The highlight of the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

season of 1979–80 was the 20-year old rookie

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...

leading the Lakers to their seventh NBA Championship (second in Los Angeles), defeating the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

led by Julius Erving in six games in the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

. This was also the team's first season under the ownership of Jerry Buss. Magic's season represented the birth of the Showtime Lakers.

Offseason

NBA Draft

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Season schedule

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , October 12, 1979 , @ San Diego
W 103–102
, , , , San Diego Sports Arena , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , October 16, 1979 , Chicago
W 105–96
, , , , The Forum , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , October 17, 1979 , @ Seattle
L 110–112
, , , ,

Kingdome The Kingdome (officially the King County Stadium) was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Industrial District, Seattle, Industrial District (later SoDo, Seattle, SoDo) neighborhood of Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States. O ...

, 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , October 19, 1979 ,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

L 82–99
, , , , The Forum , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , October 21, 1979 , Seattle
W 106–97
, , , , The Forum , 3–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 6 , October 23, 1979 , Utah
W 102–87
, , , , The Forum , 4–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 7 , October 26, 1979 ,

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

W 116–104
, , , , The Forum , 5–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 8 , October 28, 1979 , Golden State
W 97–90
, , , , The Forum , 6–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 9 , October 30, 1979 , @ Chicago
W 111–105
, , , , Chicago Stadium , 7–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 10 , October 31, 1979 , @ Milwaukee
L 106–110
, , , , MECCA Arena , 7–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 11 , November 2, 1979 , Phoenix
W 112–110
, , , , The Forum , 8–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 12 , November 6, 1979 , San Diego
W 127–112
, , , , The Forum , 9–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 13 , November 7, 1979 , @ Golden State
L 109–126
, , , ,

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena Oakland Arena is an indoor arena located in Oakland, California, United States. From its opening in 1966 until 1996, it was known as the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena. After a major renovation completed in 1997, the arena was renamed ...

, 9–4 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 14 , November 9, 1979 , Denver
W 126–122 (OT)
, , , , The Forum , 10–4 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 15 , November 11, 1979 , Cleveland
W 140–126
, , , , The Forum , 11–4 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 16 , November 13, 1979 , @ San Diego
W 137–91
, , , , San Diego Sports Arena , 12–4 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 17 , November 15, 1979 , @

L 108–114
, , , , Municipal Auditorium , 12–5 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 18 , November 16, 1979 , @ Denver
W 135–128 (OT)
, , , , McNichols Sports Arena , 13–5 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 19 , November 18, 1979 , Indiana
W 127–104
, , , , The Forum , 14–5 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 20 , November 20, 1979 , @

L 99–114
, , , , Memorial Coliseum , 14–6 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 21 , November 21, 1979 , @ Seattle
L 110–119
, , , ,

, 14–7 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 22 , November 23, 1979 , @ Phoenix
L 112–126
, , , , Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum , 14–8 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 23 , November 25, 1979 ,

W 111–110
, , , , The Forum , 15–8 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 24 , November 27, 1979 , @ Utah
W 122–118
, , , , Salt Palace , 16–8 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 25 , November 30, 1979 , Chicago
L 100–107
, , , , The Forum , 16–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 26 , December 2, 1979 , Milwaukee
W 116–103
, , , , The Forum , 17–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 27 , December 4, 1979 , @ San Antonio
W 127–121
, , , , HemisFair Arena , 18–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 28 , December 5, 1979 , @ Houston
W 116–114
, , , , The Summit , 19–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 29 , December 7, 1979 , San Diego
L 108–116
, , , , The Forum , 19–10 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 30 , December 9, 1979 , Denver
W 131–118
, , , , The Forum , 20–10 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 31 , December 14, 1979 , Detroit
W 138–122
, , , , The Forum , 21–10 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 32 , December 16, 1979 , San Antonio
W 121–119
, , , , The Forum , 22–10 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 33 , December 18, 1979 , @ Chicago
W 129–118
, , , , Chicago Stadium , 23–10 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 34 , December 19, 1979 , @ Atlanta
L 112–119
, , , , The Omni , 23–11 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 35 , December 21, 1979 , Golden State
W 114–108
, , , , The Forum , 24–11 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 36 , December 22, 1979 , @ Denver
L 128–130
, , , , McNichols Sports Arena , 24–12 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 37 , December 23, 1979 , Seattle
W 102–97
, , , , The Forum , 25–12 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 38 , December 26, 1979 , @

L 111–118
, , , , Municipal Auditorium , 25–13 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 39 , December 27, 1979 , @ Utah
W 124–116
, , , , Salt Palace , 26–13 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 40 , December 28, 1979 , Boston
W 123–105
, , , , The Forum , 27–13 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 41 , December 30, 1979 , Phoenix
W 113–105
, , , , The Forum , 28–13 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 42 , January 2, 1980 , @ Indiana
W 127–120
, , , , Market Square Arena , 29–13 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 43 , January 6, 1980 , @ Milwaukee
L 103–113
, , , , MECCA Arena , 29–14 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 44 , January 9, 1980 , @ Washington
L 101–103
, , , ,

Capital Centre Capitol Center or Capitol Centre or Capital Center or Capital Centre may refer to: Singapore *Capitol Centre, Singapore United Arab Emirates *Capital Centre (Abu Dhabi) United Kingdom *Capitol Centre, Cardiff, a shopping mall United States * Ca ...

, 29–15 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 45 , January 11, 1980 , @ Detroit
W 123–100
, , , , Pontiac Silverdome , 30–15 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 46 , January 13, 1980 , @ Boston
W 100–98
, , , , Boston Garden , 31–15 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 47 , January 15, 1980 , Utah
W 112–99
, , , , The Forum , 32–15 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 48 , January 16, 1980 , @ Golden State
W 97–96
, , , ,

, 33–15 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 49 , January 18, 1980 , Atlanta
W 108–102
, , , , The Forum , 34–15 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 50 , January 21, 1980 ,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

W 132–114
, , , , The Forum , 35–15 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 51 , January 24, 1980 , @

L 103–111
, , , , Memorial Coliseum , 35–16 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 52 , January 25, 1980 , Philadelphia
W 124–103
, , , , The Forum , 36–16 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 53 , January 27, 1980 , Milwaukee
W 112–102
, , , , The Forum , 37–16 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 54 , January 29, 1980 , @ Cleveland
L 153–154 (4 OT)
, , , , Richfield Coliseum , 37–17 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 55 , January 31, 1980 , @ Chicago
W 107–97
, , , , Chicago Stadium , 38–17 , - align="center" , colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff", All-Star Break , - style="background:#cfc;" , - bgcolor="#bbffbb" , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 56 , February 5, 1980 , @

W 116–105
, , , ,

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

, 39–17 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 57 , February 8, 1980 , @ New Jersey
W 125–120 (OT)
, , , , Rutgers Athletic Center , 40–17 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 58 , February 10, 1980 , @ Philadelphia
L 104–105
, , , , The Spectrum , 40–18 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 59 , February 13, 1980 ,

W 129–100
, , , , The Forum , 41–18 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 60 , February 15, 1980 ,

W 114–100
, , , , The Forum , 42–18 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 61 , February 17, 1980 , Washington
W 111–107
, , , , The Forum , 43–18 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 62 , February 20, 1980 , @ Denver
W 116–103
, , , , McNichols Sports Arena , 44–18 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 63 , February 22, 1980 , New Jersey
W 132–110
, , , , The Forum , 45–18 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 64 , February 24, 1980 , Houston
W 112–100
, , , , The Forum , 46–18 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 65 , February 26, 1980 , Seattle
W 131–108
, , , , The Forum , 47–18 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 66 , February 29, 1980 , Milwaukee
L 117–126 (OT)
, , , , The Forum , 47–19 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 67 , March 2, 1980 , @ Phoenix
L 115–123
, , , , Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum , 47–20 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 68 , March 4, 1980 , @ Milwaukee
W 127–124
, , , , MECCA Arena , 48–20 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 69 , March 5, 1980 , @

W 117–101
, , , , Kemper Arena , 49–20 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 70 , March 7, 1980 , Chicago
W 101–99
, , , , The Forum , 50–20 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 71 , March 9, 1980 , @

L 121–142
, , , , Memorial Coliseum , 50–21 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 72 , March 11, 1980 , @ San Diego
W 123–106
, , , , San Diego Sports Arena , 51–21 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 73 , March 12, 1980 ,

W 102–94
, , , , The Forum , 52–21 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 74 , March 14, 1980 , Denver
W 132–126
, , , , The Forum , 53–21 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 75 , March 16, 1980 , Phoenix
W 128–106
, , , , The Forum , 54–21 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 76 , March 18, 1980 , Golden State
W 118–100
, , , , The Forum , 55–21 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 77 , March 19, 1980 , @ Phoenix
L 108–112
, , , , Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum , 55–22 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 78 , March 22, 1980 , @ Seattle
W 97–92
, , , ,

, 56–22 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 79 , March 23, 1980 , Utah
W 101–96
, , , , The Forum , 57–22 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 80 , March 27, 1980 , @ Utah
W 97–95
, , , , Salt Palace , 58–22 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 81 , March 28, 1980 , San Diego
W 126–88
, , , , The Forum , 59–22 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 82 , March 30, 1980 , @ Golden State
W 95–93
, , , ,

, 60–22

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , April 8, 1980 , Phoenix
W 119–110
, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30) , Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson (12) ,

(16) , The Forum
15,892 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , April 9, 1980 , Phoenix
W 131–128 (OT)
, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32) ,

(13) , Norm Nixon (12) , The Forum
14,286 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , April 11, 1980 , @ Phoenix
W 108–105
, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (37) ,

(13) , Norm Nixon (8) , Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
12,660 , 3–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , April 13, 1980 , @ Phoenix
L 101–127
, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25) , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11) ,

(13) , Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
12,660 , 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , April 15, 1980 , Phoenix
W 126–101
, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (35) , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16) , Norm Nixon (13) , The Forum
17,505 , 4–1 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , April 22, 1980 , Seattle
L 107–108
, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (26) , three players tied (8) , Norm Nixon (11) , The Forum
17,505 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , April 23, 1980 , Seattle
W 108–99
, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31) , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16) , Norm Nixon (12) , The Forum
17,505 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , April 25, 1980 , @ Seattle
W 104–100
, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33) , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13) , Johnson,

Cooper Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to: * Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels Arts and entertainment * Cooper (producers), alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads * Cooper (video game character), in ' ...

(10) , Hec Edmundson Pavilion
8,524 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , April 27, 1980 , @ Seattle
W 98–93
, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25) , Wilkes, Johnson (13) , Norm Nixon (8) , Hec Edmundson Pavilion
8,524 , 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , April 30, 1980 , Seattle
W 111–105
, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38) , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11) ,

(10) , The Forum
17,505 , 4–1 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , May 4, 1980 , Philadelphia
W 109–102
, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33) , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14) ,

(10) , The Forum
17,505 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , May 7, 1980 , Philadelphia
L 104–107
, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38) , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14) ,

(11) , The Forum
17,505 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , May 10, 1980 , @ Philadelphia
W 111–101
, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33) , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14) , Norm Nixon (7) , The Spectrum
18,726 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 11, 1980 , @ Philadelphia
L 102–105
,

(28) , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11) ,

(9) , The Spectrum
18,726 , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 14, 1980 , Philadelphia
W 108–103
, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (40) , Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson (15) ,

(10) , The Forum
17,505 , 3–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 6 , May 16, 1980 , @ Philadelphia
W 123–107
,

(42) ,

(15) , Norm Nixon (9) , The Spectrum
18,726 , 4–2 , -

Magic Johnson

Having won everything possible at the college level, Johnson decided to leave college two years early and declared himself eligible for the 1979 NBA draft. The

New Orleans Jazz New Orleans Jazz may refer to: * Dixieland, a style of jazz music (New Orleans Jazz) * * New Orleans Jazz (NBA team), professional basketball team that relocated and became the Utah Jazz *New Orleans Jazz football club New is an adjective referri ...

originally had the first draft pick, but they had traded the pick to the

in exchange for NBA star

Gail Goodrich Gail Charles Goodrich Jr. (born April 23, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is best known for scoring a then record 42 points for UCLA in the 1965 NCAA championship game vs ...

. As a result, the Lakers drafted Johnson with the first overall pick, signing him for a sizable salary of US$600,000 a year.Bork (1994), pp. 56-66 Johnson joined a franchise which had gone through major changes. The Lakers featured a new coach in Jack McKinney, a new owner in Jerry Buss, and several new players. However, Johnson was most excited about the prospect of playing with his personal idol, the 7–2 center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who would go on to become the leading scorer in NBA history. From the first game, Johnson displayed his trademark enthusiasm for the game. When Abdul-Jabbar hit a last-second free throw line hook shot to win against the San Diego Clippers, Johnson ran around the court, high-fiving and hugging everybody, causing concern that the "Buck" (as Johnson was called by Lakers announcer Chick Hearn for his youth) would burn himself out. However, in that

1979–80 NBA season The 1979–80 NBA season was the 34th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals, and is notable for being ...

, the rookie proved them wrong. Johnson introduced an uptempo style of basketball which the NBA described as a mix of "no-look passes off the fastbreak, pinpoint alley-oops from halfcourt, spinning feeds and overhand bullets under the basket through triple teams". Fellow Lakers guard Michael Cooper even stated that: "There have been times when he ohnsonhas thrown passes and I wasn't sure where he was going. Then one of our guys catches the ball and scores, and I run back up the floor convinced that he must've thrown it through somebody." This style of basketball became known as "

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...

". Given Johnson was also a prolific scorer and rebounder, he soon led the league in triple-doubles, racking up 10-points-10-rebounds-10-assists games in a rate only second to NBA Hall-of-Famer Oscar Robertson. In addition, he expressed a raw, childlike enthusiasm which further endeared him to the fans. Johnson's average of 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game was enough to make the All-Rookie Team and become a starter on the All-Star Team, even though the

NBA Rookie of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottl ...

went to his rival Larry Bird, who had joined the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

. The Lakers compiled a 60–22 win–loss record, and with Paul Westhead replacing coach McKinney as a coach after a serious bicycle accident 13 games into the season, the Lakers reached the

1980 NBA Finals The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1979–80 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the E ...

against the

. Against the fierce resistance of Sixers Hall-of-Fame forward Julius "Doctor J" Erving and Darryl Dawkins, the Lakers took a 3–2 lead before Abdul-Jabbar went down with a sprained ankle. Coach Westhead decided to put point guard Johnson at pivot instead, and on the Sixers' home court, the rookie dominated with 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and three steals, lifting the Lakers to a 123–107 win and winning the NBA Finals MVP award. The NBA regards Johnson's clutch performance as one of the finest individual games ever. Although only twenty years old, he had already won every trophy at the high school, college and professional levels. Johnson also became one of only four players to win NCAA and NBA championships in consecutive years.

Player statistics

Regular season

*Stats after being traded to the Lakers.
†Stats before being traded from the Lakers.

Playoffs

Awards and records

* Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA Most Valuable Player Award *

, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award * Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, All-NBA First Team * Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA All-Defensive First Team * Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA All-Star Game *

, NBA All-Star Game *

, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team

References

Lakers on Database Basketball

* {{DEFAULTSORT:1979-80 Los Angeles Lakers Season Los Angeles Lakers seasons NBA championship seasons Los Western Conference (NBA) championship seasons Los Angle Los Angle