Lakers’ Magic Johnson admits Michael Jordan ‘mistake’ after beating Larry Bird in college

Story by

Story by
Lakers’ Magic Johnson admits Michael Jordan ‘mistake’ after beating Larry Bird in college

Josue Pavon, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Sun, Sep 14, 2025 ·

2 min read

About Our Ads

The post Lakers' Magic Johnson admits Michael Jordan 'mistake' after beating Larry Bird in college appeared first on ClutchPoints .

After Hall of Fame guard Magic Johnson weighed in on the GOAT debate between Los Angeles Lakers ' LeBron James and Michael Jordan, he reflected on his playing career and the regrets that stand out from it. Johnson led his Michigan State Spartans to a 75-64 win over Larry Bird and the Indiana State Sycamores in the NCAA National Championship in 1979, setting the stage for an NBA rivalry between the two. However, it also led to many offers for a 19-year-old Magic.

Johnson says this was where he made a colossal mistake while combing through shoe deals ahead of his NBA career with the Lakers, who drafted first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft, he said, per the Earn Your Leisure podcast.

"Converse offered me the most money. And so, when you're Black and you're broke, you take the most money, right? So I decided to go with Converse," Johnson said. "But Phil Knight came in and he said: "I can't offer you the same amount of money as Converse, but I can give you something called stock." And I passed on the stock, not knowing anything about stock at 19 years old. You know how much that stock would be worth today, 46 years later? A billion-five."

Nike would ink Jordan to an unprecedented five-year, $2.5 million deal with a 5% royalty on shoe sales in 1984.

Magic Johnson picks Michael Jordan over Lakers' LeBron James

Hall of Fame guard Magic Johnson is the only rookie Finals MVP in NBA history, leading the Lakers to a 4-2 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1980 NBA Finals. He'd go on to win four more titles (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988). However, his last NBA Finals appearance was Hall of Fame guard Michael Jordan 's first in 1991, which left a lasting impression on Johnson and the rest of the NBA world.

Johnson, while addressing why Jordan wins the GOAT debate against Lakers All-Star LeBron James, reflected on that Finals series against MJ.

"I love LeBron. But… [laughs] When Michael Jordan took off with that tongue out? Man," Johnson said. "Listen, a lot of you weren't born then — 1991, against my Lakers. Right hand — we thought we had him. Then he looked at us mid-air, switched it to the left. Tongue out. Glass. Bucket. Nobody alive has been able to do that. That boy is too bad. I'm telling you. But yeah — LeBron is a bad boy, too. But he's not Michael."

Jordan would go on to win five more championships from 1992 to 1998.

Mobilize your Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: