During the good old days, one of the biggest rivalries in the NBA was that of Los Angeles Lakers icon Magic Johnson and the great Michael Jordan. At one point in time, these two were at the top of the game, and naturally, they had some of the most intense battles on the basketball court.
Despite being bitter rivals, Magic and MJ also shared a special bond off the court. Recently, the Lakers icon shared an unforgettable encounter he had with Jordan wherein MJ told him straight to his face that it was time to retire. Johnson recalled the amazing story on a recent episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live:
“Michael, after that game, he pulled me aside – I don’t think I’ve ever told anybody this,” Johnson said (h/t Peter Dewey of Lakers Nation). “He met me in between the locker rooms, and he said, ‘Earvin, you have to remember now, you’re not with Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], you’re not with James Worthy. All the guys you used to play with, Showtime, are not on that Laker team anymore. So remember, maybe you should think about retiring.’”
This went down during the 1995-96 season. At that time, a 36-year-old Johnson had just returned from a four-year hiatus as he battled HIV. Jordan, on the other hand, was at the peak of his career and was on his way to kick off what turned out to be his second three-peat with the Chicago Bulls.
True enough, Magic retired after just one season. Perhaps Jordan's words of wisdom stuck with him. They must have had some impact on him back then considering how vividly he still remembers that conversation to this very day.
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