MAGIC REAPPEARS : It’s ‘Go Time’ : Magic Moment Finally Happens

It was about 9 a.m. Monday and the documents were in front of Magic Johnson, one that would sell back his 5% ownership in the Lakers to Jerry Buss, the other a contract to play the rest of this season for $2.5 million. He was on the verge of becoming a Laker--again.

Years of anguish, countless comebacks that never materialized, basketball games around the world with his barnstorming team, even an abbreviated coaching stint, had finally led to this moment. He had just passed a standard physical, and now agent Lon Rosen and three Laker officials--Executive Vice President Jerry West, General Manager Mitch Kupchak and General Counsel Jim Perzik--were in the Inglewood office of team physician Steve Lombardo to close the deal.

Just as he was about to sign, Johnson looked at West and Kupchak.

“Aw, forget it,” he said. “I’m leaving.”

Of course they didn’t believe him. There would be no turning back this time, perhaps his last chance to return considering he’ll be 37 when next season opens, so they all got a good laugh. Then he signed.

The blue ink on the white paper made Magic Johnson, the player turned coach turned owner/vice president, a player again. It had been 4 1/2 seasons since he first retired on Nov. 7, 1991, after testing HIV-positive, 3 1/2 seasons since his first comeback ended before the end of training camp and about two weeks since another return was considered and rejected, but now it was official. Finally.

Magic Johnson had become a Laker again.

“Next to being born, this is probably the biggest day of his life,” said Michael Cooper, Johnson’s friend, teammate and assistant coach at various stages since the fall of 1979. “This is what he’s always wanted to do, and now he gets to continue doing it. Unfortunately, he couldn’t go ahead and make a successful venture the first time, but this time it’s going to be good for him. I think he’s going to add something special to the team. He’s very happy.”

To put it mildly.

“Oh, yeah,” Johnson said later after practice at Loyola Marymount, his fourth such workout with the team. “It’s definitely happy time. Probably it rates right up there with getting married to having my kids to winning all those championships, the Olympics. It ranks right up there.”

So Cooper, a current Laker assistant coach, had it wrong. Johnson puts this ahead of being born.

“I don’t know,” Johnson said. “I think I’ve been kicking myself too long. I should have been back a long time ago, but I think the time is right. The Lakers are playing well right now, I think they are doing a tremendous job, I see as a team that they are ready to make their move, I think Coach [Del] Harris has figured out a way for me to come in and play. But the main reason, I think, is that [wife] Cookie and I have prayed on it and God has been blessing me, so it’s time to come back.

“It’s been a long time coming. I’ve probably been disappointed, frustrated and the whole thing that I didn’t do it before. . . . So this is like relief, in a sense, for my own mind. You sit in bed at night and watch all these games, I go to every Laker [home] game and sit there, and you struggle, you struggle, you struggle with it. So now I’m just happy it’s over with and I’m back and now I’m doing what I love to do.

“I wanted my son and my daughter to see me play. I didn’t think I went out the way I wanted to go out before, and that’s the reason I’m back. And I’m also back because the Lakers have put themselves in a position to hopefully do some good things, and I hope that I can be a part of it.”

It will be, starting tonight at the Forum against the Golden State Warriors, Johnson’s first NBA appearance, not counting the 1992 exhibition games, since Chicago beat the Lakers in Game 5 of the finals for the title June 12, 1991. The Bulls come to town on Friday.

It is a measure of Johnson’s impact that TNT immediately added both games to its broadcast schedule, and that ticket sales for upcoming games at the Forum and around the league jumped once his decision became official. The reaction among Lakers on Monday was along the same lines.

“When I first got here, that was my first intention--try to catch a pass from Magic. That’d be cool,” said Cedric Ceballos, a Laker fan while growing up in Compton and a rookie with the Suns in Johnson’s last season. “He’s a great player; he’s going to make a great addition to this ballclub. Man, I can’t wait to see him in uniform. It’s going to be fun and exciting, and Showtime is definitely going to be back with the new Lake Show.”

Added Nick Van Exel, the present and future starting point guard: “It’s cool. I told you how I felt before. It’s not going to change.”

But now that it’s official?

“It’s better,” he said. “We don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

The Lakers, long frustrated by Johnson’s inability to make a firm decision on his retirement, had allowed themselves to get their hopes up that it might actually happen this time and then had to wait out the final decision. Even by late Sunday night, when it became apparent Johnson planned to return, they couldn’t fully commit to the notion because nothing had been signed.

And Magic himself? He was so driven to distraction by the media while around Phoenix for festivities leading up to the Super Bowl that he bailed on the game itself and returned to Los Angeles on Saturday.

He continued to contemplate the decision, weighing his increasing love for a life of family, growing business interests and freedom against his love for the life of an NBA player.

The previous three practices convinced Johnson he could play with these guys, most of whom weren’t even out of college when he was last in the NBA. Their phone calls and comments made him feel wanted. And, finally, the Lakers’ just-completed 3-0 trip, capped the same day he bolted from Arizona, convinced him the timing was right.

Come Monday morning, he took the physical and signed the papers at Lombardo’s office, then made the short drive to practice to run the gantlet of cameras and tape recorders from the media. When he made it inside Gersten Pavilion and sat down on the stairs to change his shoes, two photographers moved in to record the moment.

About 100 people--newspeople and students--watched the workout, about 96 more than normal. Afterward, Johnson went to the lobby to face a semicircle of 17 television mini-cams on tripods, many other still cameras and countless reporters, some of whom had flown in from around the country for the occasion. Yes, he certainly was back.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Magic Johnson: Through the Years

1977-78

Leads Michigan State to a 25-5 record as a freshman and Spartans win their first Big Ten title in 19 years.

1979

Leads Michigan State to NCAA title, beating Larry Bird and Indiana State in championship game. Makes himself eligible for NBA draft after sophomore year and Lakers make him No. 1 overall selection.

1980

Leads Lakers to NBA championship and is named playoff MVP. With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar injured, Johnson plays center in sixth game of NBA finals against Philadelphia and has 42 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists.

1981

Sits out 45 games of season because of torn cartilage in left knee.

1982

Wins his second playoff MVP award as Lakers defeat 76ers in six games in finals.

1983

Breaks Jerry West’s Laker season record with 829 assists.

1984

In his first matchup in NBA finals against Boston’s Larry Bird, Celtics win the title in seven games.

1985

After eight failures against Celtics in finals, Lakers win Game 6 in Boston Garden for Johnson’s third NBA title.

1986

Hands out 5,000th assist March 13.

1987

NBA title No. 4 in six games against Celtics. Johnson joins Willis Reed, Moses Malone and Bird as the only players to be named MVP of regular season and playoffs. Only other guards to win regular-season MVP were Bob Cousy and Oscar Robertson. Johnson averages career-high 23.9 points.

1988

Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons to become the first team to repeat as NBA champion in 20 years. Unforgettable moment, Dec. 11, 1987: Magic banks in 20-foot shot at buzzer to beat Celtics in Boston Garden.

1989

Named MVP for second time, but suffers hamstring injury in finals against Pistons and Lakers are swept. Leads league in free-throw percentage (.911).

1990

Wins his third MVP award, All-NBA for eighth year in a row, All-Star game MVP. Sets Laker record with 24 assists. Scores career playoff-high 43 points in Games 4 and 5 of Western Conference finals against Phoenix.

1991

Lakers reach NBA finals for ninth time in Johnson’s 12 seasons. On April 15 at Forum, he breaks Oscar Robertson’s career assist record with No. 9,889, finishes season with 9.921.

1991

Stuns the nation with announcement Nov. 7 that he has tested HIV-positive and he is retiring from the NBA after 12 seasons. He is 32.

1992

Despite retirement, is voted a starter for the All-Star game and on Feb. 9, wins MVP honors with 25 points in West victory. After game, gives his first indication that he is considering a return as a player to the NBA.

1992

Helps Dream Team to gold medal at Barcelona Olympics in August, again refusing to dispute speculation that he might return to the NBA. On Sept. 29, announces he will return as a player on a limited basis. Nov. 2, he retires again, citing controversy over his return. He says his retirement is final.

1993

Continues touring with a team of former NBA players and playing charity games, again failing to defuse growing speculation he’ll return.

1994

On March 22, is named coach of the Lakers. On April 16, says he won’t return as coach. Team goes 5-11 during his tenure. On June 27, buys 5% of the team.

1995

In July, he says he is retired: “I’m never coming back. That’s it.”

1996

Begins practicing with the team, and Jan. 29 signs contract to play for the remainder of the season.