Magic Johnson's top 5 teammates of all time
Magic Johnson ushered in the showtime era in the LA Lakers' history while playing with the NBA's all-time leading scorer. Their exciting run-and-gun style resulted in five NBA championships in nine years.
What many do not know is that Magic was a moniker dubbed on the 15-year-old after a 36-point, 16-rebound, and 16-assist triple-double performance in high school. Earvin "Magic" Johnson was an elite athlete from a young age and is rightly regarded as the best point guard of all time.
Although Magic Johnson had a successful career, it was cut short when he announced that he contracted HIV. We could say he already had a fulfilling career at the time, but you can't stop wondering what could have been if he stayed on the court a while longer. After a four-year absence, he attempted to make a return to the NBA but featured in only 32 games and had the lowest assists average of his career.
Regardless, Magic Johnson has several accolades to show for his exceptional talent, ranging from three regular-season MVP awards to three NBA Finals MVP awards to five NBA championships. Perhaps his most valued contribution is the overall assists tally. He led the league in assists in four of five seasons and ranks sixth on the NBA's all-time leaderboard.
5x champion, 3x league MVP, 3x @NBA Finals MVP, 12x Allstar, & the No. 1 overall pick of the 1979 #NBADraft.
Happy Birthday to Hall of Famer, Magic Johnson! https://t.co/JiBOa5T4l5
Even as brilliant as Magic Johnson is, he could not have achieved all he did without help from other exciting talents. On that note, here are his top five teammates of all time.
On that note, let's take a look at Magic Johnson's top 5 teammates of all time.
#5 Kurt Rambis
The New York Knicks drafted Kurt Rambis in 1980 but waived him soon after. The Greek power forward returned home to play for AEK Athens before he was re-signed by the Knicks. Sadly, he did not feature in a single NBA game until he was signed by the LA Lakers in 1981 NBA free agency.
Rambis spent 9 of his 14 seasons with Magic Johnson and the Lakers, winning four championships during that period. He was always willing to get down and dirty, cleaning the board and protecting the paint while coming off the bench.
Magic Johnson and Rambis played a total of 579 games together, winning 429 of them. Of all the players on this list, they played the least number of games.
#4 Byron Scott
Byron Scott was selected as the 4th overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft by the Lakers, four years after Magic Johnson was signed. He was an instant beneficiary of Magic's no-look passes as he joined the Lakers at a time when Johnson was in his prime.
Byron Scott was a prototypical three-and-D wing, and a potential analytics darling who was an ahead-of-his time cornerstone of the Showtime Lakers. No matter how his time with the purple and gold ended, he is a Laker worth appreciating. silverscreenandroll.com/2020/4/24/2123… https://t.co/WAPGBOpwqJ
They played 710 games together and registered 529 wins. Of all Magic Johnson's top five teammates, their partnership recorded the best win percentage (.745).
Also Read: Who is Magic Johnson's wife, Cookie Johnson?