In his six playoff appearances with the Lakers (1978-1983), he averaged 17.7 points per game and 8 rebounds per game.* In fact, Nixon led the Lakers in scoring during the 1982 playoffs, averaging 17.6 points per game. This feat was quite impressive considering Nixon was playing alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson.
Nixon is also known for his fake free-throw attempt against the San Antonio Spurs in November of 1982, causing the referees to call a double lane violation. It should be noted that there were three seconds remaining in the game and the Lakers trailed the Spurs by three points. Instead of making Nixon re-shoot the free throw, the refs ordered a jump ball, which resulted in Nixon making a jumper to send it to overtime, which was won by the Lakers. The call was later reviewed and revoked when the league ordered the two teams to replay the final three seconds in April of 1983. This time, the Spurs won the game.
Before the start of the 1983-1984 season, the Lakers traded Nixon to the then San Diego Clippers for the rights to Byron Scott. In his first season with the Clippers, he led the league in assists and was named an All-Star for the second time in his career. He played for the Clippers for six years, but missed two years due to injuries.
After retiring from the NBA, he briefly played for an Italian team in 1989. Nixon later became a sports agent, representing clients like Jalen Rose, Samaki Walker, LL Cool J, and TLC (to name a few). He also served as radio commentator on the Clippers radio broadcasts in 2004-2005. As Lakers fans are aware, he was hired as the studio color analyst for Lakers’ home games on Fox Sports West’s pre-game, halftime, and post-game coverage in 2010.
Below are some of Norm Nixon’s notable stats with the Lakers. With the questions surrounding the current Lakers point guard position and the backcourt, the Lakers should take a look back at how they solved a similar problem in 1977 by drafting their solution.
Career assists per game with Lakers**
Note: minimum 100 games
1. Magic Johnson, 11.2
2. Norm Nixon, 7.9
3. Nick Van Exel, 7.3
4. Jerry West, 6.7
5. Sedale Threatt, 5.2
6. Lucius Allen, 5.1
7. Kobe Bryant, 4.7
8. Connie Hawkins, 4.4
9. Elgin Baylor, 4.3
10. Wilt Chamberlain, 4.3
Career assists with Lakers**
1. Magic Johnson, 10,141
2. Jerry West, 6,238
3. Kobe Bryant, 4,964
4. Norm Nixon, 3,846
5. Michael Cooper, 3,666
6. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 3,652
7. Elgin Baylor, 3,650
8. Gail Goodrich, 2,863
9. James Worthy, 2,791
10. Nick Van Exel, 2,749
Career steals with Lakers**
1. Magic Johnson, 1,724
2. Kobe Bryant, 1,610
3. James Worthy, 1,041
4. Byron Scott, 1,038
5. Michael Cooper, 1,033
6. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 983
7. Derek Fisher, 895
8. Norm Nixon, 868
9. Jamaal Wilkes, 706
10. A.C. Green, 657
*Source: Basketball-Reference.com
**Source: Los Angeles Times
