Hugs Link Lakers’ Past and Glorious Potential

The happy young guard wrapped his arms around the big center and held tight, and, for a moment, it was like 1979 all over again.

Back then, it was Magic Johnson hugging Kareem Abdul-Jabbar moments after the Captain made a sky hook to beat the San Diego Clippers in Johnson’s first NBA game.

On Monday night, it was Kobe Bryant, looking like a young kid again after so many grown-up moments in the playoffs, excitedly embracing Shaquille O’Neal as confetti showered down from the Staples Center rafters to celebrate the Lakers’ 1999-2000 NBA championship.

Johnson’s famous hug of Abdul-Jabbar didn’t commemorate anything special. Just a meaningless regular-season game--with 81 to go, as Abdul-Jabbar quickly reminded the rookie. It was symbolic, however. It marked the beginning of what would turn out to be a long and prosperous run: five championships in the 1980s and three other trips to the NBA finals during the decade.

Watching Bryant and O’Neal on the Staples Center court, the hard decision was whether to think ahead or look back.

Was this the start of great things to come? A return to the Lakers’ glory days? Well, the more Johnson sees of this new dynamic duo, the more he’s reminded of the way things were.

“Yes, we are the same,” he said. “It’s just a different era, different time. We were old school, they’re hip-hop.

“We lace ‘em up the same, we run out down the court the same, and we entertain the same.

“Now what I’m looking for them to do is just now dominate like we did. This is their century, this is their time. We took it upon ourselves to dominate the ‘80s. They have the talent--and they will gain the wisdom this year--to now know what it takes to do this.”

It was the little things that impressed Johnson, not even limited to the court. He loved it when O’Neal playfully gave Bryant a piggy-back ride after practice while Bryant was mending his sprained left ankle. He noticed how Bryant ran, jumped and high-fived O’Neal when the Lakers stole Game 3 of the Western Conference finals in Portland. Or the way O’Neal sought out Bryant for a hug after Bryant carried the Lakers to victory in overtime of Game 4 of the finals.

You can see them starting to get a feel for one another’s habits on the court. When Bryant attacks the basket and draws the defense’s attention, he dumps the ball to O’Neal instead of forcing the shot.

When Bryant gets that look in his eye that he’s going to shoot no matter what, O’Neal will move out of the post and come to set a screen.

“They work very well together,” Johnson said. “Just like Kareem and I knew each other’s moves, we knew down at the end of the game, we just looked at each other. We didn’t have to say who wanted it. We already knew.

“They have learned to coexist and finally learned that they need each other to win championships . . . But they have gradually matured and said that, you know what, we can both be stars and win championships, and be bigger stars after doing that.”

“They can make each other be remembered, forever, by winning championships. They have to look at each other and say, ‘You know what, let’s build our legacy.’

“I think the potential is quite clear: Once you win this, build on that. And keep on winning and keep on entertaining the fans, and you’ll have a legacy like Kareem and I have. People, when they say your name, they instantly think of winners. They remember you.

“A lot of guys played this game. Only a few are remembered. And the ones who are remembered are the ones who win. That’s what it’s all about.”

True, true.

At a party during All-Star weekend in San Francisco, Alex English and Buck Williams stood together, virtually ignored. Only 10 players in NBA history have scored more points than English, and Williams ranks among the top 10 rebounders. But you never hear their names anymore. Because they never played for championship teams.

O’Neal and Bryant benefited from the NBA’s marketing machine that was already established when they entered the league. They gained worldwide recognition before they ever won anything. Had they failed to win a championship, it might have eventually turned against them. Unfulfilled potential; all hype, no results.

O’Neal is 28 and Bryant is 21, meaning the Lakers could make many more trips to the finals. They have four trophies to go to catch up to the Showtime gang, but they have, at least, established a connection.

“I think there’s a link, because of the fact that we’re the same organization, same situation,” Johnson said.

“The players are different, but the styles and the attitude is the same.

“Kobe’s a gym rat, so was I. Kareem was a dominant big man, in a finesse way, and Shaquille is a dominant big man with power and a blend of finesse. All four of us do it differently, but it’s the same.

“And then we’re in this great town that loooves winners.”

It doesn’t matter if the groove is Parliament or Dr. Dre, when the Laker music is playing, it all starts to sound the same after a while.

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J.A. Adande can be reached at his e-mail address: j.a.adande@latimes.com