"Has to be paid more, he's the best player in the NBA" - Dr. Buss was willing to sort out a jealous Kareem after Magic signed a 25-year, $1 million deal

By the time Magic Johnson led the Los Angeles Lakers to an NBA championship in his rookie season, Kareem Abdul Jabbar had already established himself as a basketball legend with six MVP honors, four league-leading block campaigns, and two scoring titles.

However, when the Purple and Gold secured their young point guard to a 25-year, $1 million deal just after his sophomore season, Kareem, who was earning the same salary per season with clearly a better resume, felt compelled to address his concerns with the Lakers' management and owner Jerry Buss .

Kareem's meeting with the Lakers

'Cap' recognized that such favoritism towards one player could potentially breed jealousy within the team, which could ultimately hinder their collective goal of winning titles. As a result, during his meeting with the front office members, Abdul-Jabbar sought reassurance about his role in the team's future plans.

"If you have jealousy, everyone cannot be working toward the same goal. I would also like to point out that salary was not even mentioned during the meeting," Kareem said . "I have always had an intense desire to win, but the atmosphere here had not been conducive toward that goal. However, after meeting with my boss this afternoon, the rumors of my departure are premature."

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Jerry knew Kareem had to be paid more

For Dr. Buss, even before the meeting, there was no doubt about the 20-time All-Star's value. At 33, KAJ had been among the top 10 MVP favorites for 13 consecutive seasons and was widely regarded as the league's best big man and even arguably the best player for some.

Determined not to let any ego clash get in the way, Jerry preemptively offered to increase Cap's salary to $1.5 million per campaign.

"Magic Johnson is getting $1 million a year for 25 years starting in 1984," Buss said. "Abdul Jabbar has to be paid more.... I would welcome several more seasons at $1.5 million. How many? As many as are reasonable."

While some might contemplate Buss' strategy as simply throwing money at the problem to retain his marquee players, the results speak for themselves. The $2.5 million annual investment in Magic and Kareem proved to be astute, as the Lakers went on to clinch four more championships in seven years.

Related: "Big fella, we love you. We did it for you" - When Magic Johnson won the 1980 title replacing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as a center