“Kareem Abdul-Jabbar never paid me back for the beef hot dogs I bought him!”: Magic Johnson dishes on the vast variety of rookie duties he had as a Lakers player

Magic Johnson elaborates on how he was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s rookie in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Magic Johnson was exactly who Kareem Abdul-Jabbar needed up top to help the Los Angeles Lakers become the most important franchise in NBA history. The two won 5 NBA championships together in a single decade and established themselves as perhaps the greatest guard-center duo in NBA history. 

Of course, Kareem had established himself as an absolute superstar in the league well before Magic got drafted number one overall by the Lakers. He won a championship in 1971 alongside Oscar Robertson in 1971, won 5 MVPs in the 1970s before winning his 6th in Earvin’s rookie season. 

While the two played off one another to perfection on the court, the story was a bit different off it. Magic Johnson was the bubbly and happy-go-lucky guy while Kareem kept to himself and borderline despised mingling with fans. Magic on the other hand, couldn’t get enough of the spotlight.

Also read: “I couldn’t talk to Magic Johnson and I don’t know if I heard him either”: Penny Hardaway talked about his affection towards Lakers legend

The two never had a falling out but it was clear that there was some distance between them as neither ever put in effort to befriend the other. 

Magic Johnson on his rookie duties. 

No matter how much money Magic Johnson got Jerry Buss to give him his rookie season, Magic was still just a rookie. Of course, he would prove himself to be one of the league’s best by winning Finals MVP his rookie season but throughout the regular season, the Michigan State alum was on rookie duties.

Also read: “Byron Scott would tell me Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stories”: When Kobe Bryant detailed his brotherly relationship with Scott in his book ‘Mamba Mentality’

While on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Magic elaborated on how he was assigned to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and was ‘Kareem’s rookie’. The former Milwaukee Buck would apparently tell Magic to get him two cold waters and two cold Gatorades during breaks in practice but what really gave him a run for his money was the hot dog. 

Kareem would not eat pork due to his faith and so wanted only beef hot dogs. So Magic was stuck with the task of checking with the hot dog vendor if the hot dog was pork or beef. He would hilariously call out Kareem on the show for never paying him back. [at the 2:30 mark]

Of course, with the way Magic Johnson’s career turned out, getting a couple dollars from Kareem from the hot dogs he got him would mean little to nothing from a monetary sense for the 5x champ.