This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/27/2023
No NBA player enjoyed a more bountiful decade during the 1980s than Earvin "Magic" Johnson. Fresh off his 1979 NCAA Championship with Michigan State, the 6' 9" point guard landed in L.A. as the NBA Draft's No. 1 overall pick and wasted no time in transforming the Lakers back into championship form, leading the team to the NBA title as a rookie. In fact, in the clinching Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals, Johnson started at center in place of an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and scored a game-high 42 points with 15 rebounds to nearly single-handedly defeat the Philadelphia 76ers. The master of the no-look pass ushered in a decade-long run of Lakers dominance under head coach Pat Riley labeled "Showtime". His incredible playmaking and infectious smile kept the "Lake Show" rolling as they went on to win three more NBA titles over the next six years.
Featured here is one of Magic Johnson's early 1980s Los Angeles Lakers game worn home jerseys. The coveted yellow gold jersey reads "LAKERS" across the front with Johnson's iconic uniform number "32" below. The reverse has "JOHNSON" arched across the back shoulders with his No. "32" below. All numbers and letters are sewn directly onto the mesh fabric in purple on white tackle twill. The front center shirttail boasts the proper "Tiernan" manufacturer's label present on Lakers jerseys during Magic's first seven seasons of pro basketball, meaning this particular jersey could link to an early Showtime-era championship season. Two of Magic's NBA titles and two of his NBA Finals MVP awards took place in 1980 and '82. The jersey exhibits light-to-moderate puckering to the letters and numbers (front and back) with evidence of laundering and some stretching in the elastic white-and-purple trim around the armpits and neck. Overall, it remains in outstanding condition for ideal aesthetic presentation on one's wall.
Accompanied by a letter from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as it was part of a past Hall of Fame auction.