In Which Year Was Magic Johnson The Lakers’ Coach?

Magic Johnson, a former player, agreed to take the head coaching position with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1994 at Buss’ request. He was given a $14 million annual contract as a payback for not being the league’s highest-paid player. Johnson and the Lakers rebounded in 1981-82, winning their division and defeating the 76ers in another six-game NBA Finals. Johnson teamed with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy to take the Lakers to eight appearances in the NBA finals over the following decade, resulting in five NBA championships.

At the end of the 1994 season, Johnson took over as head coach of the Lakers replacing fired Randy Pfund and interim coach Bill Bertka. Los Angeles announced that Johnson would take over duties as the head coach for the remainder of the season. His formal return to the team came on March 27, 1994, when the Lakers faced off against the Milwaukee Bucks.

In June 1981, Lakers owner Jerry Buss announced that Magic Johnson had signed a 25-year, $25 million contract, the longest and richest deal in sports history. The Lakers won titles in 1982 and 1985 with Abdul-Jabbar as the No. 1 option on offense, but with Johnson as the team’s leader.

Johnson returned to the NBA as coach near the end of the 1993-1994 season, replacing Randy Pfund. He had a 5-11 record during his coaching debut, and Darvin Ham has coached the Lakers from 2022-23 to 2023-24.

Who coached the 72 Lakers?

In 1971-72, the Lakers replaced Head Coach Joe Mullaney with Jack Kent Cooke, bringing in Bill Sharman and losing forward Baylor. The team had a balanced, mature, and experienced team with Hairston and Jim McMillian as forwards, Chamberlain in the pivot, and West and Goodrich at the guard spots. The Lakers went 6-3 through the first month of the season, breaking the NBA mark of 20 consecutive victories set by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Los Angeles won three straight to open the new year, but the Bucks ended the streak on January 9, besting the Lakers, 120-104. The Lakers topped the league in points, rebounds, and assists, and Bill Sharman was named NBA Coach of the Year at the season’s end.

The Lakers swept the Chicago Bulls in the conference semifinals, ousted the Bucks in six games in the conference finals, and then defeated the Knicks in the Finals, four games to one. After years of frustration, the Lakers finally earned an NBA Championship, their first in Los Angeles and the first for the franchise since 1954. Chamberlain was named Most Valuable Player of the Finals.

How long did Magic Johnson own the Lakers?

In 1994, Howard Johnson bought a 4. 5-stake in the Los Angeles Lakers for $10 million, which he sold in 2010, before NBA team values soared. His stake in the Lakers was estimated to be worth $29 million in 2010, but today it would be worth over $265 million. Johnson also launched Magic Johnson Theaters with Sony Pictures and established a 50/50 joint venture with Starbucks to open over 100 locations in Black neighborhoods, selling them back for $75 million in profit.

Who was the Lakers coach in 1983?

Riley, a former player and coach, spent five and a half seasons in Los Angeles during the 1970s and 10 more as a coach in the 1980s. He won one championship as a member of the 1972 Lakers squad and led the Lakers to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances and three championships as head coach during the “Showtime” era. Riley is a seven-time NBA champion, three-time NBA Coach of the Year, and nine-time NBA All-Star Game head coach.

Who was the Lakers coach in 1985?

Riley retired in 1976 and joined the Lakers as a broadcaster. He became an assistant coach in 1979 and was promoted to head coach in 1981-82. The Lakers won three more championships under Riley, dubbed “Showtime” and clashing with the Boston Celtics. Riley secured the term three-peat with the expectation of a championship in 1989, but the Lakers’ reign was ended by the Detroit Pistons. In 1990, he won NBA Coach of the Year for that season, though his exit from Los Angeles had much to do with clubhouse friction.

In 1991, Riley resurfaced as head coach of the New York Knicks, posting superb records but failing to win a title. He moved on to coach the Miami Heat in 1995, and an intense rivalry with the Knicks was born. Riley stayed at that post until 2003, when he stepped back to concentrate on front-office duties.

Riley stopped coaching after the 2007-08 season but retained his front-office duties. He was instrumental in convincing LeBron James to come to Miami in free agency in 2010, leading to two additional titles for the franchise (2012 and 2013). Despite being mocked and even reviled for his carriage, Riley was one of the sport’s most compelling and influential figures. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

Who was the best Lakers coach?

The Lakers have had 26 head coaches since joining the NBA, with John Kundla as their first head coach. The Lakers won four additional NBA championships under Kundla’s leadership, and Phil Jackson is the franchise’s all-time leader for regular-season games coached, playoff games coached, regular-season game wins, and playoff wins. The Lakers have won 17 championships, with five with Kundla, five with Jackson, four with Riley, one with Bill Sharman, one with Paul Westhead, and one with Frank Vogel.

Sharman, Riley, and Del Harris have won the NBA Coach of the Year Award in 1972, 1990, and 1995, respectively. Kundla, Sharman, Riley, and Jackson have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as coaches. Other notable players and coaches include George Mikan, Jim Pollard, Jerry West, Pat Riley, Magic Johnson, Kurt Rambis, Byron Scott, and Luke Walton.

What happened to the 1979 Lakers coach?

Jack McKinney, the Los Angeles Lakers’ coach who introduced the up-tempo style of play known as Showtime in 1979, passed away on Tuesday at a hospice in Bonita Springs. McKinney was selected the NBA’s Coach of the Year for that season, surpassing San Antonio’s Stan Albeck in the voting. His next two teams dropped to 35 and 20 wins, as Nassi liquidated the roster to curb financial losses. McKinney’s team improved to 26 wins during the first year of ownership for Mel and Herb Simon, but he was replaced after that season by George Irvine.

Martinsville native and Purdue grad Jerry Sichting, who played all four seasons for McKinney, said he didn’t believe McKinney fully recovered from the head injuries suffered in the bicycle accident. Sichting also noted that McKinney was great in how he treated people and his knowledge of the game, but he was forgetful with names and had trouble concentrating when it got really loud in the arena.

Joakim Noah expressed his admiration for McKinney, stating that he always represented hope in human form and that everyone knew where he was headed watching him play at Simeon. When the Bulls got first pick in 2008, everyone knew McKinney was coming home, creating hope for the city. The Celtics championship and gold medal at the Olympics were both celebrated this year, with Holiday mentioning the championship as the most important achievement.

Who is the best coach in the NBA?

Steve Kerr, the 2015-16 recipient of the NBA Coach of the Year Award, only coached 39 of the 82 games due to offseason back surgery complications. However, he received credit for all of the Golden State Warriors’ 73 wins that season. Assistant coach Luke Walton served as interim head coach for the remaining 43 games, receiving one second-place vote and two third-place votes. Kerr asked the league to award Walton with the wins accumulated during his medical recovery time, but the NBA refused to do so.

Mike Brown became the first unanimous Coach of the Year recipient in NBA history in the 2022–23 season. He was also selected as one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History. The record reflects games played before the NBA suspended its 2019–20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Has Magic Johnson ever coached the Lakers?

Johnson returned to the NBA as coach for the Lakers in 1993-94, replacing Randy Pfund and Bill Bertka. He admitted that he had always had the desire to coach and downplayed questions about returning as a player. Johnson took over a team with a 28-38 record and won his first game as head coach, a 110-101 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. He signed a separate contract to coach the team without compensation, and the Lakers played well initially, winning five of their first six games under Johnson.

At the age of 36, Johnson attempted another comeback as a player when he rejoined the Lakers during the 1995-96 NBA season. During his retirement, Johnson began intense workouts to help his fight against HIV, raising his bench press from 135 to 300 pounds and increasing his weight to 255 pounds. He officially returned to the team on January 29, 1996, and played his first game the following day against the Golden State Warriors.

On February 14, Johnson recorded the final triple-double of his career, scoring 15 points, along with 10 rebounds, and 13 assists in a victory against the Atlanta Hawks. Playing power forward, he averaged 14. 6 points, 6. 9 assists, and 5. 7 rebounds per game in 32 games, and finished tied for 12th place with Charles Barkley in voting for the MVP Award. The Lakers had a record of 22-10 in the games Johnson played, and he considered his final comeback “a success”.

However, Johnson faced struggles both on and off the court. Cedric Ceballos left the team for several days, missing two games and being stripped of his title as team captain. Nick Van Exel received a seven-game suspension for bumping referee Ron Garretson during a game on April 9, and Johnson was publicly critical of Van Exel, saying his actions were “inexcusable”.

Despite these difficulties, the Lakers finished with a record of 53-29 and fourth seed in the NBA Playoffs. After losing to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs, Johnson initially expressed a desire to return to the team for the 1996-97 NBA season but also talked about joining another team as a free agent, hoping to see more playing time at point guard instead of power forward. A few days later, Johnson changed his mind and retired permanently, saying, “I am going out on my terms, something I couldn’t say when I aborted a comeback in 1992”.

Who coached the 1979 Lakers?

Dr. Jerry Buss served as the owner-head coach from 1982 to 1983, with Pat Riley acting in that capacity from 1981 to 1982, and Paul Westhead from 1979 to 1980.

Who coached the Lakers in 1989?

Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Byron Scott, A. C. Green, Orlando Woolridge, Mychal Thompson, and Divac were all members of the Lakers team that were named to the All-NBA First Team and All-NBA Third Team respectively. They were also selected for the 1990 NBA All-Star Game in Miami, Florida, with head coach Pat Riley coaching the Western Conference.

Despite the Lakers’ win over the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, they were defeated in the Western Conference Semi-finals by the Phoenix Suns in five games, ending a nine-year run of consecutive appearances in the Western Conference finals since 1982. Riley resigned after nine seasons and was replaced by Mike Dunleavy. He returned to coach the New York Knicks for the 1991–92 season.

Orlando Woolridge was traded to the Denver Nuggets, and Michael Cooper was released to free agency. Johnson won the league’s Most Valuable Player of the Year award in a controversial voting over Charles Barkley of the Philadelphia 76ers. Johnson received fewer first-place votes than Barkley but totaled 636 points in the ballot compared to Barkley’s 614.

In summary, the Lakers’ players, including Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Byron Scott, A. C. Green, Orlando Woolridge, Mychal Thompson, and Divac, were all named to the All-NBA First Team and the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Who coached the 1980 Lakers?

Darvin Ham served as the Lakers’ coach from 2022 to 2024, succeeding Pat Riley, Paul Westhead, Jack McKinney, and Jerry West.