Tag: Magic Johnson

Tom Izzo lists who he would like to replace him at Michigan State when he retires

Tom Izzo named a few people who he would like to replace him at Michigan State when he eventually retires

This offseason, fresh off a hip replacement surgery, Michigan State basketball head coach Tom Izzo seemed like he found the fountain of youth and made a point to tell the media multiple times that he has no plans to retire anytime soon.

“I got no interest in getting out of it,” Izzo said Monday on the College Hoops Today Podcast, per Fan Duel’s Jon Rothstein. “When I’m done, I’m going to talk to Mateen Cleaves, Steve Smith, Magic Johnson, and Draymond Green. I don’t want to lose the culture that I’ve seen for 40 years as a GA on up. I think it’s being lost somewhat now in college sports. Not just for me, but the players who come back and are a part of things. At least here at Michigan State, it’s important. It may not be that way at other places.”

It would be a little hard to imagine 65-year old billionaire Magic Johnson taking over that job, and it’s also worth noting that Draymond Green said back in July that he doesn’t have any interest in coaching Michigan State. Then again, he could also just be referring to those four as people he will consult with after he retires and not who he actually thinks will directly replace him.

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Tom Izzo compares Kansas basketball star to Magic Johnson

Tom Izzo made a lofty comparison for one of Kansas’ top players

Michigan State basketball will face their biggest test of the early part of the season, and possibly the whole year, when they face off against No. 1 ranked Kansas in State Farm Arena on Tuesday night.

Before the game, Tom Izzo spoke to the media for his weekly press conference, and he made a lofty comparison for one of Kansas’ top players.

Izzo said that KJ Adams Jr. is ‘kind of a Magic Johnson’ for all the things he does for the Jayhawks.

This is a pretty apt comparison for Adams. While Adams might not be one of the greatest players of all time like Magic, he is a rare 6-foot-7 player who doesn’t shoot threes, but he does score, rebound, and set up his teammates with assists.

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The first NBA players to reach each salary milestone

HoopsHype presents the first NBA players to reach every single-season major salary milestone, from $100,000 to to $55 million.

Let’s take a journey through NBA history to find out the first players who reached major salary milestones.

Starting in the 1965-66 season, we’ll explore the first NBA player to earn $100,000, $250,000, $500,000, $1 million, and so on, up to the most recent milestone of $55 million in 2024-25.

You’re about to see a lot of legends on this list, though there are a couple of very fun blast-from-the-past surprises.

Magic Johnson ripped Anthony Edwards after hearing his controversial thoughts about older NBA generations

Anthony Edwards really offended the nicest man on the planet.

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that if you want to offend Magic Johnson, you really have to go out of your way.

Beyond his jovial charm whenever he appears in public, the Los Angeles Lakers legend is famous for almost always making anodyne, often completely neutral statements about the NBA and other sports on his Twitter account — except for when the Boston Celtics won the 2024 title — because he doesn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.

However, Johnson couldn’t help himself when he heard about Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards ripping the apparent lack of skill from older NBA players. Once again, Johnson broke character.

In an interview with Stephen A. Smith, Johnson said he wouldn’t respond to Edwards’ opinion … before stating that he doesn’t acknowledge basketball players who haven’t won championships. PHEW.

The crucial part of that insult is that Johnson wasn’t just talking about Edwards not winning an NBA title. He also meant in college (Edwards played at Georgia from 2019 to 2020, where the Bulldogs didn’t qualify for the men’s NCAA tournament on either occasion) and in high school (Edwards did actually win a Georgia high school state championship, which Johnson admitted to being unsure about).

From that perspective, what a fiery comeback from a guy who won a high school state title in Lansing, the men’s NCAA title with Michigan State, five NBA championships with the Lakers, and championed the high-octane “Showtime Lakers” as one of the flashiest, most skillful passers ever.

Edwards was just being himself by ripping older generations for what he perceived as a lack of basketball ability. That’s classic Anthony Edwards shining through. Take it or leave it. But now he has drawn the ire of Magic Johnson, perhaps the nicest man in major American sports — a guy who might drop a fancy coat on a pothole filled with rainwater in the street for a random stranger to walk across.

It’s not quite winning an NBA championship, but I’d almost consider that an achievement in itself.

Magic Johnson shares his positive thoughts on Michigan State

Magic Johnson shared his pleasure with Michigan State athletics in a recent interview:

Magic Johnson is a legend in the Michigan State community, and he sure doesn’t hide his love for the Spartans.

Courtesy of WILX’s Owen Oszust, Johnson spoke on how excited he is that Jonathan Smith is at the helm of Michigan State and what he is proud of within Michigan State athletics.

See the full quote from Magic via X:

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Kelsey Mitchell’s reaction to a WNBA All-Star game question sparked so many Magic Johnson memes

“I won’t be there” — Kelsey Mitchell, probably

Kelsey Mitchell‘s unintentionally funny response to a recent question about the Fever hosting the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game is the gift that keeps on giving.

Of course, with the news this week that Indianapolis will host the All-Star game next year, Fever players were going to be inevitably asked their thoughts about it. But I’m not sure this is what the media had in mind when someone asked Mitchell for her opinion.

In a clip recently shared on social media, Kelsey, who will be a free agent after the season, seemingly hadn’t given the idea much thought and somewhat stumbled to come up with a response. Her answer totally gives the “that’s great for them” vibes, and I cannot stop laughing.

As the clip circulated on the internet, fans immediately noticed Kelsey’s reaction — which invoked shades of Magic Johnson — and generated so many splendid memes.

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LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant recreated iconic 1992 Dream Team photo

A superstar trio on this year’s version of Team USA is looking to carry on the legacy that was started by the 1992 Dream Team.

In 1992, the United States men’s Olympic basketball team, nicknamed the “Dream Team,” took the world by storm as it breezed its way to the gold medal in Barcelona. It was the first time NBA players were allowed to participate in the Olympics, and that squad featured legends such as Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird.

This year’s iteration of Team USA may or may not have as much star power as that 1992 squad. But having LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, not to mention Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards and Devin Booker, among others, isn’t too shabby.

There’s an iconic photo of Johnson, Jordan and Bird from that 1992 Olympic team that has stood the test of time. James, Curry and Durant did their best to recreate that photo.

If you look closely, each of the three in the new version flashed a number of fingers to represent how many NBA championships they have won.

Team USA started off the 2024 Summer Olympic Games with a dominant 110-84 win over Serbia on Sunday. It will face South Sudan on Wednesday next.

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson reminisce about NCAA, NBA rivalry

Close friends off the court and bitter rivals on it, watch these two revel in their glory days with one another.

The NBA was at its lowest point of interest since its founding, and in danger when Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird and his counterpart on the Los Angeles Lakers, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, arrived to revive the league with their famous rivalry.

It dovetailed nicely onto the history of battles in the NBA finals between the two storied franchises and breathed new life into the Association, a momentum that still propels the NBA of today. Dating to even before they joined their respective teams in the Eastern and Western conferences, the two battled in the NCAA title game in the spring before they were drafted.

Watch the video linked below from the official ESPN archival YouTube channel to hear the duo wax nostalgic about their long friendship off the court — and intense battles on it.

Check it out for yourself above.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Lakers legend Magic Johnson calls Bronny James NBA draft pick ‘historic’

Magic welcomed Bronny to the Lakers in his familiar, signature style.

The Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James at the No. 55 pick on Day 2 of the 2024 NBA draft on Thursday in one of the most anticpated draft picks of all time. Laker icon Magic Johnson noted (as he typically does) the obvious point. In this case, it is that LeBron and Bronny James represent the first father-son duo to play in the NBA at the same time on the same team. Bronny James should play for the Lakers in the NBA summer league in Las Vegas, beginning with a game against the Houston Rockets on Friday, July 12, at 4:30 p.m. Pacific time on ESPN and ESPN Plus.

In his lone season at the University of Southern California, Bronny James played in 25 games, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

In July of 2023, the 19-year-old was hospitalized after suffering cardiac arrest during a basketball practice at USC. As a result, the freshman guard missed the first eight games of the season as he recovered from a medical procedure to treat a heart defect.

In high school at Sierra Canyon, James was named a 2022-23 McDonald’s High School All-American and was considered the No. 20 prospect by ESPN in the Class of 2023.

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Mark Schlereth on the Commanders: ‘The stench is gone’

The former offensive lineman says the NFL is a better place when Washington is relevant.

“The stench is gone.”

That’s what former Washington offensive lineman and current NFL analyst Mark Schlereth said about the Commanders with former owner Daniel Snyder long gone.

“I feel like the stench, the overall stench of Daniel Snyder, who just came into a crown jewel of the National Football League and took a s–t on it, I really believe that stench is gone,” Schlereth said Thursday on his Stinkin Truth Podcast.

https://youtube.com/shorts/n3Fo3pzZ7Hg?si=NyaSVdAKfdxxfC2s

Schlereth, who was drafted in the 10th round by Washington in the 1989 NFL draft, played six of his 12 seasons for the Redskins, including winning a Super Bowl. He would play six more seasons in Denver, where he won two more Super Bowls. Schlereth has worked in the media since his retirement and currently calls games on FOX Sports.

The former member of The Hogs is a fan of new head coach Dan Quinn.

“You know, when Dan Quinn is the guy carrying two bottles of Febreze, you know, and they’re just psshhhhhh just all over………..just spraying Febreze all over that. Josh Harris, the new owner, and Magic Johnson’s hanging around, it feels like it’s moving in the right direction. So, I hope so because I still have an affinity. That’s where I cut my teeth in the NFL, and, you know, I’ve said this about the Raiders, which hurts, but the league’s a better place when Washington’s relevant, and they haven’t been relevant since Dan Snyder bought them.”

Schlereth is never one to hold back. For years, he’s shared his disgust with the franchise’s direction, hoping it would get back on track. You can add him to the list of alumni back on board since Harris bought the team last summer.