On this day in 1996, Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers came out of retirement and led the Lakers to a 128-118 victory over the Golden State Warriors with 19 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. Johnson had last appeared in an NBA game during the 1991 NBA Finals against Michale Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. Johnson The no.1 pick in the 1979 NBA draft, Johnson was the star of the Showtime Lakers era and one of the league’s greatest point guards. Johnson led the Lakers to win five NBA championships in the 1980’s and was named both league MVP and fInals MVP 3x in his career. During the 1987 NBA finals against the rival Celtics, Johnson nearly averaged a triple double throughout the series. The Lakers beat the Celtics 4-2 and Johnson averaged 26.2 points, 13 assists, and 8 rebounds per game. Johnson’s other accolades include 9x All-NBA First Team, 4x NBA assists leader, 2x NBA steals leader, Olympic Gold Medalist with the Dream Team, and 12x NBA All-Star. Johnson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002 and his no.32 was retired by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Today in Sports History: January 30
