The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics are widely credited for saving the NBA during the 1980s, particularly because of their frontmen who led the way.
The Lakers and Celtics renewed their rivalry when they took Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, respectively, two budding young superstars who would go on to win eight out of the next 10 championships of the decade. Johnson and Bird each built an impressive basketball resume, making them no-brainer Hall of Famers that changed the game for the better.
In honor of their accomplishments, the NBA celebrated the two legends during its 75th Anniversary by naming the new Western and Eastern Conference MVP trophies after them. As the orchestrator of the “Showtime” Laker era, there was no one more deserving than Johnson, who expressed how honored he was via his Twitter account:
Can you believe this little boy who grew up in Lansing, MI and played at Everett High School, won a NCAA Championship at Michigan State, and won 5 NBA Championships with the @Lakers would have the Western Conference Finals MVP Trophy named after him? Wow🤯 pic.twitter.com/satNxmi2ZG
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 12, 2022
Thank you to the @NBA for naming the new Western Conference Finals MVP trophy after me. I am extremely honored and the trophy is beautiful! pic.twitter.com/aE3JLYIUwg
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 12, 2022
During his time in Los Angeles, Johnson led the franchise to five NBA championships and was named the Finals MVP for three of them. The star point guard was also a three-time regular-season MVP, 12-time All-Star and a nine-time All-NBA First-Time selection. For his accolades, Johnson had his No. 32 jersey retired and will forever be beloved in the City of Angeles.
The Western Conference’s second round has been a tightly contested one with the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns heading to a Game 7, while the Golden State Warriors have a chance to eliminate the Memphis Grizzlies back home in Game 6. Two of these teams will face off in the Western Conference Finals where someone will have a chance to be named the inaugural winner of the Magic Johnson trophy.
Magic Johnson hopes LeBron James is with Lakers for a long time
One player who will need to wait to get a crack at the new trophy is Lakers superstar LeBron James. For the second time since joining the Purple and Gold, James missed the postseason and now finds his window to compete dwindling quickly.
Some will argue that the organization should play the long game and trade James, but Johnson pushed back on that notion and expressed his desire to have him with the franchise for a long time.
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