5x NBA champ recalls Simone Biles meetup after USA star bags Olympic gold: "She’s just won again today"

After another gold win from Simone Biles on Thursday, former LA Lakers star Magic Johnson shared how he first met the decorated athlete. The five-time champion had a chance to meet Biles in 2017, a year after Biles won her first four Olympic gold medals. Now, she's added more to her collection after winning two golds at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Biles finished at the top of the team and all-around events, which makes her a six-time Olympic gold medalist.

Johnson is one of the proud personalities who have supported her career and is looking forward to her performance in the upcoming individual events.

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"It’s truly amazing that in 2017, I sat with Simone and her parents in the gym they own in Houston discussing her first Olympic all-around gold medal in Rio (2016), and she’s just won again today in 2024! I’m looking forward to seeing how the most decorated olympic gymnast continues to create history in the individual events this week 👏🏾," Johnson tweeted.

Johnson also shared his support for Biles and the other US participants in the gymnastics competition.

"This USA women’s gymnastics team has simply been incredible! They already captured the gold in the team competition this week and now have added two more medals in today's competition! 🎉," Johnson said.

Biles has four more events where she can add to her gold medal count this year. She'll participate in the women's vault finals on Saturday, uneven bars finals on Sunday and balance beam and floor exercise finals on Monday.

Current and former athletes have expressed their support for Biles as she's set to collect more gold medals.

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How many gold medals does Johnson have compared to Simone Biles?

Johnson collected awards during his time in the NBA. Championships, MVPs and All-Star nods, Johnson was included in most major awards categories. However, he played for Team USA once.

Compared to Simone Biles, the legendary point guard only has one Olympic gold medal.

That is because the Olympic committee didn't allow NBA players to participate in the tournament until 1992. This was when USA basketball gathered the league's best players, including Johnson, who had just retired due to HIV.

He was also 32 years old at that time and past his prime years. But he made the most of it by playing with longtime rival Larry Bird, six-time champion Michael Jordan and many more. The 1992 USA team was memorable as it won the gold medal and set a standard for international competition.

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