"Never fear. Magic is here" - How one pep talk from Magic Johnson catapulted the Lakers' Showtime dynasty

When Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went down with a sprained ankle in Game 5 of the 1980 NBA Finals, rookie Magic Johnson knew he had to step up and win one more game to clinch the championship. With no hesitation, the 1st overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft took on a leadership role amidst Abdul-Jabbar's absence by addressing the team on the plane ride heading to Philadelphia.

"The first thing I thought of is Cap always sat in the first seat. So I went up and asked the stewardess, 'Could I go on first?' And I said, 'I'm going to fill this seat.' And as every Laker went by, I said, 'Never fear. Magic is here.' So they started laughing. And so that kind of got them going. So as we closed the door and got up in the air, I just went around to each guy and told them, 'Listen, man, we can beat this team without Kareem,'" Johnson told the Los Angeles Times.

The legend of Magic Johnson was born

Just when the odds of the series tilted to the Sixers ' favor as they were headed home, knowing the Lakers' best player was out, Johnson put together the best performance by any rookie in the NBA Finals. He scored 42 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and handed out 7 assists in the Lakers' 123-107 championship-clinching victory. He was also awarded the NBA Finals MVP and is known as the only rookie to ever win the award in league history.

"What Magic said in the locker room before going out on the court, that will always stick with me," reserve guard Brad Holland said. "He reminded us that all of the pressure was on them. He said we could afford to lose because we had Game 7 in our back pocket. All the pressure was on them because they didn't have that luxury. That just made so much sense to everybody and we just played loose."

"Even though it looked bleak because we didn't know if Kareem could play in Game 7, we wanted to believe we had a chance," said Jamaal Wilkes. "To be honest, after the game I believe we were all shocked."

The best part about this victory was that it wasn't just Magic who carried the Lakers ; several contributors across the board were involved. The team's starting forward, Wilkes, pitched in 37 points and 10 rebounds, as did Michael Cooper, Jim Chones, and Holland. Their overall effort outplayed Julius Erving , Darryl Dawkins, and the rest of the Sixers.

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The biggest adjustment

Aside from Johnson stepping up into a leadership role, head coach Paul Westhead and KAJ also tasked him with playing center —a position Johnson often played during his high school days. But this time, it was going to be in the pros in the crucial game. The key to sliding Johnson into the center role was for the Lakers to play small ball, increase the pace, and hope they outscored the Sixers as they spaced the floor.

The Lakers shot just 0-2 from the three-point line that night but outscored the Sixers by 16 and 12 from the free-throw line. Philadelphia was caught off guard not only by Johnson's emergence but also by the Lakers' game plan and competitive spirit—all catapulted by Johnson himself.

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