Magic Johnson Reveals He Become A Passer After Parents Complained He Was Taking All The Shots

Magic Johnson is widely celebrated as one of the greatest passers in basketball history, but his journey to becoming a pass-first player was rooted in an experience that deeply impacted him during his childhood. Known today for his remarkable ability to make his teammates better, Johnson’s style of play was initially much different. In an interview, Magic recalled how much this moment affected him.

"The one story that changed my life was I was a dominant scorer when I was a little kid. So the score would probably be 25 to like, let's say 10. I would have 23 of the 25 points. One day we won the game. I could hear parents talking, that Johnson kid, he's taking every shot, he's scoring all the points."

"Also my teammates responded to their parents and that hurt me a lot. I started crying because they were disappointed at me, like I was taking all the shots. My father just said, well what are you going to do? I don't know right now, dad, but by next Saturday I'm going to figure it out."

"What I did was I decided I was taller than most of the kids. When I would get the offensive rebound when one of my teammates would shoot, instead of me putting it right back in because I'm up under the basket, I would pass it back out and give them more shots and more opportunities to score. And I kind of like that feeling."

"As long as we won. I don't want nobody to mistake something about Magic Johnson. I'm about winning. So if that kid was missing, I gave him two shots. If he missed, I'm going to start shooting."

As a young player, Magic was a dominant scorer. He would often score nearly all of his team’s points, carrying them to victory with his sheer talent. However, after one game, he overheard the parents of his teammates criticizing him for taking all the shots and scoring all the points. This criticism struck a chord with the young Johnson, who was deeply hurt by the realization that his teammates and their parents were disappointed in him.

He was particularly upset because, even though he was helping his team win, he didn’t want to be seen as selfish or a ball hog. Seeking advice, Magic turned to his father, who asked him what he planned to do about the situation. Determined to change his approach, Johnson came up with a plan: instead of putting the ball back up for a shot after grabbing an offensive rebound, he decided to pass the ball back out to give his teammates more opportunities to score.

This shift in mindset transformed Magic Johnson’s game, laying the foundation for the player who would go on to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA championships with his unselfish play. Over his career, Magic amassed 10,141 assists, averaging 11.2 assists per game in his best season (1984-85). His remarkable passing ability not only made him a Hall of Famer but also solidified his legacy as one of the greatest team players in NBA history.

Magic’s early decision to focus on passing rather than scoring helped him become the legendary point guard we remember today, proving that his unselfishness was as much a part of his greatness as his skill.

Related: Michael Cooper Says LeBron James In Year 22 Reminds Him Of Magic Johnson Coming Back From Retirement

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