In the course of their history, the LA Lakers have had several exceptional players on their roster. Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, the list goes on and on. However, perhaps the greatest Laker of all time is none other than Magic Johnson.
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Drafted in 1979, Magic took to LA like a fish to water. He was a superstar both on and off the court and was widely remembered for his skills and extravagant lifestyle.
Being in Hollywood, with the stardom that he had achieved, it comes as no surprise that the Hall of Famer has a lot of celebrity friends. But, his most interesting friendship is that with Prince, simply because of how they met.
Magic Johnson met Prince for the first time when he had him over for a sleepover at his movie theatre
Basketball and celebrity stardom aside, Magic Johnson was also a successful businessman. He has an extensive portfolio, which includes ownership of a cinema in Los Angeles. A cinema where he first met Pop sensation and icon Prince.
Magic recalled, in an interview, how he once received a bizarre call from Prince. One that led to him inviting the “Purple Rain” singer and his friends to his movie theatre for movies, popcorn, and a sleepover.
“He said “Man! I want to come to your movie theatre at about 2 AM in the morning!”. And, I said, “Prince we’re closed at 2 AM!”, and Prince goes, “I know! That’s why I wanna come! And, I wanna bring my own people to the theatre!”. So I thought, “Okay! Let me make this happen!”. So, we get to the theatre, he has a big bus and they’re all wearing pajamas. He got the drink and everything and they go in. We have the popcorn and everything and we just let him have it man. And, he stayed there till 4-5 in the morning. It was so much fun, he just kept calling me and kept doing it!”
Talk about an interesting way to meet. Safe to say that that was one interaction Magic will never ever forget, and neither will Prince.
Magic once worked with Eddie Murphy and the King of Pop, Michael Jackson on a music video
Speaking of Pop, Prince wasn’t the only pop star that Magic Johnson knew. The five-time NBA Champion was also good friends with Michael Jackson. Magic even appeared in the “Remember the Time” music video with Michael, playing the role of a servant to a Pharoh played by Eddie Murphy. He secured this role while having dinner at KFC.
It truly is amazing, some of the things that Magic has done in his life. He was and is far more than just another basketball player.
