1979–80 Los Angeles Lakers season

The 1979-80 NBA season was the Lakers' 32nd season in the NBA and the 20th season in Los Angeles. It featured a 20-year old rookie Magic Johnson leading the Lakers to their seventh NBA Championship (second in Los Angeles), defeating the Philadelphia 76ers led by Julius Erving in six games in the NBA Finals. This was also the team's first season under the ownership of Jerry Buss. Magic's season represented the birth of the Showtime Lakers.

1979–80 Los Angeles Lakers season
NBA champions
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coach
General managerBill Sharman
Owner(s)Jerry Buss
ArenaThe Forum
Results
Record60–22 (.732)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Pacific)
Conference: 1st (Western)
Playoff finishNBA Champions
(Defeated 76ers 4–2)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionKHJ-TV
RadioKLAC
Magic Johnson at the Lakers championship rally, June 1980

Only 13 games into his tenure, coach Jack McKinney suffered a near-fatal bicycling accident November 8. General manager Bill Sharman elevated assistant Paul Westhead to head coach and hired former Laker Pat Riley as assistant coach.

Offseason

NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club Team
1 1 Magic Johnson Guard  United States Michigan State
1 14 Brad Holland Guard  United States UCLA

Roster
1979–80 Los Angeles Lakers roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOBFrom
C 33 Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem (C) 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1947-04-16 UCLA
F 7 Byrnes, Marty 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1956-04-30 Syracuse
C 9 Chones, Jim 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1949-11-30 Marquette
G 21 Cooper, Michael 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1956-04-15 New Mexico
F 31 Haywood, Spencer 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1949-04-22 Detroit Mercy
G 14 Holland, Brad 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1956-12-06 UCLA
G 32 Johnson, Magic (C) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1959-08-14 Michigan State
C 54 Landsberger, Mark 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1955-05-21 Arizona State
G 15 Lee, Butch 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1956-12-05 Marquette
G 10 Nixon, Norm 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1955-10-11 Duquesne
F 52 Wilkes, Jamaal 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1953-05-02 UCLA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: February 15, 1980

Regular season

Season standings
Pacific Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Los Angeles Lakers 6022.732–37–423–1819–11
x-Seattle SuperSonics 5626.683433–823–1818–12
x-Phoenix Suns 5527.671537–518–2219–11
x-Portland Trail Blazers 3844.4632226–1512–2913–17
San Diego Clippers 3547.4272524–1711–3013–17
Golden State Warriors 2458.2933615–269–328–22
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Los Angeles Lakers6022.732–
2 y-Milwaukee Bucks4933.59811
3 x-Seattle SuperSonics5626.6834
4 x-Phoenix Suns5527.6715
5 x-Kansas City Kings4735.57313
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers3844.46322
7 San Diego Clippers3547.42725
8 Chicago Bulls3052.36630
9 Denver Nuggets3052.36630
10 Utah Jazz2458.29336
11 Golden State Warriors2458.29336

Record vs. opponents
1979–80 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHI CLE DEN DET GSW HOU IND KCK LAL MIL NJN NYK PHI PHO POR SAS SDC SEA UTA WAS
Atlanta —2–41–14–21–16–02–02–44–20–21–11–14–24–24–21–12–05–11–10–22–03–3
Boston 4–2—2–04–22–06–02–06–04–21–10–22–05–15–13–31–12–04–22–00–22–04–2
Chicago 1–10–2—2–02–41–14–21–10–23–31–51–51–10–21–11–53–30–24–22–42–40–2
Cleveland 2–42–40–2—1–16–02–02–42–42–01–10–23–33–31–51–10–24–21–10–21–13–3
Denver 1–10–24–21–1—1–13–31–11–10–61–53–31–11–10–21–52–41–13–31–53–31–1
Detroit 0–60–61–10–61–1—1–11–51–50–20–21–12–42–41–50–20–22–40–20–21–12–4
Golden State 0–20–22–40–23–31–1—1–11–13–31–50–62–00–20–22–42–40–23–30–63–30–2
Houston 4–20–61–14–21–15–11–1—4–20–20–21–13–33–32–41–11–13–32–01–12–02–4
Indiana 2–42–42–04–21–15–11–12–4—1–10–20–22–44–21–50–22–02–41–10–21–14–2
Kansas City 2–01–13–30–26–02–03–32–01–1—2–43–31–11–11–11–51–51–15–13–36–02–0
Los Angeles 1–12–05–11–15–12–05–12–02–04–2—3–32–02–01–13–32–42–05–14–26–01–1
Milwaukee 1–10–25–12–03–31–16–01–12–03–33–3—1–11–10–24–25–10–24–22–44–21–1
New Jersey 2–41–51–13–31–14–20–23–34–21–10–21–1—2–41–51–10–23–31–11–11–13–3
New York 2–41–52–03–31–14–22–03–32–41–10–21–14–2—0–62–02–04–21–10–21–13–3
Philadelphia 2–43–31–15–12–05–12–04–25–11–11–12–05–16–0—1–12–04–21–11–11–15–1
Phoenix 1–11–15–11–15–12–04–21–12–05–13–32–41–10–21–1—6–01–12–44–26–02–0
Portland 0–20–23–32–04–22–04–21–10–25–14–21–52–00–20–20–6—1–14–21–53–31–1
San Antonio 1–52–42–02–41–14–22–03–34–21–10–22–03–32–42–41–11–1—2–01–11–14–2
San Diego 1–10–22–41–13–32–03–30–21–11–51–52–41–11–11–14–22–40–2—3–35–11–1
Seattle 2–02–04–22–05–12–06–01–12–03–32–44–21–12–01–12–45–11–13–3—5–11–1
Utah 0–20–24–21–13–31–13–30–21–10–60–62–41–11–11–10–63–31–11–51–5—0–2
Washington 3–32–42–03–31–14–22–04–22–40–21–11–13–33–31–50–21–12–41–11–12–0—

Game log

Regular season
1979–80 game log
Total: 60-22 (Home: 37-4; Road: 23-18)
October: 7–3 (home: 5–1; road: 2–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1 October 12 @ San Diego W 103-102 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10) 3 players tied (4) San Diego Sports Arena
8,503		 1-0
2 October 16 Chicago W 105-96 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10) Johnson & Nixon (8) The Forum 2-0
3 October 17 @ Seattle L 110-112 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (23) Jamaal Wilkes (9) Norm Nixon (5) Kingdome 2-1
4 October 19 Portland L 82-99 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (22) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13) Norm Nixon (7) The Forum 2-2
5 October 21 Seattle W 106-97 3 players tied (23) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (20) Norm Nixon (9) The Forum 3-2
6 October 23 Utah W 102-87 Abdul-Jabbar & Cooper (17) Jim Chones (16) Cooper & Nixon (7) The Forum 4-2
7 October 26 Kansas City W 116-104 Magic Johnson (26) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16) Norm Nixon (10) The Forum 5-2
8 October 28 Golden State W 97-90 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (26) Magic Johnson (10) Magic Johnson (10) The Forum 6-2
9 October 30 @ Chicago W 111-105 Magic Johnson (24) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (9) Magic Johnson (6) Chicago Stadium 7-2
10 October 31 @ Milwaukee L 106-110 Norm Nixon (24) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (18) Norm Nixon (12) MECCA Arena 7-3
November: 9–6 (home: 6–1; road: 3–5)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
11 November 2 Phoenix W 112-110 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (26) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15) Magic Johnson (10) The Forum 8-3
12 November 6 San Diego W 127-112 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (26) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14) Norm Nixon (9) The Forum 9-3
13 November 7 @ Golden State L 109-126 Jamaal Wilkes (18) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (8) Magic Johnson (6) Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 9-4
14 November 9 Denver W 126-122 (OT) Magic Johnson (31) Spencer Haywood (12) Norm Nixon (9) The Forum 10-4
15 November 11 Cleveland W 140-126 Jamaal Wilkes (25) Magic Johnson (16) Magic Johnson (12) The Forum 11-4
16 November 13 @ San Diego W 137-91 Magic Johnson (22) Ford & Haywood (8) Abdul-Jabbar & Johnson (6) San Diego Sports Arena 12-4
17 November 15 @ Kansas City L 108-114 Jamaal Wilkes (28) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (12) Magic Johnson (7) Municipal Auditorium 12-5
18 November 16 @ Denver W 135-128 (OT) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28) Jamaal Wilkes (12) Johnson & Nixon (11) McNichols Sports Arena 13-5
19 November 18 Indiana W 127-104 Jamaal Wilkes (21) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (12) Norm Nixon (10) The Forum 14-5
20 November 20 @ Portland L 99-114 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (24) Magic Johnson (11) Norm Nixon (6) Memorial Coliseum 14-6
21 November 21 @ Seattle L 110-119 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13) Norm Nixon (11) Kingdome 14-7
22 November 23 @ Phoenix L 112-126 Magic Johnson (25) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11) Magic Johnson (6) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 14-8
23 November 25 Kansas City W 111-110 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15) Magic Johnson (9) The Forum 15-8
24 November 27 @ Utah W 122-118 Jamaal Wilkes (29) Magic Johnson (8) Magic Johnson (8) Salt Palace 16-8
25 November 30 Chicago L 100-107 Norm Nixon (30) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19) Norm Nixon (8) The Forum 16-9
December: 12–4 (home: 8–1; road: 4–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
26 December 2 Milwaukee W 116-103 Norm Nixon (25) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14) Magic Johnson (13) The Forum 17-9
27 December 4 @ San Antonio W 127-121 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11) Johnson & Wilkes (9) HemisFair Arena 18-9
28 December 5 @ Houston W 116-114 Norm Nixon (26) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15) Norm Nixon (10) The Summit 19-9
29 December 7 San Diego L 108-116 Magic Johnson (31) Magic Johnson (13) Norm Nixon (11) The Forum 19-10
30 December 9 Denver W 131-118 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31) Abdul-Jabbar & Chones (9) Magic Johnson (11) The Forum 20-10
31 December 14 Detroit W 138-122 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11) Magic Johnson (9) The Forum 21-10
32 December 16 San Antonio W 121-119 Nixon & Wilkes (27) Jim Chones (11) Norm Nixon (9) The Forum 22-10
33 December 18 @ Chicago W 129-118 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (39) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16) Magic Johnson (13) Chicago Stadium 23-10
34 December 19 @ Atlanta L 112-119 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29) Abdul-Jabbar & Chones (8) Norm Nixon (10) Omni Coliseum 23-11
35 December 21 Golden State W 114-108 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (8) Magic Johnson (10) The Forum 24-11
36 December 22 @ Denver L 128-130 Jamaal Wilkes (24) Jim Chones (8) Magic Johnson (9) McNichols Sports Arena 24-12
37 December 23 Seattle W 102-97 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14) Magic Johnson (10) The Forum 25-12
38 December 26 @ Kansas City L 111-118 Johnson & Wilkes (24) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (9) Municipal Auditorium 25-13
39 December 27 @ Utah W 124-116 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10) Magic Johnson (11) Salt Palace 26-13
40 December 28 Boston W 123-105 Magic Johnson (23) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (18) Norm Nixon (8) The Forum
17,505		 27-13
41 December 30 Phoenix W 113-105 Jamaal Wilkes (30) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14) Norm Nixon (8) The Forum 28-13
January: 10–4 (home: 5–0; road: 5–4)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
42 January 2 @ Indiana W 127-120 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32) Abdul-Jabbar & Haywood (7) Jamaal Wilkes (8) Market Square Arena 29-13
43 January 6 @ Milwaukee L 103-113 Jamaal Wilkes (24) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (12) Norm Nixon (8) MECCA Arena 29-14
44 January 9 @ Washington L 101-103 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (24) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11) Norm Nixon (6) Capital Centre 29-15
45 January 11 @ Detroit W 123-100 Jamaal Wilkes (27) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14) Magic Johnson (7) Pontiac Silverdome 30-15
46 January 13 @ Boston W 100-98 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (12) Norm Nixon (9) Boston Garden 31-15
47 January 15 Utah W 112-99 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (24) Jamaal Wilkes (10) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7) The Forum 32-15
48 January 16 @ Golden State W 97-96 Jamaal Wilkes (27) Spencer Haywood (11) Norm Nixon (9) Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 33-15
49 January 18 Atlanta W 108-102 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15) Norm Nixon (12) The Forum 34-15
50 January 21 New York W 132-114 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14) Norm Nixon (9) The Forum 35-15
51 January 24 @ Portland L 103-111 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16) Norm Nixon (7) Memorial Coliseum 35-16
52 January 25 Philadelphia W 124-103 Jamaal Wilkes (30) Michael Cooper (13) Norm Nixon (11) The Forum 36-16
53 January 27 Milwaukee W 112-102 Magic Johnson (25) Jim Chones (12) Norm Nixon (8) The Forum 37-16
54 January 29 @ Cleveland L 153-154 (4 OT) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (42) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (17) Magic Johnson (8) Richfield Coliseum 37-17
55 January 31 @ Chicago W 107-97 Jamaal Wilkes (28) Jim Chones (12) Magic Johnson (11) Chicago Stadium 38-17
February: 9–2 (home: 5–1; road: 4–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
All-Star Break
56 February 5 @ New York W 116-105 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (22) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (17) Magic Johnson (11) Madison Square Garden 39-17
57 February 8 @ New Jersey W 125-120 (OT) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31) Magic Johnson (13) Johnson & Nixon (13) Rutgers Athletic Center 40-17
58 February 10 @ Philadelphia L 104-105 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38) Jamaal Wilkes (8) Norm Nixon (10) The Spectrum 40-18
59 February 13 Portland W 129-100 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32) Magic Johnson (9) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11) The Forum 41-18
60 February 15 Kansas City W 114-100 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (26) Jamaal Wilkes (10) Norm Nixon (10) The Forum 42-18
61 February 17 Washington W 111-107 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25) Magic Johnson (12) Norm Nixon (9) The Forum 43-18
62 February 20 @ Denver W 116-103 Magic Johnson (30) Magic Johnson (12) Norm Nixon (6) McNichols Sports Arena 44-18
63 February 22 New Jersey W 132-110 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (22) Abdul-Jabbar & Chones (14) Norm Nixon (7) The Forum 45-18
64 February 24 Houston W 112-100 Jamaal Wilkes (29) Magic Johnson (8) Norm Nixon (11) The Forum 46-18
65 February 26 Seattle W 131-108 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31) Abdul-Jabbar & Wilkes (11) Magic Johnson (13) The Forum 47-18
66 February 29 Milwaukee L 117-126 (OT) Norm Nixon (30) 3 players tied (11) Norm Nixon (13) The Forum 47-19
March: 13–3 (home: 7–0; road: 6–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
67 March 2 @ Phoenix L 115-123 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (26) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13) Norm Nixon (9) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 47-20
68 March 4 @ Milwaukee W 127-124 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10) Norm Nixon (11) MECCA Arena 48-20
69 March 5 @ Kansas City W 117-101 Magic Johnson (28) Magic Johnson (16) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7) Kemper Arena 49-20
70 March 7 Chicago W 101-99 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31) Magic Johnson (18) Magic Johnson (9) The Forum 50-20
71 March 9 @ Portland L 121-142 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (26) Magic Johnson (12) Magic Johnson (8) Memorial Coliseum 50-21
72 March 11 @ San Diego W 123-106 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28) Abdul-Jabbar & Johnson (12) Magic Johnson (8) San Diego Sports Arena 51-21
73 March 12 Portland W 102-94 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30) Magic Johnson (16) Norm Nixon (9) The Forum 52-21
74 March 14 Denver W 132-126 Jamaal Wilkes (27) Mark Landsberger (16) Michael Cooper (8) The Forum 53-21
75 March 16 Phoenix W 128-106 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30) Magic Johnson (13) Magic Johnson (13) The Forum 54-21
76 March 18 Golden State W 118-100 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (23) Jamaal Wilkes (11) Norm Nixon (8) The Forum 55-21
77 March 19 @ Phoenix L 108-112 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14) Norm Nixon (9) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 55-22
78 March 22 @ Seattle W 97-92 Norm Nixon (23) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (9) Norm Nixon (10) Kingdome 56-22
79 March 23 Utah W 101-96 Jamaal Wilkes (22) Jamaal Wilkes (11) Norm Nixon (12) The Forum 57-22
80 March 27 @ Utah W 97-95 Jamaal Wilkes (21) Abdul-Jabbar & Johnson (11) Norm Nixon (7) Salt Palace 58-22
81 March 28 San Diego W 126-88 Magic Johnson (22) Mark Landsberger (10) 3 players tied (5) The Forum 59-22
82 March 30 @ Golden State W 95-93 Norm Nixon (18) Magic Johnson (12) Magic Johnson (10) Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 60-22
1979–80 schedule

Playoffs
1980 playoff game log
Total: 12–4 (Home: 7–2; Road: 5–2)
Conference Semifinals: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 8 Phoenix W 119–110 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30) Abdul-Jabbar & Johnson (12) Magic Johnson (16) The Forum
15,892		 1–0
2 April 9 Phoenix W 131–128 (OT) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32) Magic Johnson (13) Norm Nixon (12) The Forum
14,286		 2–0
3 April 11 @ Phoenix W 108–105 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (37) Magic Johnson (13) Norm Nixon (8) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
12,660		 3–0
4 April 13 @ Phoenix L 101–127 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11) Magic Johnson (13) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
12,660		 3–1
5 April 15 Phoenix W 126–101 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (35) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16) Norm Nixon (13) The Forum
17,505		 4–1
Conference Finals: 4–1 (home: 2–1; road: 2–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 22 Seattle L 107–108 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (26) 3 players tied (8) Norm Nixon (11) The Forum
17,505		 0–1
2 April 23 Seattle W 108–99 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16) Norm Nixon (12) The Forum
17,505		 1–1
3 April 25 @ Seattle W 104–100 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13) Cooper & Johnson (10) Hec Edmundson Pavilion
8,524		 2–1
4 April 27 @ Seattle W 98–93 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25) Johnson & Wilkes (13) Norm Nixon (8) Hec Edmundson Pavilion
8,524		 3–1
5 April 30 Seattle W 111–105 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11) Magic Johnson (10) The Forum
17,505		 4–1
NBA Finals: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 May 4 Philadelphia W 109–102 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14) Magic Johnson (10) The Forum
17,505		 1–0
2 May 7 Philadelphia L 104–107 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14) Magic Johnson (11) The Forum
17,505		 1–1
3 May 10 @ Philadelphia W 111–101 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14) Norm Nixon (7) The Spectrum
18,726		 2–1
4 May 11 @ Philadelphia L 102–105 Magic Johnson (28) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11) Magic Johnson (9) The Spectrum
18,726		 2–2
5 May 14 Philadelphia W 108–103 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (40) Abdul-Jabbar & Johnson (15) Magic Johnson (10) The Forum
17,505		 3–2
6 May 16 @ Philadelphia W 123–107 Magic Johnson (42) Magic Johnson (15) Norm Nixon (9) The Spectrum
18,726		 4–2
1980 schedule

Magic Johnson

Having won everything possible at the college level, Johnson decided to leave college two years early and declared himself eligible for the 1979 NBA draft. The New Orleans Jazz originally had the first draft pick, but they had traded the pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for NBA star Gail Goodrich. As a result, the Lakers drafted Johnson with the first overall pick,[2] signing him for a sizable salary of US$600,000 a year.[3]

Johnson joined a franchise which had gone through major changes. The Lakers featured a new coach in Jack McKinney, a new owner in Jerry Buss, and several new players. However, Johnson was most excited about the prospect of playing with his personal idol, the 7–2 center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who would go on to become the second leading scorer in NBA history.[3] From the first game, Johnson displayed his trademark enthusiasm for the game. When Abdul-Jabbar hit a last-second free throw line hook shot to win against the San Diego Clippers, Johnson ran around the court, high-fiving and hugging everybody, causing concern that the "Buck" (as Johnson was called by Lakers announcer Chick Hearn for his youth) would burn himself out. However, in that 1979–80 NBA season, the rookie proved them wrong. Johnson introduced an uptempo style of basketball which the NBA described as a mix of "no-look passes off the fastbreak, pinpoint alley-oops from halfcourt, spinning feeds and overhand bullets under the basket through triple teams".[2] Fellow Lakers guard Michael Cooper even stated that: "There have been times when he [Johnson] has thrown passes and I wasn't sure where he was going. Then one of our guys catches the ball and scores, and I run back up the floor convinced that he must've thrown it through somebody."[2] This style of basketball became known as "Showtime". Given Johnson was also a prolific scorer and rebounder, he soon led the league in triple-doubles, racking up 10-points-10-rebounds-10-assists games in a rate only second to NBA Hall-of-Famer Oscar Robertson.[2] In addition, he expressed a raw, childlike enthusiasm which further endeared him to the fans.[4]

Johnson's average of 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game was enough to make the All-Rookie Team and become a starter on the All-Star Team, even though the NBA Rookie of the Year Award went to his rival Larry Bird, who had joined the Boston Celtics.[5] The Lakers compiled a 60–22 win–loss record, and with Paul Westhead replacing coach McKinney as a coach after a serious bicycle accident 13 games into the season, the Lakers reached the 1980 NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers. Against the fierce resistance of Sixers Hall-of-Fame forward Julius "Doctor J" Erving and Darryl Dawkins, the Lakers took a 3–2 lead before Abdul-Jabbar went down with a sprained ankle. Coach Westhead decided to put point guard Johnson at pivot instead, and on the Sixers' home court, the rookie dominated with 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and three steals, lifting the Lakers to a 123–107 win and winning the NBA Finals MVP award. The NBA regards Johnson's clutch performance as one of the finest individual games ever.[6] Although only twenty years old, he had already won every trophy at the high school, college and professional levels. Johnson also became one of only four players to win NCAA and NBA championships in consecutive years.

Player statistics

Regular season
Player GP MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar8238.3.604.000.76510.84.51.03.424.8
Ron Boone†617.7.350NA.8571.81.20.80.05.7
Marty Byrnes326.1.500NA.8670.80.40.20.02.0
Kenny Carr†617.7.438NA1.0003.40.20.40.23.2
Jim Chones8229.2.489.000.7406.91.80.70.810.6
Michael Cooper8224.1.524.250.7762.82.71.00.58.8
Don Ford†5211.2.508.000.8211.90.70.20.33.0
Spencer Haywood7620.3.487.250.7724.61.20.50.89.7
Brad Holland385.2.423.200.9380.40.60.40.02.8
Magic Johnson7736.3.530.226.8107.77.32.40.518.0
Mark Landsberger*2316.3.482NA.5187.10.60.40.27.0
Butch Lee*112.8.308NA.8570.70.80.10.01.3
Ollie Mack†275.7.420.000.5000.80.70.10.01.9
Norm Nixon8239.3.516.125.7792.87.81.80.217.6
Jamaal Wilkes8237.9.535.176.8086.43.01.60.320.0

*Stats after being traded to the Lakers.
†Stats before being traded from the Lakers.

Playoffs
Player GP MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar1541.2.572NA.79012.13.11.13.931.9
Marty Byrnes42.0.333NA.6670.30.30.00.01.5
Jim Chones1627.4.407NA.6766.51.80.50.47.4
Michael Cooper1629.0.407.000.8613.73.61.50.79.1
Spencer Haywood1113.2.472.000.8132.40.40.00.55.7
Brad Holland93.6.500.0001.0000.60.30.60.01.6
Magic Johnson1641.1.518.250.80210.59.43.00.418.3
Mark Landsberger1612.2.362.000.8334.30.10.20.13.4
Butch Lee32.0NANA1.0000.30.00.00.00.7
Norm Nixon1640.5.477.200.8043.57.82.00.216.9
Jamaal Wilkes1640.8.535.176.8158.03.01.50.320.3

Awards and records

References
  1. "1979-80 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats".
  2. "Earvin "Magic" Johnson". NBA Encyclopedia: Playoff Edition. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
  3. Bork (1994), pp. 56-66
  4. Schwartz, Larry. "Magic made Showtime a show". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
  5. "Magic Johnson Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
  6. "NBA's Greatest Moments: Magic Fills in at Center". NBA Encyclopedia: Playoff Edition. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2007.
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