As the 1970's closed, basketball was suffering. Of the three major sports spectacles, only basketball did not have a major television contract. During 1981, 16 of the league's 23 teams lost money.
In 1975, the Lakers traded seven players to the Milwaukee Bucks for center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Jabbar would go on to become the greatest scorer in NBA history. He had a hook-shot that was labeled "the skyhook". Numerous people who saw that shot claim it was the deadliest weapon basketball has ever seen.
Yet it was in 1979 that the Lakers acquired the player who would carry not only the Lakers, but also the NBA, through the eighties. Earvin "Magic" Johnson. Using the first overall pick in the draft, they drafted the charismatic point-guard from Michigan State. Johnson was extremely versatile. He could pass, playmake, shoot, and rebound.
With Magic's help, the Lakers rose from 47-35 to 60-22 and a division championship. By the end of the 1979-80, Kareem had earned a record sixth MVP award. With a supporting cast of Magic, Jamaal Wilkes, and Norm Nixon, the glory years looked as though they had returned. They met the Sixers, led by Julius Erving, in the finals. Jabbar led the Lakers before seriously injuring his ankle in game five. In the crucial sixth-game, Magic Johnson, filling in at the post for Kareem, scored 42 points and gathered 15 rebounds while leading the Lakers to a 123-107 victory and an NBA Championship. Magic claimed the Finals MVP award to cap off his sensational rookie year.
The following season, Magic quickly went down with a knee injury. When he came back, he played poorly in the post-season. The following year, 1981-82, the Lakers advanced to the Finals where they again faced Dr. J and the Philadelphia 76ers. Though Magic again claimed MVP honors, Bob McAdoo (picked up early in the season) also contributed, averaging 16.7 ppg. Thanks to Magic's help, this aging future hall-of-famer was able to obtain his one and only championship.
During that year, coach Paul Westhead was fired. He was replaced by Pat Riley, who truly made it "Showtime". The Lakers would make it to the next four NBA Finals. However, the first two appearances were losses to the 76ers, and then the Larry Bird-led Celtics. The third time, though, as they say is a charm. Behind Kareem's 26 ppg and MVP showing, the Lakers defeated the Celtics 4-2 avenging the previous year's defeat, and gaining the championship crown.
The next year, Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets shut down the Lakers in the 3rd round of the playoffs. In 1987, Magic again claimed Finals MVP honors, as the Lakers defeated the Celtics. Their coach, Riley, guaranteed a repeat. He was right. The following year, thanks in large part to James Worthy, the Lakers defeated the Pistons 4 games to 3. However, in 1988-89, the Detroit Pistons, led by Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars, swept the Lakers. The Lakers had one more shot at the Finals in 1991. To do it, they needed to get past Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Jordan averaged 31.2 ppg, 11.4 apg, and 6.6 rpg to lead the Bulls to their first title.
The retirements at the end of the eighties were very emotional. First, in 1988-89, Jabbar's much celebrated "last time around the league", wherein each NBA city honored and recognized the loss of a legend. Then, in 1991-92, Magic Johnson retired. His, however, was much less joyous. He had tested positive for HIV. To his credit, he went out and spoke to the nation's youth about the threat and treatment of AIDs. He was still elected to play in the All-Star Game, where he would gain MVP honors, and also to play in the 1992 Olympic Games, as part of the Dream Team. However, with the Lakers loss of two of the greatest players ever, came the end of showtime.
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