Earvin (Magic) Johnson

POSITION: Forward (captain) VITALS: 6-feet-8½, 198

HIS LEGACY: Unquestionably the greatest basketball player in state history, and arguably one of the top two or three players in NBA history. At 6-feet-9, Johnson’s ability to play guard changed the game forever. He’s among the few athletes whose skills were so amazing and his personality so dynamic that he was internationally known by a single name (a nickname at that).

AT EVERETT: Johnson’s Vikings lost to Detroit Catholic Central in the state semifinals as a junior but won the Class A title as a senior in one of the most anticipated and exciting championship games in history — a 62-56 overtime victory against Birmingham Brother Rice. Johnson committed his third and fourth fouls in a 10-second period as the fourth quarter opened as Brother Rice built a seven-point lead. “It was my last year and my last game,” Johnson said. “And that fourth foul just made me play that much harder.” He finished with 34 points and 14 rebounds. When he finally fouled out with 66 seconds left and Everett up seven, Johnson received a rousing standing ovation in sold-out Crisler Arena. As a senior, he averaged 31.2 points and 17 rebounds. He was nicknamed “Magic” by former Lansing State Journal sportswriter

Fred Stabley Jr. early in his sophomore year.

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A little love tap on the arm couldn’t stop Magic Johnson from getting off his shot against Birmingham Brother Rice in the 1977 Class A championship game on March 26. Johnson’s hectic schedule after that Saturday: Thursday, McDonald’s Classic in Washington; Friday, Dapper Dan Classic in Pittsburgh; and Saturday, fly to Germany as captain of the U.S. junior national team. He returned April 17 and five days later picked the Spartans over the Wolverines: “Michigan is going to be good with or without me. Michigan State is going to be better with me. We’re going to surprise a lot of people.”

JOHN COLLIER/DETROIT FREE PRESS

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IN COLLEGE: Johnson chose Michigan State over Michigan and played guard for the first time in December 1977, his freshman season. He led the Jud Heathcote-coached Spartans to a pair of Big Ten titles, averaging 17.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.4 assists as a freshman and 17.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.4 assists as a sophomore. In 1979, MSU won its first NCAA title, 75-64, by defeating Indiana State, unbeaten and led by Larry Bird, in the most-watched championship game in history. Magic Man: 24 points, 8-for-15 from the field, 8-for-10 from the line, seven rebounds, five assists. Birdman: 19 points, 7-for21 from the field, 5-for-8 from the line, 13 rebounds, two assists.

IN THE PROS: Johnson nearly turned pro after his freshman year, but the Kansas City Kings, who held the second pick, reneged on the amount of money they said they were going to pay him. In 1979, he was the first pick of the draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, who won a coin flip with the Chicago Bulls, who had to settle for UCLA’s David Greenwood. L.A. had acquired the pick in 1976 by allowing aging Gail Goodrich to sign with the New Orleans Jazz. In 12 seasons with the Lakers, Johnson won five NBA titles, three MVP awards, three NBA Finals MVP awards and three All-Star Game MVP awards; made first-team AllNBA nine times; and was picked for the All-Star Game 12 times. In November 1991, at age 32, he retired after revealing he had tested positive for HIV. The following summer, he won Olympic gold in Barcelona with the original Dream Team. He mounted a comeback in January 1996 — averaging 14.6 points, 6.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds as a power forward — but retired again over the summer. Overall, he averaged 19.5 points, 11.1 assists and 7.2 rebounds, shot 52% from the field and 85% from the line, and played in the NBA Finals nine times. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. In retirement, he has dabbled as a coach, an executive and an owner and made millions in various business and entertainment ventures.

A QUOTE FROM MAGIC: From 1997, on his state title with Everett: “I’ve always said this was the most special championship. You were so innocent. You did it for the love of the game. You played for all these guys you knew. You knew their parents and their brothers and sisters. High school was special. I’ve got a memory like an elephant and I’ll never forget those times.”

BETCHA DIDN’T KNOW: Magic’s first nickname was “Junebug.”

In March 2015, assistants Derek Thomas and Michelle Lindsey carried coach Mary Cicerone around the Breslin Center’s court after Birmingham Marian’s sixth state championship. Thomas’ daughters, Samantha and Bailey, scored 29 of the Mustangs’ 51 points in a 14-point victory over DeWitt.

JULIAN