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Magic Johnson said he and Jerry West, pictured together in 1979, would meet once a week to critique Johnson’s previous three or four games. “I loved it because I’m getting this knowledge from the great Jerry West,” said Johnson, whose father “idolized” the coach. (Associated Press)
When Magic Johnson heard the news that friend Jerry West had died early Wednesday morning, he began to reminisce about their first lunch together at the Forum in Inglewood after the Lakers had selected him No. 1 overall out of Michigan State in 1979.
Johnson recalled how his dad, Earvin Johnson Sr., was at the lunch and how his father “idolized” West and viewed him as his favorite player.
Magic and his dad were excited about him joining a historic franchise like the Lakers, the two of them looking forward to what the future held for The Magic Man.
“I soon realized that my dad was more interested in Jerry West than me being a Laker,” Johnson said, laughing as he told the story to The Times. “He told my father that he was going to take care of me. My father idolized him. It was like a great moment for my father, as well as me.”
After that first lunch, West took Magic Johnson down to the Lakers locker room.
It was just the two of them, and that was Johnson’s first lesson about the Lakers.
Read more: Jerry West, Lakers legend and architect of ‘Showtime’ era, dies at 86
“He broke down the Laker history and the expectations and really helped me understand what I was walking into,” Johnson said. “He said that he would be here for me.”
It was the beginning of the relationship between Johnson and West, a bond that ushered in Showtime and a dynasty that saw the Lakers win five NBA championships during the ’80s.
As a 20-year-old rookie, Johnson said, he was in awe that West would pull him aside once a week to critique his game.
They would sit in seats not far from the famed Forum Club, just the two of them talking about Johnson’s previous three or four games.
“He would just give notes,” Johnson said. “He’d say, ‘OK, you need to do this, or you are short on your shots.’ Whatever it was. ‘If you probably would have…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/eye-talent-unmatched-magic-johnson-220837166.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-06-12 22:08:37
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