{"id":228083,"date":"2025-09-15T06:42:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T06:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/228083\/"},"modified":"2025-09-15T06:42:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T06:42:14","slug":"magic-johnson-confessed-major-rookie-era-blunder-in-underestimating-michael-jordan-while-chasing-larry-bird-rivalry-nba-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/228083\/","title":{"rendered":"Magic Johnson confessed major rookie-era blunder in underestimating Michael Jordan while chasing Larry Bird rivalry | NBA News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MagicMagic Johnson. Image via: Lisa Blumenfeld\/ Getty Images When Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson reflects on his rookie years, two names dominate the conversation: Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. Both rivals helped define his era, yet Johnson now admits his own missteps, particularly when business decisions off the court and on-court rivalries shaped his career. Speaking candidly, Johnson revealed he underestimated Jordan\u2019s rise while focusing on Bird, and also passed up on a shoe deal that could have changed his financial legacy forever.<\/p>\n

Magic Johnson recalls costly rookie mistake with Converse over Nike<\/p>\n

\"Magic<\/p>\n

Magic Johnson. Image via: Getty Images<\/p>\n

Magic Johnson\u2019s rivalry with Larry Bird began before either entered the NBA, with their iconic 1979 NCAA title clash. By the time the Lakers selected him first overall, shoe companies lined up with offers. Johnson chose Converse for its cash-heavy deal, a decision he now views as shortsighted.\u201cConverse offered me the most money. And so, when you\u2019re Black and you\u2019re broke, you take the most money, right? So I decided to go with Converse,\u201d Johnson said on the Earn Your Leisure podcast. The NBA Hall of Famer added, \u201cBut Phil Knight came in and said, \u2018I can\u2019t offer you the same amount of money as Converse, but I can give you something called stock.\u2019 And I passed on the stock, not knowing anything about it at 19. You know how much that stock would be worth today, 46 years later? A billion-five.\u201dThat choice cost him the chance to mirror what Jordan later achieved with Nike. In 1984, the Chicago Bulls guard signed an unprecedented five-year, $2.5 million contract that included a 5% royalty on sales. The Air Jordan line didn\u2019t just make Jordan wealthy; it reshaped the entire sneaker industry. <\/p>\n

Magic Johnson crowns Michael Jordan as the greatest ever<\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/p>\n

Michael Jordan Vs LeBron James GOAT debate continues. Image via: Getty Images<\/p>\n

Beyond endorsements, Johnson is also clear-eyed about Jordan\u2019s dominance as a player. The two met in the 1991 NBA Finals, where Jordan\u2019s Bulls toppled the Lakers and signaled a new era. One play in particular, Jordan\u2019s mid-air hand switch, still lingers in Johnson\u2019s memory.\u201cI\u2019m always going to be honest with myself. The only thing I beat Michael in is them no-look passes and leadership,\u201d Johnson admitted. \u201cAin\u2019t no question. Just like it ain\u2019t no question what he\u2019s going to do to me. Dunks and all that, but that\u2019s what makes him a bad boy. The best that\u2019s ever done it.\u201dJohnson still praises LeBron James, calling him a \u201cbad boy\u201d in his own right, but he makes it clear Jordan stands apart. \u201cDon\u2019t get it twisted; I love LeBron, but when Michael Jordan took off with that tongue out? Man. Listen, a lot of you weren\u2019t born then. 1991, against my Lakers, right hand, we thought we had him. Then he looked at us mid-air, switched it to the left. Tongue out. Glass. Bucket. Nobody alive has been able to do that.\u201dAlso Read: Breanna Stewart injury update: New York Liberty star exits game 1 against Phoenix Mercury after apparent left knee trouble<\/a>The James-Jordan debate is never-ending, and it will continue as both legends created stunning legacies for themselves with their brilliant run in the NBA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Magic Johnson. Image via: Lisa Blumenfeld\/ Getty Images When Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson reflects on his…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":228084,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[123160,123163,76178,123164,123159,123162,1260,123161,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-228083","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-air-jordan-impact","9":"tag-larry-bird-rivalry","10":"tag-magic-johnson","11":"tag-magic-johnson-michael-jordan-comparison","12":"tag-magic-johnson-rookie-mistake","13":"tag-michael-jordan-underestimation","14":"tag-nba","15":"tag-nike-stock-magic-johnson","16":"tag-sports","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115206956602723411","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228083\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}