9101240077
DETROIT FREE PRESS
910612
Wednesday, June 12, 1991
METRO FINAL
1D
MITCH ALBOM
SEE ALSO METRO EDITION PAGE 1D
Copyright (c) 1991, Detroit Free Press
MAGIC'S DISAPPEARING ACT A GRIM PROSPECT
LOS ANGELES -- Go ahead. Break my heart. Tell me Magic Johnson is
serious when he says, "I'm thinking about retiring. I'll go home after this
season and see if I want to come back." No. Uh-uh. The Rockies may crumble.
Gibraltar may tumble. They're only made of clay. But Earvin Johnson, isn't he
here to stay?
Magic leave basketball? That's like Wilbur and Orville walking away from
the airplane. Or the Kennedys walking away from politics. Or Johnny Carson
walking away from "The Tonight Show." Wait. Come to think of it, that just
happened, didn't it? But they got Jay Leno to take Carson's place. Replacing
Magic will not be so easy.
He stood there Tuesday afternoon in his familiar purple and gold practice
sweats, 31 years old, swallowed by yet another crowd of reporters. His team
was on the brink of being crushed in the NBA Finals by the upstart Chicago
Bulls. Maybe something hit him. Or he just felt like talking. But this is what
he said: "It may be time for me to do something else."
And somewhere, the breath went out of basketball.
For here, arguably, is the man who saved the game. Don't forget that in
the late '70s, before Magic and Larry Bird splashed into the league, the NBA
was not the ultra-slick money machine it is today. Heck, some folks watched
the Pro Bowlers tour before they watched pro basketball.
And then came Magic, like a happy colt busted loose from the corral. He
had unmatched skill, unmatched enthusiasm, he made it to the Finals in his
rookie season, and in the last game, because of injuries to others, he played
center -- center? -- he scored 42 points and the Lakers won it all. Magic
danced off the court with that huge smile, and America danced right behind
him. The new NBA was born. We were hooked.
Magic still one of a kind in the NBA
There has been a lot of water under his bridge since then. Coaches have
come and gone. Teammates have turned into retired jerseys. New personalities
have followed his lead -- Thomas, Jordan, Barkley. Through it all, Magic has
been such a winner, he has never gone more than two seasons without a
championship ring. But if the Lakers lose tonight, it will be three straight
seasons with no gold, and, with talk of trades, who knows if LA will even
reach the rainbow next year? "If I thought we couldn't win it all, I'd be
out," Magic admitted.
And that would be a shame. Johnson has been such a fixture in American
sports. No matter what happened in your workday, you could always come home,
turn on ESPN and get a shot of some miracle he pulled off that night. You
could always count on a Sports Illustrated cover story or a new poster. Magic
seemed timeless. He has been a Laker since Jimmy Carter was president -- and
he has been great the whole time. He is the only player both feared and liked
by all his NBA colleagues. Bird cannot say that. Michael Jordan cannot say
that. Isiah Thomas cannot say that. Magic stands alone.
And because of that, only he knows when to say good-bye. Could it be
sooner than we figured?
"I've said all along I'd only play one or two years more at the most. I
don't need the job -- or the money," he said.
"Nothing will ever compare to the thrills I get in basketball. . . . But
when you say to yourself, 'I'm tired of traveling' or 'I'm tired of giving it
up every night' or 'I'm tired of injuries' -- well, you have to evaluate
yourself. That's what I'll do this summer."
He grinned. "I don't know. I might just give it to Michael and let him run
with it."
No offense, Michael. But it won't be the same.
Who else can rival Jordan?
And here is why: Johnson has not only been a spectacular player, he has
been an ambassador, going everywhere, doing everything. While no one can match
Jordan for sheer ability, he is pretty much a recluse, even in Chicago.
During interviews, he answers questions politely, but with little warmth or
flair. He is a hot endorsement commodity, but most ads use him as a prop, he
says one or two words, and the rest of the time he's a flying dunk machine.
Johnson was different; he gave the game personality. His personality. He
was a spokesperson as well as a showpiece. We forget that before Magic,
laughing during competition was not commonplace. Magic had the smile. And
something else: He had a rival -- first Bird, then Thomas and the Pistons.
"Michael will need a rival, too," Magic said. "He needs somebody who, after
his game is over, he can ask, 'Hey, what did he do tonight?' "
Unfortunately, I don't see anyone out there. And Jordan, as a lonely king,
will not be good for the NBA.
All the more reason for Magic to stick around. And yet, on Tuesday, with
the odds against him in this series, even he sounded as if this year was done,
next year on his mind. If there is a next year. "We'll give a good effort in
Game 5," he sighed.
Bet on it. He may try to save the Lakers all by himself tonight. He may
not succeed. But watch him carefully. Savor what you see.
"People should set their VCRs for this series," Johnson said last week,
"because what they're seeing in Michael Jordan, they will never see again."
Right idea, Magic. Wrong player.
Mitch Albom will do two special signings of his book, "Live Albom II,"
Saturday: 1-2:15 p.m. at the Book Nook, Allen Park, 18690 Ecorse, and
3:15-4:30 at Borders, Novi Towne Center, 43263 Crescent.
COLUMN; REACTION; RETIREMENT; MAGIC JOHNSON