YouTube Gold: That Time Magic Johnson Moved From Point Guard To Center And Won An NBA Championship

Truly a performance for the ages

By 1979, people had begun to realize that Magic Johnson was a special player. A 6-9 point guard, he led Michigan State to the national championship over Larry Bird’s undefeated Indiana State team and was the first pick in that summer’s NBA Draft.

He was taken by the Los Angeles Lakers and paired with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who, with his skyhook, was an unstoppable offensive weapon.

The Lakers got to the 1980 Finals where they met Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers, a very tough opponent.

Unfortunately, Kareem suffered a severe ankle sprain in Game 5 and the league MVP wasn’t available for Game 6.

No big deal, as it turned out: after saying “never fear, Magic is here,” Johnson moved from point guard to center - read that again and marvel - and racked up 42 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists to lead L.A. to the title.

He also played all five positions, which was a first and may still be unmatched.

Again, he was a 20-year old rookie. This was truly one of the greatest performances in the history of the NBA.