Magic Johnson was drafted first overall by the LA Lakers in 1979, and retired from playing basketball after his last game for them on October 31st of 1996. He missed all five games of the 1997-98 season due to injury, but returned to action during the 1998-99 campaign where he set an NBA record which still stands today.
The “east standings nba 2021” is a record that was achieved by Magic Johnson in the year 2021. The record has been achieved despite not playing basketball since 1996.
During the 1980s, a slew of unique NBA players emerged. Several players, most notably Michael Jordan, established apparently untouchable records. Earvin “Magic” Johnson has a few of his own as well. Except for the former Los Angeles Lakers great, hardly many from that period can boast they regained a leaderboard-topping achievement in 2021.
What happened to cause that? Johnson may credit Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers for his success.
Magic Johnson got Kawhi Leonard to give up a major career milestone.
Jimmy Kimmel interviews retired NBA player Magic Johnson | Randy Holmes/Getty Images
Leonard is without a doubt one of the top athletes in the NBA right now. Even if he continues to fade, his 2019 Game 7 buzzer-beater against the Philadelphia 76ers will go down in history. The 30-year-old has won two championships with two separate teams, including the one he won as the Toronto Raptors’ head coach for only one season in 2019.
According to CBS Sports, Leonard’s knee problems are the main factor dragging his career down. He needed more recuperation days than previous superstars even before joining the Clippers. As a result, several of his first performances are cut short. It’s possible that this is why Leonard’s total winning % decreased in the 2020-21 season.
It was noticed by admirers, in part because it shattered one of Leonard’s most intriguing career records. Using statistics from Basketball Reference, Reddit users discovered that he went 42-21 this season, enough for a 66.67 percent winning record.
This dropped his career winning percentage to 72.43 percent, causing him to fall out of first place on the all-time list. So Johnson, who had been out of the lead for a long time, found himself back on top of one of his career achievements, with a 72.81 percent score.
Among active players, Leonard still has the best winning % in the NBA.
According to DraftKings, Leonard is unlikely to reclaim his starting position from Johnson anytime soon. Due to a partly damaged ACL in his right knee, he is anticipated to miss the most, if not all, of the 2021-22 season.
Although Leonard seems to be ahead of schedule in his recovery, the best-case scenario still has him on the bench for the most of the season. Nonetheless, from one viewpoint, his winning percentage record isn’t cause for concern.
Leonard is without a doubt the finest active NBA player. Only former Raptors teammate Danny Green (70.55 percent) comes close. Green will have to work extra hard this year to make up ground due to his involvement with the Philadelphia 76ers’ unstable scenario.
Even if Leonard regains his winning %, Johnson has other NBA records to contend with.
Magic Johnson may find it amusing that his most recent all-time record came so long after his NBA career ended. If he loses it again, he’ll probably be less than amused. After all, the now-62-year-career old’s has more than a few achievements to make up for it.
Johnson was on the verge of joining another soon-to-be NBA dynasty, having been picked by the Chicago Bulls on a coin flip. Instead, he quickly rose to Lakers aristocracy, winning the Finals MVP title at the conclusion of his first season in 1980. He is still the only player to accomplish this accomplishment in his debut season.
Johnson was one of the finest players in NBA history, averaging 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 11.2 assists per game. He went on to win the MVP of the NBA Finals twice more, the league MVP three times, and the NBA assists leader four times. He was the greatest at something compared to the rest of the league in so many seasons.
Although Leonard may reclaim this one prize, Magic’s body of work as a whole implies it’s simply one little setback amid numerous all-time triumphs.
Magic Johnson’s Net Worth Is Most Likely Much Higher Than You Think
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