Our Magic Johnson quotes portray a man who played at the top of his field. He revolutionized the position of a point guard but was so much more. He made his teammates better players.
There’s been no other professional basketball player like Magic Johnson. He was a big man who thrived on assists and made the Los Angeles Lakers’ “Showtime” offense work like no other. The six-foot-9-inch point guard revolutionized the game. The Laker great was a one-of-a-kind player, and his success carried over to his off-court ventures.
Best Magic Johnson Quotes
- Talent is never enough. With few exceptions, the best players are the hardest workers.
- Don’t give up! Be friends with people who help you work hard.
- Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates.
- You’re the only one who can make the difference. Whatever your dream is, go for it.
- I wanted to play in the NBA, and I wanted to be a businessman after my basketball career was over, and that is what I am doing now.
- I have to tell you, I’m proudest of my life off the court. There will always be great basketball players who bounce that little round ball, but my proudest moments are affecting people’s lives, effecting change, and being a role model in the community.
- All kids need is a little help, a little hope, and somebody who believes in them.
- Manhood is taking care of your family and being able to bless other people. Not yourself – but whether you can bless other people.
- The audience likes their emotions to be touched. They want to laugh and cry and feel good.
- I guess when people ask what is the biggest transition to the NBA from college, it is definitely defense and the mental part.
- My diet is mostly chicken and fish. I make sure I get a lot of vegetables and a lot of fruit. I am a big fruit man, I am a vegetable man anyway. And I also get a lot of rest. That’s the key I may be up early, but I’m in bed early too.
Magic Johnson On HIV
- I tell you, it’s funny because the only time I think about HIV is when I have to take my medicine twice a day.
- You can’t get AIDS from a hug or a handshake, or a meal with a friend.
- My having HIV has no bearing on my business.
- When I first found out I had HIV, I had to find somebody who was living with it, who could help me understand my journey and what I was going to have to deal with day-to-day. I found out that a person named Elizabeth Frazier was living with AIDS at the time, and so I called her up, and she took a meeting with me.
- I enjoy being the messenger for God in terms of letting people know about HIV and AIDS.
Good Magic Johnson Sayings
- I never think that there’s something I can’t do, whether it’s beating my opponent one on one or practicing another hour because something about my game is just not right.
- They said playing basketball would kill me. Well, not playing basketball was killing me.
- When you face a crisis, you know who your true friends are.
- Magic is who I am on the basketball court. Earvin is who I am.
- I met wonderful people playing in the NBA. Whether it is the officials, the scorekeepers, all the people who work for the NBA, not just for the Lakers, but I’m talking about just for the league itself.
- The second year was a little bit easier but still difficult. It took me five years to get it out of me. It was a difficult moment, a difficult time.
On Family
- God blessed me with two unbelievable parents, and I am just like both of them. I have the smile and charisma of my mother and the big heart of my mom, because she wants to save the world and help the world, so I am just like her.
- I respect women to the utmost.
- I’m gonna love my son until the end. Magic Johnson
- My father was a great example of a strong and good man and a Christian man, and my mother taught all my six sisters how to be young ladies and mothers and how to take care of your family.
- I have to tell you, I’m proudest of my life off the court. There will always be great basketball players who bounce that little round ball, but my proudest moments are affecting people’s lives, effecting change, and being a role model in the community.
See How many NBA Championship Rings Magic Has Won.
Inspirational Magic Johnson Insights
- I love to be in the ballpark. I love to just go in and enjoy a great baseball game, a great pitchers’ duel.
- Standing on that platform, I said a silent prayer. I thanked God for giving me the strength and the opportunity to come back, to play basketball again, and to be part of that whole magnificent Olympic experience. It’s a memory I will always cherish.
- Just celebrate the life you had, not the life you could’ve had.
All kids need is a little help, a little hope, and somebody who believes in them. - If you’re a competitive person, that stays with you. You don’t stop. You always look over your shoulder.
- If somebody says no to you, or if you get cut, Michael Jordan was cut his first year, but he came back and he was the best ever. That is what you have to have. The attitude that I’m going to show everybody, I’m going to work hard to get better and better.
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Magic Johnson on Leadership
- Young people want you to be real with them.
- You don’t have to be Magic to be special. You’re already special; you’re you.
- Everybody on a championship team doesn’t get publicity, but everyone can say he’s a champion.
Coach’s Tip: Use these Magic Johnson quotes in team communications like emails and programs.
Quotations About Magic
- The first thing I would do every morning was looking at the box scores to see what Magic did. I didn’t care about anything else.
Larry Bird - He would be another Dwight Clark. He doesn’t have lightning speed, but he’d find the open spot because he’s Magic. And he could make all the catches.
Ronnie Lott, on if Magic played football - I don’t think there will ever be another 6’9” point guard who smiles while he humiliates you.
James Worthy, describing Lakers teammate Magic Johnson
Follow Magic Johnson on Twitter
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By Mike O’Halloran
Founder and Editor, Sports Feel Good Stories
Mike O’Halloran founded Sports Feel Good Stories in 2009. He co-authored four trivia books for kids under the Smart Attack line. Mike coached basketball for 15 seasons, taught tennis, and has written four books on basketball coaching. He has been a contributing writer for USA Football, the youth arm of the NFL. Mike is the founder of the Fantasy Football Team Names Hall of Fame.
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