Los Angeles Lakers legendary point guard Magic Johnson provided a new spark to the NBA when he got drafted by in 1979, becoming a one-of-one player as a tall point guard who was known for his extraordinary vision and ability to get his teammates going.
He would become a pioneer of the Showtime era for the Lakers with Hall of Fame teammates like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Michael Cooper and Byron Scott. Their style would eventually translate into today’s game with teams adopting a faster pace and bigger players trying to handle the ball in transition the way that Johnson did.
However, in addition to bringing a new flare to the NBA, which was struggling at the time he was drafted in 1979, Johnson recently explained he came up with the high five as well during his time at Michigan State, via Jimmy Kimmel Live:
At Michigan State, myself and Greg Kelser. He went in and I did an unbelievable no look pass, he caught it and he dunked it. So, for us to point at each other first and then he came running real fast and I just threw my hand up, he came and high-fived me and then we started doing it all the time. [It was] something different because everything was low at that time… No, you know brothers, we don’t think that fast, we just hit it real quick and keep it rolling. I got to get back on defense, we can’t be thinking about a name for it.
It’s a pretty funny story shared by Johnson, but it is certainly interesting to hear his experience of creating an iconic gesture like the high five. Given Magic’s ability to playmake at an elite level and his team’s playing at a faster pace than his competition, it makes sense that they went to the high five with there not being enough time to celebrate a good play.
It also goes to show how great of a teammate Johnson was, truly enjoying seeing others on his team succeed and being the one that gets them involved. While there may have been hiccups during his time in L.A., it resulted in him securing five championships and becoming one of the greatest, if not the greatest, point guards to ever play.
Magic Johnson wants UConn’s Dan Hurley to be next Lakers coach
When UConn head coach Dan Hurley surprisingly entered the Lakers coaching search, Magic Johnson revealed that he wanted the 50-year-old to become the next coach for the purple and gold. Unfortunately, Hurley decided to stay at UConn over making the jump to the NBA.
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