Throughout this series, we have talked about multiple players, except one notable one: Magic Johnson. To say the least, Magic was the epitome of the Showtime Lakers, on and off the court.
Magic is an outstanding player, but his love of basketball could not be matched by his love of women.
Role players would often have women be attracted to them. However, once Magic Johnson entered the Forum Club, they stood no chance. When the Lakers went to a hotel, there would be women waiting for him. They would give him their numbers, and he would call some of them.
After practice, he would talk to more women who were waiting on him. He would even take a couple into his hotel room. The number of women that Magic Johnson slept with could not be matched. Wilt Chamberlain claims he slept with 20,000 women by the time he was 55.
This is nowhere near Magic’s amount. It is possible that Magic slept with up to 5,000 women in a year.
Yes, that number is mind-blowing. And that’s just a day in the life of Magic Johnson. His house parties were even crazier. The drugs, drinks, and sex at those parties were unreal. This is how the Lakers lived. A crazy, active, and addictive life that fits the label for a team called “Showtime”.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, the Showtime Era ended in the early ’90s. The 1990-91 Lakers had only a handful of players from the Showtime Era. Some had been traded away or signed elsewhere while others retired. Even still that team won 58 games and made it to the NBA Finals where they lost to Jordan’s Bulls.
By the start of the next season, only Magic, Worthy, AC Green, and Byron Scott were the only remaining players from Showtime. However, Magic did not play in that season. On November 7, 1991, Magic announced he had contracted HIV and would retire.
His promiscuous lifestyle had taken its toll and made him leave the game at age 32. Magic’s press conference was the end of the showtime Lakers.
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