percentages.
HiPlains1 Yes I know
Magic Johnson was one of the all time greats. He won a high school championship, NCAA Championship and a NBA Championship in a four year span. He knew how to win and made the players around him better.
There ya go. Something these young Carmelo Anthony fans need to learn. Magic and Bird could have lit it up any night they wanted. They saw the bigger picture. Make EVERYONE better and you WIN
Magic's passes are like Ali's punches, or Barry's moves.
One of those special athletic characteristics that will never be matched.
The leaders of their craft.
You know your shit putting Barry and Magic together. Both changed the game forever
Magic Johnson is my favourite player of all time.
Michael Jordan was great, but Magic made teamwork exciting. His passes were so accurate and Showtime's run-and-gun style of play had fans holding their breath on every single fast break.
And whether you were a fan or a defender, you never knew what he was going to do with the ball next.
Gotta love the no-look pass, man.
Absolutely. I'll take a Magic fast break no look pass over a Jordan dunk every time!
@@MrAitraining I concur
Mine too 🏀
So true I love Magic Johnson. He's my favorite player
This is why Magic Johnson is the best... His highlight tape went 7mins before he even took a shot!!!! #GOAT
Dr. J Magic is the only player that can dominate a game and only score 2 points. Lol
The greatest player of all time.
Totally agree
By light years
Of all time. It's not even close
💯!!
Such a great ball handler and not one illegal dribble.
Yeap
As I always said.... Magic is the GOAT! Can score from anywhere, penetrate almost at will, left hook, right hook, free throws, can rebound, awesome handles, and I didn’t even mention the demonic court vision and passing skills. Not a single player has this complete skill set. Now imagine if he had better athleticism! Just gorgeous to watch
Was he fouled? No
Did he make a miraculous shout? Yes
Has he ever done it before? You bet he has
Will he ever do it again? Time and time again
Chick Hearn RIP
+Kawhi MJ Leonard Classic!!! Thought I was the only one to notice that
Lol...love it!
Chick was sharp
On the world champion Laker basketball network
I miss ypu
People who didn't see him play just don't understand how great he was. He still ranks as my GOAT. When Jordan left the Bulls, they made the playoffs the next year winning only 2 fewer games than with him. When Magic left, they went from West Champions to being an 8 seed, losing 15 more games than with him. That's how amazing he was.
Mine too. Magic Johnson is the GOAT
Makes me proud to be a lifelong Lakers fans, even now during their down period I'm still loyal. The funny thing is, the type of player Magic was, he would be great in any era, even now and in the future, he could effectively play all five positions when needed, and was a super team player, skilled to the max, shooting, handles, defense, and ridiculous passes. Lakers, Los Angeles, and especially Magic Johnson for life!!;)
No other player at 6"9 could do what Magic did. We would've witnessed basketball blooping at its best if any other player at that height played point guard and floor general. Some may have been able to run the floor for five or six minutes but Johnson was able to do it for 40 plus minutes night after night for 12 seasons in fine style, flair, vision and an unrivaled basketball IQ. This is what made Magic the greatest.
I watched a lot of these games and great moments live when I was a kid growing up. Great memories and great times! All you younger people that weren't around back then or are too young to remember, boy, you sure missed a great decade of NBA basketball during the 80's. Easily, hands down, the best decade the NBA ever had. "The NBA, its FAAAANTASTIC!". Sadly, not anymore.
Good post. Unfortunately, a lot of those fans are so defensive about the nuNBA and how disgusting it is to a lot of older fans that they, in turn, shit on past decades as if today's player is a different species of human from a different time warp than the 90s players. Even the 2Ks don't qualify as nu/advancedNBA to them. They hail the 3 point tennis matches and the soft soccer flopping and stupid game stoppages as the superior NBA. They don't know what they don't know.
@@nonplayerzealot4
I think another issue for sports in general is there's TOO much coverage. People may have become sportsed-out. Do we really need some type of sporting event on television every day or night. Sports used to be special events, anticipated maybe for a whole week, piquing fan interest. It's tough to get excited these days when there's some sports event or other on TV 7days a week. Having been born and raised in Los Angeles and watched Magic's entire career with Lakers, he is the only easy pick (imo) for an all time NBA starting five. The other four could be argued endlessly. That alone tells me what he actually was: the most UNIQUE player in NBA history. Let others argue about this GOAT or that one.
@@gregrambo606 I got a theory that Earvin, Chuck and Shaq are the 3 biggest outliers ever for what they did at their size. Shaq is just a unique human being and I know there have been other behemoths at C like Yao, but Shaq is one of the FEW who did 15+ years and half of his major injuries were accidents caused by others and not resulting from congenital probs. He fully ravaged his knee in 97 and came back from it w/o any other probs with it. Thumb lig tear was on a HaS by Matt Geiger in 96, knee landing on an opp's foot in 97 -- those two caused by others. Then the ab strain in 98 and the final one when he was ancient w/ BOS. That's FAR from a Bynum or Oden type of injury history. Or poor Sam Bowie. Magic and Chuck were just weird polar opps based on height. Neither should've done what they did. And I don't count Penny as a guy who was comparable to Earv. Penny's injury history alone precludes that in my op. Earv at 6'9" controlled offenses, handled the ball 75% of the game w/ strong handles that are absolutely unappreciated by younger fans because he didn't do Xovers. And the passing was otherworldly. Chuck at his height was a beast down low, comparable #s to Malone. Chuck had a crazy vert even when he was fat. He blocked more dunks and layups at the rim than anyone. More than many centers even. I've seen him chase down Spud and small Gary Grant from halfcourt to spike what they thought was gonna be a layup rite at rim level.
@@nonplayerzealot4
Your point about Barkley is good. Too bad he didn't come a year earlier when Philly finally won the title after getting Moses Malone. I've never tried to argue "GOATS" (which people seem to be obsessed with), however, my only point about Magic vs. Jordan IN THE FINALS is this: Every team the Lakers beat in the finals in the 80's CAME BACK TO WIN THE NBA CHAMIONSHIP THEMSELVES AFTER HAVING BEEN BEATEN BY THE LAKERS. (Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit).There's no comparison regarding the strength of competition Magic's Lakers had to play in the finals vs. Jordan's Bulls; not even close. The time Jordan beat the Lakers in the finals (Magic's last year, the start of the Jordan run), Kareem had retired the year before and they had Vlade Divac at center. We're not not talking about the Magic that came back at 36 or 37 when the Lakers were not very good to help them sell some tickets. By the way, thanks for not putting annoying music on your video. It makes a big difference.
👍🏀
Magic Johnson. A man who dominated the 1980s with skills and drive that will still astound people in the 2080s and demonstrated in footage that looks like it was shot in the 1880s before video existed.
My goodness... Today's players have so much to learn... This man was a Genius. Someone said Lebron and/or Ben Simmons has this gift... Are you sure?
+William Cooper yea no kidding, sadly we may not ever see a player that can pass like this, just remarkable what Magic could do.
^^^ this. I'm not taking away from Magic's undoubtably greatest passing game ever, but its not like LeBron isn't also a gifted passer as well. I don't understand how NBA fans still fail to realize the game evolves every year, and the players get bigger and stronger and it gets tougher. MJ the GOAT, but MJ wouldn't be the same MJ today
+daveysweigard sigh...
+daveysweigard keep smoking. the game have gone backwards since about 1991
I have this gift. I am going to get my dues
I watched most of these highlights live and to see them again was extremely nostalgic. For those that were not around when Magic was in his prime, it is very hard to be "the man" in LA with all of the different sports and celebrities in the City and Magic owned the City when he played. Think about it, this guy's nickname is "Magic" which is a very lofty nickname in the first place and as you can see in this video, he earned every letter of his name. When he announced that he had HIV, it was crippling for LA as though someone sucked the life out of the City. He was so adored that grown men and women were crying when they heard the news. I don't think there has been another celebrity in LA that got the attention that Magic had in the City(Although Kobe owned LA, it was not even close to how Magic owned the City). On and off the court, he could do no wrong. I feel very lucky to not only watch many of his games, but to be around to witness his rivalry with Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics.
Karen Thomas Larry Bird even cheered for him, which was in itself nothing short of amazing.
shit had a vibe...was intense...like the dodgers heyday in the 80s, and like dallas vs frisco nfl back in the 90s.
glad i had a chance to soak it all up.
there was no doubt that it was all special to witness, and so glad that i lived it.
and now...? bleh :(
Magic owned the basket world....not just L.A.....the NBA world loved Magic!!
Best passer ever. No really close.
Ball Is Life magic is Ridiculous!!🔥🔥🔥
Ball Is Life some people be saying lonzos way better at passing, but they probably didn’t see this vid
John Stockton's peak averages are higher w/ less turnovers per game. His career apg only went down due to playing less minutes at an older age. Magic never led the league in assists again after Stockton became a starter.
jp3813 it's not JUST about stats fam...
+
King Oz
Nobody said it was, but it's a huge part of it. Especially when someone claims that no one is close.
Earvin "Magic" Johnson was amazing! He is my favorite basketball player ever and quite possibly the best of all time!
Good old days
Ruben Benites you see all these dunks and people are scared to foul them... if they play by the rules in the 80's today...blake griffin, deandre Jordan, Christina bosh, d howard, and more...their careers would be over now...the good old days...when they can get into fist fights and stay in the game...unless they get their second technical foul...you look at the ref sideways you get ejected...todays game is a fucken joke...I'm glad I grew up in the 80's to see the magic vs. bird rivalry coming from college to the NBA...we'll never see anything like that in our lifetime again...they save the NBA...the closest thing to it is pete carrol and jim harbaugh...
Me too.
This was my childhood. I remember watching most of these plays. I grew up with those late 70s- 80s teams and listening to Chick. So many memories. Magic was the best and without a doubt, the most entertaining player ever to play.
He literally is the best passer and the best point guard of all time.
There's John Stockton and Steph Curry too
Steph Curry is damn near close
@@realityutubetv8846 Magic was finals MVP his rookie year. As a rookie. Curry has yet to earn 1 Finals MVP. Its not close.
@@straightlead8 Y'all are really big on curry getting that finals mvp. That really doesn't determine his greatness, I never said Curry was the greatest point guard I said he's close , which means he needs to accomulate more awards. Doesn't matter because Curry is the greatest pg of this era anyways.
@UA-cam Your chronic is strong!
admit you had to watch again some of his passes when you didnt get it
I wish it was 60fps, hi def!!!
Not only that, I had to rewatch at 1/2 speed
I was rewinding during the whole freakin video! Lol
Yup had to back that thing up a couple times =)
This is my 3rd time watching it and it still takes me at least 30 to 35 minutes to complete the video because o keep rewinding it. I've been watching it for 7 minutes now and haven't made it PASS 1:30
The biggest talent in the basketball history
Magic's the greatest player to run the fast break
Him and Lebron are easily the two most deadly transition players ever.
@@geordiejones5618 lol Bron is not a great transition passer. far from it. he is a great finisher however.
Greatest point guard ever
@@jaxonturnbull7333 greatest pg ever I have to agree
Your mom used to run a fast break in da hood...the throat yogurt she guzzled was unparalleled.
i was a teenager living in L.A. during the 80's,,,,, glad to know i watched the best basketball ever played by a man...
Magic Johnson was not only the greatest point guard ever, he was the greatest leader of any team sports. There is no team that he was ever on from high school to the dream team where it was not obvious that he was the leader. If you ask any laker that ever played with him, they sing his praises and would follow him gladly. People think that he was flashy, but his best attribute was that he was consistent. He made himself into a 90 percent ft shooter and a good outside shooter. He was consistent in everything he did, he was as consistent in making the routine plays as he was making the spectacular plays. He knew his own team's strengths and weaknesses as well as the oponents, and he knew exactly how to get the best out of each of his teammates.
kamran movassaghi Another thing, he was one of those 80s guys who actually proved year by year that they worked all Summer long on adding components to their game. By 91, Earv was coming down and popping a 3 in semi-break, which is unheard of from him, but it's true. He added sharp spin moves. His handle was great, very underrated because he didn't do between the leg shit lest he needed to and no X-overs. His handles were great in a functional way, meaning he did nothing that was unnecessary. Another thing, he could and DID get by players on the perimeter into the paint for point blank layups constantly, so there had to be something he did right with his footwork and all that shit that fans tend to point to today. Great post game as well, criminally underrated for his offense. A 20 ppg career guy as a pass-first and pass-second 1. Younger fans can't obviously understand that Earv and Bird weren't so much about the highlights even though I made this flim, but it was about their leadership skills and their "come thru" skills in big moments. Both clutch, both NOT afraid to have the ball in any dire situation. It's bizarre, but they were the closest overall approximates to each other, imo. Maybe Rick Barry to Bird. Mully was a poor man's Bird. I thought Kidd was the only point ever that was similar to Earvin besides the height diff. Moreso than Penny imo. Anyway.
nonplayerzealot4 To see Magic Johnson grab a rebound and run the fast break is a thing of absolute beauty...awesome compilation...shows the greatness that most people outside of Laker fans from the 80's can not see. The Maestro of Basketball, to me, no one is even close. Only Larry Bird comes close along with Gretzky in hockey.
nonplayerzealot4 Although reminds me of how great of an announcer we had in Chicky Baby, truly miss his voice, his call, his wit...we are in a very deep valley when John Ireland is calling Laker games!
Amen
+kamran movassaghi that being said, never once did Magic question the 80's Lakers being Kareem's "team". most of the egomaniacs today wouldnt be able to do that.
Seriously, Magic was like a human surveillance system. He knew where everybody was at all times and his offense is very underrated. People always ask how come no one has ever learned Kareem's skyhook? It just boggles my mind that people don't realize the second best hook shot in the history of the game was Magic. This is a terrific video where you can see Magic working in real speed. Also, you are living in the Lebron, KD, Curry era now, but ask yourself how many opposite ends of the court shot or near half-court shot can you recall? Go back to even Kobe, and further to MJ. They either don't, or they hit very few. But in this video, you can see the amount of shots Magic hit from either near half court or the opposite end is staggering. But out of respect to Jerry West, we don't call Magic Mr. Clutch, but he is by far, the most clutch in history.
8:19 - 8:34 "Spreewell went after it like a carp going after a worm!" RIP Chick Hearn.
I still wonder how he gets these passes through. He literally has a feel for the game because theres no way he sees all his teammates before passing to them, he must just feel theyre there. He runs the break, has two options, a teammate on the left and on the right, he looks left so i assume its a no look pass to the right (hes seen his teammate on the right earlier when the break started, so he knows hes there) but instead he does a no look pass to his teammate behind him who he never saw at all, never made eye contact and he couldnt have seen him through his peripheral vision because hes behind him. Magic must of really had eyes behind his head too. Being his teammate must of been one of the greatest experiences ever.
elsacapuntaz That's crazy that you say that. Yesterday, me and some friends were playing basketball. One of my friends friends was REALLY good at passing. After playing against him, I noticed how good of a passer he actually was. I asked him after the 4th or 5th game, "Yo dude, how are you so good at passing?" he said, "I feel them close to me..." I kinda laughed and walked away to get some water. I thought about it a bit more and the perceptual awareness he had was at a pretty high level. Something like this is definitely possible (as we can see), but makes it more believable if you see it with your own eyes. I wish I recorded it, some of the passes he was making was just impossible. I mean, he was doing behind the back passes, no-looks, left handed bounce passes, touch passes, etc. It was so hard to believe that his passes were off a "feel" so to speak, but his consistency in setting up his teammates said it all.
blue boy id say its sort of like memory of game moments. lots of moments tend to repeat in basketball
Its called great prerifile vision...he has eyes in his ears as the one announcer said...
Well he did have Aids to help him.
blueboyV he was unconscious when he played.
his vision on the basketball court was honestly ridiculous. to be that aware in fast paced situations is super impressive. defenses were just hopeless when he had the ball in his hands.
It was not just the clairvoyant passing and spectacular shots and total team management, it was his charisma and panache that you can see on display. He wanted to have fun first, dazzle the fans second, and win third. That is why he was pure sportsman
Earvin "Magic" Johnson was the most fun-to-wacth player in the history of basketball, and probably in the history of any sport.
No tickets were so much valuable than the ones sold during the showtime.
Magic Johnson's passes were unbelievably amazing. Nobody passes the ball like he does. Seriously. Not only is he one of the greatest players ever, he's the greatest laker ever.
He's certainly the greatest court general ever
WOW. This is probably the greatest collection of Magic highlights I've ever seen!! I love it. Thanks for uploading this!!
The greatest orchestrator of team offense in the history of pro sports. And that’s from a Lifelong Celtic fan here. We will never again see anyone pass the ball like Magic could. Hated him when he played but all these years later appreciate watching him. We needed Magic and the lakers to be great - or we never would have been as great as we were.
Greatness just pure gifted Greatness was the man "Magic Johnson". PEOPLE forget the greatness of all the things he did for the NBA as "Magic" and how great he really was to watch. He changed the game and brought the NBA to heights that no one could have imagined. Not to forget BIRD helping to achieve this as well. He was a champion 5x's over, he could pass the ball better than anyone with the no look pass and behind the back, he was ALWAYS clutch when needed, he could always get his shots/points, anytime he wanted, but he made everyone that played with him better, because he was an Unselfish player/team mate and played as a team player, always! Magic always stressed the point of always getting his team mates involved. What i loved about him the most was his athletic ability, in that he was 6' 9" playing the point guard position (UNHEARD OF BEFORE HIM) Magic was Magic and to me, the greatest of all time because he was a team player that made everyone around him great.
Man this guy could do it all. He's way down court, throws the ball up and it goes in. A person can do it once or a few times here and there and get lucky, but Magic did it consistently. It's like he practiced this shot. That's insane. He was a 90% ft shooter, he could shoot the three later on, he could get over 11 apg while averaging 22- 24 ppg as a number one option, and was a pretty damn good rebounder for a guy that did everything he did and played far from the hoop as a pg. Also, he could guard 5 positions. Not to mention he led the league in steals twice. Not to mention as well he was Finals MVP as a rookie. Not only all of this, but as I stated on top, he makes hail mary three's on a regular basis. People forget how great he was, how come he's not in more of the greatest ever debates? I know why, they prefer flashy dunker types, and big scorers more than they do players like this.
Bird was a better shooter, MJ was better all-around, but nobody ever put on a show like Magic. Showtime changed how basketball is played and Magic was the maestro. Thanks for this compilation and the work you put into it.
MJ was better all around?? Magic was a better rebounder and passer (obviously).
ohioscott --- Earv was without a doubt the best "special game" player. All Star games, charity games, etc. The guy could perform on the drop of a dime. He won the 92 ASG MVP with those 3s at the end. He could do that stuff whenever he wanted. I have a couple charity gms with his old player team from 1995. He could've still been playing as a pro if not for the HIV. Against an Aussie team, he hit a 3 at the buzzer to tie the game. It was one of his heave shots. He found a tiny gap to get it off. The other was a gm in Turkey. He had the crowd going with his antics. The crowd was satisfied with all his passes already and at the final buzzer, he calmly dribbles to midcourt and throws up a shot that's all net. Right on cue. The crowd went nuts on that. Unfortunately the video looks like it was shot in Borat land. I still might put it up someday.
espdemon my dude don't get it twisted Magic could score at will
espdemon defense is half the game 👍🏽
Jordan was a great scorer. Magic could kill you with assists or rebounding and score anytime he wanted to. Like Bird, Magic could take 14 shots and dominate a game. Magic/Bird the goats!!
This is the best Magic compilation out there. I thought Id seen them all. How have I not seen most of this stuff?!!!
I am a lucky man. Not only did I watch the Lakers on tv and listen to them on the radio in LA, but I was there on a pretty good number of locations. You have not seen anything unless you were in the fourth row under a basket a watched Magic leading a fast break right into your face. Mein Gott Mann!!!!!
His passes are amazing
Best mixtape in NBA history.
The Greatest Player Ever without doubts.!!
Magic was perpetual motion firing off passes like lightning. Fans in every city just came to watch him play the game
Magic was so ahead of his time. Many still don't have the court vision Magic had back then
If magic was a super hero, he'll be called VISION..
10:56 "Magic with the dribble, 3 seconds... Magic's 18 footer.... WINS IT! 8 tenths of a second left. Was he fouled? No. Did he make a miraculous shot? Yes. Has he ever done it before? You bet he has. Will he ever do it again? Time and time AGAIN."
Probably the greatest basketball commentary I've ever heard.
John Smith That's Chicky baby. The greatest basketball play by play announcer ever.
Chick Hearn !!!!
The team with all time best fast break. Magic was unstoppable, super awesome!
I've seen a lot of them. Probably most. Been a Magic Johnson fan for almost 40 years. This is the best strictly pure in-game highlight video out there. Nicely done! And ..Thank you
Thanks, bro. Appreciate it. NBA blocked 99% of my recaps after 14 years. Sucks, but they left this up for some reason. NuNBA sucks!
I always come back to this video if i need a reminder on how great Magic was
Beautifully done, and Chick Hearn's play-by-play as the soundtrack beats the hell out of any music mix, any day, all day, every day.
Mike McBride I still remember Chick and Stu on channel nine in LA Ca
This is the best compilation of any NBA player that I've ever seen. Thnaks man!
a special special talent....all these years later you see just what everybody saw back then, greatness!
This tape wore me out….amazing player in the history of the game…. Unparalleled.
If I was starting a team, I would pick Magic Johnson, bar none. He would make Everyone better. There has never been a more unselfish player ever. And he could have scored 40 a game if he wanted to. Who would guard him? A 6'9" point guard? But he had so much joy for the game, and for passing. He was so unselfish, even at all-star games. He would tell players, hey Tom Chambers, you want to be MVP of the game? OK, Done. Ralph Sampson? You got it. Karl Malone? Yes sir ! And he would go out of his way to take care of them.
Just amazing, and this coming from a long time Nets fan.
Just the best Magic Johnson highlight compilation ever. Maximum respect for eschewing the typical schmaltzy/angsty/derpstep music choices that most editors fall back on, and just going with the golden throat of Chick Hearn, the best play-by-play man of all time.
I'm just amazed at all the clips you found for this--there were a LOT that I'd never seen before. Great job.
featherynick Thanks, bro. I refused to use any footage that didn't come from an actual game from my collection. There were a few of his highlights that I wish I had the game to, and some were available on NBA produced tapes, but the audio didn't fit. I also had to let go of guess how many other great passes he threw that didn't result in a bucket. Some of those were better than the ones that made the final cut. Not only that, but I made this video 4 years ago and I have since found at least a few more games with Magic assists that I would've used in 2011. I have a shipload of games, I have about 4 full 100 disc spools of old Chick gms from various eras. Currently, I've been remastering them, audio and video. Takes a long time to get just one right, but it's worth it. --PS: I've gotten many quotes about how many long shots Magic hit. Bear in mind I only had no more than 33% of his games when I made this. All those clips happened to come from that lot. There are 2 more halfcourters I know of that I didn't have and one from a game he played in Turkey where he hit one at the final buzzer, but the video was shit. There's no doubt whatsoever that he hit more of those shots than any other player. Only reason I can think of is that he happened to have a quarterback's arm coupled with great offensive touch in general.
+featherynick Additional props for using the words eschew and derpstep in the same sentence. ;-) You don't often see that kind of word wizardry.
nonplayerzealot4 NPZ, you are the fucking king.
This video is pure brilliance, thank you for producing this work of art. You made the world a better place with this unbelievable collection of highlights and your Magic knowledge is unreal, good for you sir.
nonplayerzealot4
I salute you sir, great job.
He's more interested in passing than score.
that's what a point guard is supposed to do
+Budkreiser 55 LOL
+Budkreiser 55 now we got everyone trying to be like curry instead of magic
+DAMamaSexual we still got rondo, john wall and cp3. All excellent passers but i think rondo is the best of the three.
Chris orapma Nah cp3 is
dude, this was so much fun to watch. i don't know if i enjoyed magic or listening to chick more. thanks for putting this together.
the gold standard of highlight videos - hold the music and enjoy the genius!
Man, after looking at this video, I realized Kobe is not as great as I thought he is. I know the game was different back then, but damn! MAGIC IS DA BAWS!
looking at this video made me think the complete opposite you have to play both ends of the floor
+brice magny Magic was not the D player Kobe was - though he would be imo if he guarded forwards, but that aside, Magic did what team needed. He could have scored 40 a night np if all he cared about was stats. He made average players good/great, like Bird, Jordan and others. Shit, I could have run the lane and gotten some layups from Magic :)
The lakers were average before he was drafted they were championship contenders his entire career and became average when he retired.
Greatest player in NBA history.
1. Michael Jordan
2. MAGIC JOHNSON
3. Lebron James
White Wolf where's Larry legend in your list?
kone before lebron
White Wolf good list, Lebron should be lower
As a kid, I played ball. First play I ever saw of Magic Man.. I've immolated my game after him ever since.
It was a sad day in basketball when Magic went away. They pump up a lot of players now days and some of them are good, but no player, no player played like Magic and made everyone better and opposing teams shake their heads in awe. He was purely Magic. Great video with audio. Love it!!
The 🐐!!! Plain and simple. No player ran a team pike that
this is the best athlete compilation i've ever seen, and no athlete deserves it more. great job on this man!
Thx, homes. Took 2 yrs, 70 plus games. I lost 75 percent of the project midway thru it, had to re-start from scratch.
Great tribute!! It was so great to hear Chick Hearn make all those calls. Thank you so much. There will never be another like him. I was in 8th grade when the Lakers picked Magic, and in my opinion he is the best player ever. Whenever we played, we all tried to make great passes, no one cared about scoring. Very entertaining tribute, I love both Magic and Chick.
Best ever Magic compilation. Big ups. Thank you. Brings back so many memories.
I Just LOVE his play a big kid having FUN.
With all the talk about who’s the GOAT, there is NO ONE more exciting to watch then Magic Johnson. Makes me laugh, holler and applaud. Simply spectacular!
THIS is GREAT! Have been watching Magic live and on vid for 30 years. Yeah I'm old... Love how you got it all! Lakers, All star game stuff, a little dream team wow. You did an awesome job with this and without loud annoying music over it. SO many clips are ruined when they do that. Nothing like hearing a crowd and Chick Hearn on the call!
Thx, dude. I thought of the other oldheads when I made this.
Magic's court vision is on another level, greatest pg end of story.
It's difficult to find a highlight, when player always that good!
wow, I wish I could've watched magic throughout his playing career. he's such a unique talent, he has maybe the most entertaining highlight reel of all time, and almost none of the plays involve him shooting, that's amazing. his creativity is on another level, he was truly one of a kind.
Ill tell you...back in the early "Showtime Days". You could get a chance to witness this perfection anytime.
The "scalpers" knew that the price of the tickets went down after the game began.
I remember a playoff game in that magical year of 1988 were i scored a pair of tickets behind the eastern basket against Portland.
I witnessed the immortal fast break of our great Lakers.
Magic pushed the ball up the court with Worthy and Scott on the left and right wings...
Magic gave the ball to "B" for you true Lakers fans...and Ill tell you.. i saw Byron's eyes open up so wide for the slam.
Yeah, it was for two points...but it was just fabulous to witness in person!
There was an intangible that is hard to explain that Earv had yet to be duplicated by any player lucky enough to adorn the purple and gold. He oozed leadership and his game IQ is yet to be exceeded. All these years later and as I push 50 yrs. Earvin "Magic" Johnson, aka, "Buck" is still the consummate Laker at least for me. You talk about a young kid emulating a Laker. I wanted to be Magic so bad. Lol. Good times. Good memories. Thanks Earv. You're STILL the best. Laker nation forever!!!
Magic got a lot of cool buzzer beaters too
This is pure solid gold. And I'm only 2 minutes in
I am thankful that I lived to watch two great laker legends, Ervin "Magic" Johnson and Kobe "Black Mamba" Bryant!!!
Thank you both for the awesome memories!!!
R.I.P. Kobe!!!
@9:17 was an absolute thing of beauty, probably the greatest fast break I've ever seen, good Lord the footwork.
The REAL GOAT, Magic!!
Showtime was one of the coolest things to watch as a kid.
There will never be another 6'9, pass-first point guard.
There will never be another 6'9" point guard period. Wilt/Kareem/Magic, everyone else is secondary.
gerizzyYMcrew No, Magic is up there with Wilt and Kareem. Everyone else takes a back seat.
gerizzyYMcrew Wilt's stats are inflated, yes, but how exactly is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar overrated? He ran the floor as well as any big man ever, could score on anybody well into his late 30s, rebounded as a big man should (before he got old), and was an above-average passer from the post (3.6 ast per game). Notice I didn't even mention the sky hook, and the fact that he'd be the all time leader in blocked shots by a couple hundred if they tallied that stat in his first four seasons. This is against great bigs from two different decades. You know nothing about basketball.
Daniel Kelegian Oh, and how is it possible for the guy who has scored more points than anyone ever to not have his place near the top?
Bill. Dont forget about the man who changed the whole game. Bill Russell.
Any doubt as to who the greatest PG of all time is put to rest by this compilation - I always find myself coming back to it - what an incredible PG and an incredible compilation
All I can say is pay attention u never no where it's coming from the 🐐 magic Johnson
I didn't know I could smile this long. Thank you good sir. I have one hero in sports, and you presented him well. To say the least.
Thank you for this mix!! I feel blessed to have seen Magic Johnson play in person. The year was 1993 and he was touring the world with players like Bob McAdoo etc. Magic had been out of the League for 2 years but his skills were still amazing!! His passes were of military precision. He is one of the reasons why I started to play basketball. God bless Magic! Blessings to everyone!
A guy calls himself Magic. And he backs it ups! It’s crazy we take it for granted. Oh yeah Magic. Haha
What an incredible player who got everybody involved. Enjoyed the game so much and a winner at every level. Awesome
So good on the fly--quick decisions, right basketball play, and does it with flair. Their fastbreak, especially off a steal, was shot out of a cannon. 'Showtime fast break'--there was nothing like it. Most dangerous team on the break of all-time--except when Bird would throw a full court pass to a streaking player sandwiched in a double-team for an easy lay in. That was utterly indefensible and I never even saw anyone else attempt those.
Magic Top 5 All Time. Best PG to ever play the game.
The NBA was so much better to watch back then.
There was an aesthetic beauty to the game that’s disappeared over the decades.
*"Are we going away to commercial?"*
*"No we are going to keep it here and even if they want to go to commercial, they would have to go around my dead body!"*
Lol, “Magic threw the ball past the redhead’s ear” The Legend Chick Hearn
this is really high quality footage shoutout to you, channel is an underrated gem
'Magic' was truly magic!
DAMN, how many halfcourt Buzzer beaters did Magic hit lol 😂
Thanks for the video... especially appreciate hearing the voice of the greatest basketball announcer of all time, Chick Hearn!