When Johnson Magic I heard the news from that friend Jerry West died on Wednesday morning, he began to recall the first lunch they had together at the Forum in Inglewood after the Lakers drafted him No. 1 overall in the state of Michigan in 1979.
Johnson recalled how his father, Earvin Johnson Sr., was at the lunch and how his father “idolized” West and saw him as his favorite player.
Magic and his father were excited about his joining a historic franchise like the Lakers, both eager to see what the future held for The Magic Man.
“I soon realized that my father was more interested in Jerry West than me being a Laker,” Johnson said, laughing as he told the story to The Times. “He told my dad he would take care of me. My father idolized him. It was a great moment for my father and also for me.”
After that first lunch, West took Magic Johnson to the Lakers locker room.
It was just the two of them, and that was Johnson’s first lesson about the Lakers.
See more information: Jerry West, Lakers legend and architect of the ‘Showtime’ era, dies at 86
“He told the history and expectations of the Laker and really helped me understand what I was getting myself into,” Johnson said. “He said he would be here for me.”
It was the beginning of the relationship between Johnson and West, a bond that launched Showtime and a dynasty that saw the Lakers win five NBA championships during the 1980s.
As a 20-year-old rookie, Johnson said, he was surprised that West pulled him aside once a week to criticize his play.
They sat in seats not far from the famous Forum Club, just the two of them talking about Johnson’s previous three or four games.
“He just gave notes,” Johnson said. “He’d say, ‘OK, you’ve got to do this, or you’re going to have very few shots.’ Whatever it was. ‘If you had probably made that decision, it probably wouldn’t have been a change. You had a lot of twists and turns.
“So he was just helping me. He loved it, because it was his idea. ‘Let’s meet. I just want to help you.’ I love it because I’m getting this knowledge from the great Jerry West. So I needed that.”
On November 7, 1991, Johnson announced to the world that he had tested positive for HIV and was retiring from the Lakers.
Before holding his press conference at the Forum, Johnson went to West’s office so they could comfort each other.
“When I announced I was HIV positive, Jerry West and I sat in his office and cried together for about 20 minutes,” Johnson said. “He was just devastated. He called me every day after that. I knew how much he loved me when I announced this 32 years ago. It was almost as if he had received the devastating news.”
Before the Lakers drafted Johnson, they had some important decisions to make. He was the flashy point guard with the big smile made for Hollywood, but the Lakers already had Norm Nixon playing that position.
Therefore, the decision was whether the Lakers should select UCLA forward David Greenwood or Arkansas guard Sidney Moncrief.
“Jerry said, ‘No, I see something here with Magic,’” Johnson said. “And then I’ll tell you another big decision: it was, ‘Should the Lakers sign Dominique? [Wilkins], Terry Cummings or James Worthy? Well, it was James. Jerry’s vision for talent was unparalleled.
“But also his eye for the role. Jerry was excellent at both. He could get the high pick, but also the guy like Derek Fisher, A.C. Green, getting Kurt Rambis, Bob McAdoo, Mychal Thompson in a big trade, Rick Fox , Robert Horry Oh, and Kobe, Hello!
Losing to the Boston Celtics six times in the NBA Finals was the undoing of West’s professional playing career. When the 1984 Lakers team he put together lost to the Celtics in the Finals again, West was unhappy.
But the Lakers and Celtics met again in 1985 for the championship, another opportunity for the Lakers to right all those wrongs, to break the spell of going 0-7 against Boston for the ultimate prize.
See more information: NBA stars mourn the loss of Jerry West, ‘a basketball genius’
The Lakers won Game 6 on Boston’s famous parquet floor to become NBA champions.
And where was Jerry West that night?
“Remember when Jerry said he couldn’t go to Boston. He told us to ‘let’s kick their ass! But I won’t,’” Johnson said, laughing again. “But what was the first phone call we got after we won. It was Jerry’s.
“I miss him. It’s a tough day. It’s a tough day for Laker Nation and for basketball fans around the world.”
Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.
This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.
