Izzo challenged his two stars during practice leading up to the game. And both Winston and Ward got similar edicts from the alumni who returned to remember their own glory. Johnson had been talking to Ward recently and gave him advice to help refocus the junior forward, who shook his recent funk with a 22-point, nine-rebound, high-energy effort. He posted deep in the paint and ran the floor hard.
Source: Detroit Free Press
“I just want to say one more thing,” Johnson told the crowd. “The Green and White, we’ve been through some tough times recently, but we’ve hung together. When you come to this university, we support each other. And we will continue to do that, even with me all the way in Los Angeles. So let’s continue to pray for each other, support each other and always remember we belong to the greatest university in the world, Michigan State University.”
Source: Detroit Free Press
Nick Ward took advice from Magic Johnson and responded with 22 points and nine rebounds as No. 9 Michigan State beat Minnesota on Saturday, 79-55.
Source: Detroit Free Press
“We have all the players coming back this week, Magic and the ’79 team are coming back,” Izzo said. “I can’t think of a better time having a bunch of guys come back that built my philosophy and executed it to a lot of Final Fours. This team maybe looked at it and for a while thought we could win a different way. We’ll get back to that. We have the ability to do that and we’ll do it.”
Source: Detroit News
Earvin “Magic” Johnson is busy this week scouting players, but he’s always got an eye on those wearing green and white. Now the president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers, Johnson is at the NBA Combine this week along with the rest of league’s teams and executives in preparation for next month’s draft. The Lakers have the 25th overall pick overall and they’ve got their eyes on a handful of players, even Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson Jr. and Miles Bridges.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Former Michigan State basketball legend Magic Johnson and his wife, Cookie, have pledged support in helping the university cope with the avalanche of negative reaction following multiple complaints of sexual assault. Johnson also said anyone who knew “about sexual assaults happening to women on the MSU campus” and did nothing about it should be fired and he called for policies and procedures to be put in place to make sure it never happens again.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Earvin “Magic” Johnson has been subpoenaed to testify as a witness in a former Michigan State University football player’s lawsuit against Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, according to court documents.
Source: The Mercury News
The pro scouts loved his game, and the lure of a lucrative pro contract was enticing. He knew the teammates he loved had his back, whether or not he decided to enter the NBA draft. In the end, the dream of bringing Michigan State an NCAA title remained strong.
Source: Detroit Free Press
On March 26, 1979, Magic Johnson’s MSU team defeated Larry Bird’s ISU squad, 75-64, at the Special Events Center in Salt Lake City. That showdown had star power – much more than folks may have realized at the time – and an estimated 35.1 million viewers tuned in to the NBC telecast announced by Dick Enberg, Billy Packer and Al McGuire. The course of college basketball and the NCAA tourney changed that day.
Source: MLive.com
The Los Angeles Lakers announced a major restructuring of their front office on Tuesday, and Magic Johnson will be at the helm of the franchise’s basketball operations moving forward. According to the Lakers, Johnson has officially been named president of basketball operations, general manager Mitch Kupchak has been fired, and Jim Buss, son of the late former Lakers owner Jerry Buss and sibling of Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss, will no longer be executive vice president of basketball operations.
Source: FOX Sports