HoopsHype.com Rumors

Alex Kennedy: Rondo had 13 assists in every game of this series. Only other player to have 13 assists in first 5 games of a series: Magic Johnson in 1985. Twitter

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo, Magic Johnson 

Chris Palmer: Magic: "Everyone thinks I hate on Mike Brown but I really like him." Twitter

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Mike Brown, Magic Johnson 

Phoenix’ Steve Nash was the top vote getter for The Magic Johnson Award — the players’ equivalent of the Tomjanovich Award. The Milwaukee Bucks media relations staff was given the Brian McIntyre Award as the league’s most enterprising PR staff. Boston Herald

Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Steve Nash, Magic Johnson, Brian McIntyre 

Scott Howard-Cooper: Karl says how much he likes Magic Johnson, but calla Brown comment "totally out of control," "wild and crazy" and "ESPNish." Twitter

Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, George Karl, Coaching, Mike Brown, Magic Johnson 

The Lakers issued a statement publicly backing Mike Brown on Saturday after Magic Johnson declared the first-year head coach would be fired if Los Angeles lost Game 7 of its first-round playoff series with Denver. The club issued its statement a few hours before the third-seeded Lakers hosted the Nuggets in the series finale. Johnson spoke Friday night on ESPN, where he serves as an analyst. The Hall of Famer sold his minority ownership stake in the Lakers, but is still a club vice president and a close friend of the Buss family, which owns the team. "The opinion expressed yesterday by Magic Johnson regarding Mike Brown was his personal opinion and was made in his role as a TV analyst," the team statement read. "His words were not made on behalf of the Los Angeles Lakers, and in no way do they reflect the feelings or position of team ownership or management. We are fully committed to and supportive of Mike Brown as head coach of the Lakers." Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Mike Brown, Magic Johnson 

Scott Howard-Cooper: Mike Brown: "He's free to say whatever he wants. It doesn't bofher me." Brown knows this is all part of being Lakers coach. Twitter

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Mike Brown, Magic Johnson 

The Lakers are at a crossroads. They're either a game away from finally meeting the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, or a game away from the end of their season. Should the Lakers lose Saturday in Game 7 of their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, Magic Johnson has a definite idea on what will happen next. "They're going to run Mike Brown first out of town," Johnson said as an ESPN NBA analyst Friday. "Then second will be [Andrew] Bynum. Then third will be [Pau] Gasol." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Mike Brown, Magic Johnson 

ESPN analyst Chris Broussard expressed skepticism that Brown's job security is in jeopardy, but Johnson stayed insistent. "His job will go," Johnson said. "The Lakers are about championships. That's what the Lakers are about. If they lose this game, Mike Brown, I bet you, will not be sitting there." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Mike Brown, Magic Johnson 

Scott Howard-Cooper: Within the organization, it is accepted with shrugs that Magic says things. Does not mean it is true. But he is very close with Jerry Buss. Twitter

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Mike Brown, Magic Johnson, Jerry Buss 

Roughly 10 minutes after Ron Artest went upside James Harden’s head with a wicked elbow, the ABC studio crew jumped right into analyzing the attack during the broadcast’s halftime show. Two former NBA players, one of them Hall of Famer and former Lakers great Magic Johnson, delivered the strongest statements in speaking out against the vicious play that knocked Harden out of the game and perhaps the remainder of the regular season. Magic immediately said he believed Artest’s act was intentional and ruled it a “cheap shot.” I’m sitting here as a former Laker and it’s just really disheartening for me because last year (Andrew) Bynum takes out J.J. Barea. And now this. It was definitely intentional. You don’t go up to a man’s head without it being intentional. And I love Metta World Peace. He’s got to get suspended, not only the Sacramento game, but he’s probably going to get suspended the first game of the playoffs. And this is not how the Lakers should be playing. Look, I like physical basketball but I don’t like cheap shots. And that was a cheap shot.” Oklahoman

Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson, Metta World Peace 

Those looking for behind-the-scenes drama on how Pau Gasol handled ongoing trade speculation won't find it on HBO's "Real Sports." Those hoping for more explanations on his unraveling in the 2011 NBA playoffs won't find answers on the critically acclaimed series, either. Instead, Gasol's segment featured Tuesday night focuses on his multifaceted interests. It mentions how Magic Johnson's announcement in 1991 that he had HIV inspired Gasol to go to medical school: "I wish I could do something in the future to cure this disease." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol, Media, Magic Johnson 

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are two of the most important players in NBA history, and two of the best known. HBO produced a terrific documentary, "Magic & Bird, A Courtship of Rivals," chronicling their rise to stardom, their battles on the floor, and their friendship off it. "When the Game Was Ours," a book Bird and Johnson wrote with Jackie MacMullen, brings even further detail to their stories. And last month, ESPN televised "The Announcement," another documentary focusing on Magic and his life with HIV. So when news broke that the story of Bird and Johnson was going to be told in a Broadway play called "Magic/Bird," which opens April 11 at the Longacre Theater, there were going to be some questions. NBA.com

Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird 

Most importantly: What is a 90-minute play going to tell fans that they don't already know? "I had the same thought when I got the offer," says Kevin Daniels, who plays Magic, "because the first thing I did was watch the documentary. I was like, 'Well, what do I need to learn now?' "And I tell you, they're different mediums and there's something you garner from watching these men experience these things in front of you live. And also, a lot of the stories you hear about in the documentary, you actually get to see imagined in here. So they're kind of like companion pieces. They're different. You can watch both of them and be thoroughly fulfilled." NBA.com

Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird 

The hoops-themed Broadway bio “Magic/Bird” doesn’t technically foul out, but it’s not exactly a winner either. Ironically, Eric Simonson’s by-the-numbers and stiffly acted account of the on- and off-court relationship of National Basketball Association superstars Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Larry Bird makes both great athletes look smaller than life. The show, produced in league with the NBA, is bookended by scenes of Johnson’s stunning 1991 HIV diagnosis. But the focus is the duo’s famous 1980s rivalry. With Bird playing forward for the Boston Celtics and Johnson positioned at point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, they battled for three championships and rescued the sinking NBA. New York Daily News

Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird 

As a dramatic meal, “M/B” is a slim spread. B-ball handling consists of a couple of layups and passes. Videos from key games and scenes between a Celtics and Lakers fan in a Boston bar pad the production to 85 minutes. Director Thomas Kail enlivens things as he can, including slick graphics to illustrate b-ball plays — the same trick from “Lombardi” but it adds visual zap. Tug Coker, who plays Bird, could use a jolt. The “hick from French Lick,” as Bird was called, was low-key. But Coker is pure cardboard. Kevin Daniels fares a bit better and brings spark that evokes some of Magic’s magnetism. New York Daily News

Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird 

Three years ago, it was through a superb book by Hall of Famer Jackie McMullen entitled “When The Game Was Ours.” Two years back, it was in an HBO Documentary called “Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals.” And now they’ve taken over the Great White Way, or at least a bright corner of it inside the Longacre Theatre, where “Magic/Bird” premieres Wednesday night. “No question, the story somehow still resonates, and that has to surprise both of us,” Magic said while perched over the stage from the front row of the balcony Monday. “I mean, the book captured our voices — not only as players, but who we are as men. And HBO tied it together very well, after we went into it thinking, ‘Ehhh ... they don’t know us as well as some writers did.’ “And now this,” he added, chuckling and nodding toward the stage, where a crew was entering its third hour of moving lights around. “I’m interested to see how people react to it, because really, we never saw it coming.” Newark Star-Ledger

Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird 

We reminded him of an astute observation from Michael Jordan about a decade ago: Too often nowadays the league tries to create stars before they’ve earned it. “But you didn’t create Magic and Larry — they created themselves,” Jordan concluded. “A good point,” Magic replied. “I think it says something about the way we came up, (vis-à-vis) what Dwight and Andrew are going through. Neither guy went to college. Both had to grow up before our eyes instead of already having the maturity to handle this. “We could handle everything that came our way. But these guys don’t understand that when you perform selfish acts, that hurts the team. We were about one thing — elevating the team.” Newark Star-Ledger

Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird 

Reactions from the Lakers and throughout the NBA on news that Magic Johnson's group is buying the Dodgers: — Jerry Buss, Lakers owner: "Magic Johnson is probably the most beloved sports figure in Los Angeles history. In addition to being a phenomenal success on the court in leading the Lakers to five NBA championships, he has been a success in everything else he's become involved with, most notably his spectacular business career and also his educational campaign on behalf of HIV awareness. I'd like to congratulate Magic and his partners on their acquisition of the Dodgers and wish them the best of luck." — Kobe Bryant: "Magic's got his hands everywhere, man. But I'm happy for him. Obviously, everybody knows how well-loved he is in Los Angeles and he's starting another chapter in his life and another chapter in his post-NBA career of rebuilding the Dodgers' franchise." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Jerry Buss, MLB, Los Angeles Dodgers 

Scott will have no problem getting a line on good Los Angeles Dodgers tickets. His former teammate and good friend Magic Johnson is part of an ownership consortium that's reportedly purchasing the Dodgers for a record $2.15 billion. "I know he's got a lot of money, but I think he was able to say, 'I'll put in this amount and you can use me in the public and be more of a [public relations] guy as well and the face of the franchise, which I think is probably invaluable, especially being in Los Angeles," Scott said Wednesday. Cleveland Plain Dealer

Cleveland Cavaliers, Byron Scott, Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Dodgers 

Arash Markazi: A fan just kissed Magic Johnson's statue before the Clippers-Suns game and screamed, "Thank you!" Twitter

Magic Johnson