When Magic Johnson first signed on with the LA Lakers, he had never seen that much money in his life. Along with his $460,000 per season, he also had an unprecedented amount of freedom in Los Angeles. Being a kid from East Lansing, Michigan, understandably, he felt lost. So, team owner, Jerry Buss took him under his wing, even taking him to then-future-Clippers owner, Donald Sterling’s house. And while he was there, the Lakers’ legend was beyond mesmerized by what he saw, as an extract from ‘When the Game was Ours’ explains.
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Donald Sterling’s reign as the Clippers’ owner from 1981 to 2014 was far from a peaceful one. Due to multiple audio leaks, the now-former owner was often called racist, and justifiably so. Finally, in 2014, NBA commissioner, Adam Silver issued a $2,500,000 fine on the fine on him, before placing a lifetime ban on him from the NBA.
Fortunately for him, Magic Johnson visited Sterling’s house in 1979, 35 years before any of this took place. So, this wasn’t a controversy he got caught up in.
Magic Johnson was mesmerized by Donald Sterling’s house on the oceanside after going there with Jerry Buss
After being drafted into the NBA in 1979, Johnson was one of the NBA’s biggest names from the get-go. However, being from a small town, the then-youngster did not know a single thing about big-city life.
Jerry Buss on the other hand knew how to live and party. And after taking Magic under his wing, he took him to party at Donald Sterling’s house. As per the book, ‘When the Game Was Ours’, here is what happened next.
“Buss took Magic to fellow real estate mogul Donald Sterling’s famous annual Malibu party. Sterling, who would later purchase the Los Angeles Clippers, owned a stunning waterfront home and served aqua-colored martinis and cocktails with miniature umbrellas floating on top. Magic was awed by the music, the food, and the women, but mostly he was mesmerized by the rolling surf.
“I was from Michigan,” he explained. ‘I had never seen the ocean before.’
When he got home from the party, he called Greg Kelser, his childhood friend Dale Beard, his girlfriend Cookie, and his mother. ‘You won’t believe where I was tonight,’ he told each of them. ‘I was at the beach. Right on the water. With all the movers and the shakers!’”
As Johnson puts it, he had never seen the ocean. So, after seeing money in his bank account, and being in that kind of a party for the first, he must have had the time of his life. Especially considering the fact that he called all the people he was closest to, back home.
Admittedly, it is fun to think about a young Magic Johnson so innocent, he had never seen the ocean before.
How did Magic Johnson fare in his rookie season in the NBA?
During the 1979-80 NBA season, Johnson averaged 18 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 2.4 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. He shot 53% from the field overall.
Additionally, he also helped lead the Lakers to an NBA championship, winning Finals MVP in the process as well, giving him a rookie season better than most could pray for.
