Magic Johnson Welcomed NBA Great To Hotel Room With Surprising Gift

Shandel Richardson | Oct 3, 2024

Unknown date and unknown location; USA; FILE PHOTO; Los Angeles Lakers guard Magic Johnson (32). Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Network. / Malcolm Emmons - Imagn Images

Let's be honest: the 1980s were different, especially in the NBA.

It started with the arrival of Magic Johnson for the Los Angeles Lakers. He brought a new era.

"Magic brought a different level of basketball to LA they had never seen," Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins said on an appearance on the All The Smoke podcast. "It was that Showtime Lakers."

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Before the social media age, athletes and celebrities had more secrecy. What they did was mostly private. Johnson had unusual way of welcoming Wilkins to the league when he was a rookie in 1982.

After a strong career at Georgia, Wilkins was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks. So Johnson wanted to make him comfortable when they faced the Lakers that year.

"Let me tell you what he did my rookie year," Wilkins said. "We check in the hotel. I've been in my room about 30 seconds. I had my bag so I didn't need anybody to bring bags. I hear a knock at the door. I look out the peephole and it's tall lady with brown hair, green eyes. I'm like, `Who is this?' And she said, `Compliments of Magic Johnson.' Scared the hell out of the me. I'm like, `No.'

Wilkins later said he knew Johnson's intentions. It was an obvious attempt to get Wilkins off his game for the next night.

Gotta love the `80s.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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