Magic Johnson Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Him?

Magic Johnson is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He was an incredibly rare player who could play and defend all five positions. He had an incredible career, winning multiple championships and awards. We have put together a Magic Johnson quiz to test your knowledge on the biggest moments of his career. This includes some specific questions about things that he accomplished. As a result, only hardcore basketball fans will be able to get a perfect score.

The Ultimate Magic Johnson Quiz

Instructions: All you have to do is answer the trivia questions below and at the very end of the quiz, it will let you know what you scored.  

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Magic Johnson Trivia Questions And Answers

Here are some more details on the answers (but only read AFTER you have taken the quiz). This will provide you with some additional context on the answers that you got wrong.

1) Who did Magic Johnson play for in college?

Magic Johnson played for the Michigan State Spartans, winning the National Title in 1978-79. In a fun tidbit, Magic won the National Title against Larry Bird, who played for Indiana State University at the time. They would go on to have a legendary rivalry throughout their careers.

If you enjoyed this, make sure to also check out our quiz on Larry Bird’s career.

2) What year was Magic Johnson drafted?

Magic Johnson was selected first overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1979 NBA draft. Magic entered the draft after two seasons at Michigan State and after he won a National Title. This draft also featured Sidney Moncrief, who is the only other Hall of Famer (along with Magic).

3) True Or False: Magic Johnson won the NBA Rookie of The Year Award

This is false as Larry Bird won the NBA Rookie Of The Year Award over Magic Johnson. This will likely go down as one of the greatest battles for the award in NBA history as both guys are considered two of the best to ever play.

4) True Or False: Magic won the NBA Championship in his rookie NBA season

This is true as Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers won the 1980 NBA Title after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers. Johnson won the Finals MVP, becoming the first rookie in NBA history to win the award.

5) How many NBA Titles did Magic Johnson win?

Magic Johnson is a 5× NBA champion (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988). As a result, he finished his career with two more rings than Larry Bird, who won three times (1981, 1984, and 1986). With the 5 rings, Magic cemented himself as one of the greatest players in NBA history.

6) Magic scored a career-high 46 points during a game back in 1986. Which team was thi against?

Magic scored 46 points during a game against the Sacramento Kings on December 23rd, 1986. The Lakers defeated the Kings, 127-117, in overtime. As a result, this ended up being Magic’s career-high for points.

7) How many times did Magic Johnson win the NBA Finals MVP award?

Magic Johnson won the NBA Finals MVP award 3 times in his career. This came in 1980, 1982, and 1987. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the Finals MVP for the Lakers in 1985 and James Worthy was the Finals MVP for the Lakers in 1988. As mentioned prior, Johnson is the only Rookie in NBA history to win the NBA Finals MVP.

8) How many Olympic Gold Medals did Magic Johnson win?

The only Olympic Medal that Magic won was in 1992 as a member of the dream team. Before this, NBA players were not allowed to participate in the Olympics. Theoretically, Johnson probably could have won medals in 1980, 1984, and 1988 if NBA players were allowed.

Speaking of the dream team, make sure to also check out our Michael Jordan quiz to test your knowledge of his career.

9) How many times did Magic Johnson win the MVP award?

Magic won the NBA Most Valuable Player award three times: 1987, 1989, and 1990.

10) Who won more NBA MVP Awards, Magic or Larry Bird?

Magic and Bird both won the NBA MVP award three times in their careers. Magic won in 1987, 1989, and 1990. Bird won from 1984–1986. This goes to show you how dominant both guys were in their careers and that is why it made for such a great rivalry.

If you enjoyed this, you can also take our NBA legends quiz, which will let you know the old-school player that you resemble.

Some Additional Magic Johnson Facts

Here are some extra tidbits about Magic that we couldn’t find any place for on our quiz.

Family & Personal Life

Magic has three children, Andre, Earvin III (EJ), and Elisa. Andrade was born to Melissa Mitchell in 1981. EJ was born to Magic and his wife, Cookie, in 1992. Magic and Cookie also adopted Elias in 1995.

Magic and Cookie were married on September 14th, 1991. This was 45 just days prior to Magic learning that he contracted HIV. During an interview, Cookie revealed that she never considered leaving Magic after he was diagnosed and wanted to help him beat it.

EJ Johnson was a main cast member of the show: Rich Kids of Beverly Hills. Elisa Johnson was also a recurring guest on the show.

Contracts & Career Earnings

During an interview, Magic revealed that he turned down a shoe deal with Nike in 1979. Since Nike was just starting, they offered him stock in the company instead of cash. Magic ended up turning it down but says that he is still kicking himself to this day for passing on the deal. Nike is worth billions of dollars today, which he could have had a piece of.

In 1981, Magic signed a 25-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers worth $1 million dollars per year. This contract started in 1984 and extended into 2009, which was over a decade after he stopped playing in the NBA. This was a massive contract and was the highest in all of sports at the time.

Conclusion

How did you score on our Magic Johnson quiz? Let us know in the comment section below and make sure to also share with your friends to compare your knowledge of the player. Magic is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time and has definitely cemented his place in NBA history.

Make sure to also take a look at our hard NBA quiz that will test your knowledge of the game. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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