He brings the ball upcourt, sets up the plays, runs the fast breaks. His height gives him an advantage over other guards, and his ability to determine in an instant how a play might develop--by now it's a reflex--allows him to take maximum advantage of his teammates' extraordinary quickness."
Johnson earned the moniker "Magic" while he was still in high school playing basketball at Everett High School in Lansing, Michigan. A local sportswriter who happened to catch the smiling, fluid, high-energy, swift-footed style that was to become Johnson's trademark, could think of no better word to describe his playing than "magic." In later years, though, L.A. Laker coach Pat Riley would say it was too bad he got stuck with the name, because it implied a trick, and Johnson's talent was earned and real, the result of hard work and clear, level-headed playing.
Johnson attended Michigan State in East Lansing (eschewing offers from UCLA, Notre Dame, and the University of Michigan) and in his freshman year led his school team, the Spartans, to their first Big Ten title in 19 years. In his sophomore year, the Spartans won the NCAA title. When Johnson received an offer from the Los Angeles Lakers to turn pro at the end of his sophomore year of college, just before his twentieth birthday, he characteristically sought the best counsel he could imagine: he telephoned his idol, Julius Erving ("Dr.
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