This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/20/2016
In the 1980’s Earvin “Magic” Johnson revolutionized the point guard position and introduced the NBA to a flashy brand of razzle-dazzle basketball (aka “Showtime”) the likes of which nobody had ever seen. His rivalry with Larry Bird, which first took center stage in the 1979 NCAA Championship game, intensified in the pros when Magic was drafted #1 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers and squared off against Bird’s Celtics, rejuvenating the bitterness between two of the NBA’s most storied franchises. Together, they helped spark a fan resurgence that took professional basketball fandom to another level. But it was Magic who led the Lakers to five NBA titles in the 80’s, more than any other team including Bird’s Celtics (3). Magic won three league MVP awards, the last of which came in 1989-90 when he averaged 22.3 points, 11.5 assists and 6.6 rebounds in leading L.A. to the NBA’s best record at 63-19. The Lakers ultimately fell to the Phoenix Suns in Western Conference Semifinals. Magic scored 43 points in each of the last two games of that series.
This offered Magic Johnson Los Angeles Lakers game-worn road jersey was donned by the Lakers legend during his fantastic 1989-90 back-to-back MVP campaign. The late-career representation comes in size 42 and has a purple-colored mesh body with gold-and-white striped knit trim around the neck and arms. "LAKERS" is sewn across the chest in gold-on-white double tackle twill with "32" applied to the front and back in the same configuration. His name is arched atop the back number and sewn directly onto the jersey. The front left tail has the appropriate MacGregor Sand-Knit tagging, which includes size 42, "89" year and 2" LB strip tags, and another strip tag with "Designed & Tailored Exclusively for LOS ANGELES LAKERS". The NBA embroidered logo adorns the left arm stirrup. The jersey displays solid game wear, with stretching in the neck and armpits as well as a light but consistent amount of fraying to numbers and letters, front and back.
LOA from notable collector, Alan Meza. Additional letter from MEARS graded A5. [Note: this is the highest grade a post-1988 jersey can achieve without documented team or player provenance.]