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Magic Johnson drafted 1st in the NBA...
Magic Johnson drafted 1st in the NBA...
Item # 722350
June 26, 1979
LOS ANGELES TIMES, June 26, 1979
* Earvin "Magic" Johnson drafted
* NBA basketball - Los Angeles Lakers
* Best title to be had ?
The front page of the sport's section (inside) has a two column heading: "Lakers Take 3-Point Stance in NBA Draft" with subhead. First report coverage continues on page 6. Page 7, under "Basketball", has the list of the first 10 rounds of the NBA draft with the first round beginning with: "Los Angeles (from Utah)--Earvin Johnson (Michigan St.), 6-8, g."
We suspect this issue was not saved due to the fact that Johnson was not yet a NBA star. Very rare as such.
Five sections present here, minor margin wear, generally nice.
background: On June 25, 1979, the Los Angeles Lakers used the first overall pick in the NBA Draft to select Earvin "Magic" Johnson, a transformative moment that shifted the trajectory of basketball by ushering in the fast-paced "Showtime" era. Standing 6'9" with the vision of a traditional point guard, Magic had just come off a celebrated NCAA Championship win at Michigan State against Larry Bird, and his arrival in Los Angeles—secured only through a 1976 compensation trade with the New Orleans Jazz—immediately paid dividends as he led the Lakers to a title in his rookie season. His infectious smile and flashy, no-look passing revolutionized the game, fueling a legendary rivalry with Bird’s Celtics that revitalized the league’s popularity and paved the way for the global NBA of today. Decades later, as we look back from 2026, his legacy remains a cornerstone of sports history, recently echoed by the excitement of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, where modern icons like Mikaela Shiffrin and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo have continued the tradition of era-defining dominance on the world stage.
Category: The 20th Century
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