Why Magic Johnson is Michigan's top college basketball player all-time

Magic Johnson's legend was born in East Lansing.

Johnson, a 6-foot-8 phenom from nearby Lansing Everett, was a recruiting coup for then first-year Michigan State basketball coach Jud Heathcote in 1977. 

Johnson played guard for the first time during his freshman season, won a national title as a sophomore before going on to transform the NBA while becoming perhaps the best point guard of all-time. Today, he's president of basketball operations for the NBA's L.A. Lakers and a co-owner of Major League Baseball's L.A. Dodgers.

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Here's a quick look at Johnson's accolades while at Michigan State. 

Years: 1977-79

Jersey: 33

Career stats: 62 games, 17.1 points, 7.9 assists, 7.6 rebounds.

Phenom-enal

Johnson averaged 17 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.4 assists during his debut season in 1977-78, becoming the first — and only — Spartan to earn All-America honors as a freshman. MSU finished a win shy of the Final Four, and Johnson set an MSU freshman record with made field goals (175) and field-goal attempts (382). He finished his college career as a 46.3% shooter. 

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Mr. Everything

Johnson, who played without the three-point line, became MSU's first consensus first-team All-America as a sophomore, averaging 17.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and setting MSU single-season records for assists (8.4 per game) and steals (2.3). He's the program's clear leader with eight career triple doubles. Draymond Green ranks second with three.

Most Outstanding

Johnson was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player after the Spartans won the 1979 national title, beating Larry Bird's unbeaten Indiana State, 75-64, in a game that changed the NCAA Tournament forever. Johnson scored 24 points in the game, which generated the highest Nielsen TV rating (24.1) of any game in American basketball history.

Hall of Earvin

Johnson, who won five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2002 inductee) and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (2009). He finished his NBA career No. 1 in all-time assists (10,141) and No. 2 in steals (1,724). He was a 12-time All-Star and three-time MVP.

Just win, baby

Johnson won a title at three different levels of basketball in just four years. As a senior, he led Lansing Everett to the 1977 Michigan Class A title. He and the Spartans cut down the NCAA nets in Salt Lake City in 1979. As a rookie with the Lakers, he won the 1980 NBA title. He won Finals MVP after a legendary performance in Game 6 against the 76ers in which he scored 42 points and added 15 rebounds, seven assists and three steals while playing center in place of an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.