Why didn t Johnson win Rookie of the Year in his rookie season?

There are many players who are at the peak of their NBA debut, and superstars such as Jordan, Duncan, O'Neal, and James can be counted. But compared to magicians, they are still far behind. The Magic debuted as the top show, not to mention the beautiful statistics in the rookie year, and helped the Lakers win the championship in the first year, which is incomparable to other players.

Not only that, but he also won the FMVP with his outstanding performance, and it can be said that he stood at the top as soon as he entered the league and was a winner in life. Interestingly, as strong as Magic, he didn't win the rookie of the year either, so who did he lose to?

Magicians became famous very early, and when they were in college, they were recognized by Dr. J and locked in the top spot early. In 1979, the Lakers, who held the No. 1 pick, took off the Magic. At that time, the Lakers still had supergiant Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the Magic Hook combination quickly dominated the league.

In his rookie year, the Magic averaged 18 points, rebounds, assists and steals per game to help the Lakers. In the playoffs, the Magic's performance went to the next level, averaging a quasi-triple-double of points, rebounds and assists per game, leading the Lakers to a championship.

Due to Abdul-Jabbar's injury in the finals, Magic led the team to win the championship at a critical moment, and his performance was too good, so he won the MVP trophy in the finals. He is the youngest FMVP in history and the only one in his rookie year. This year, the Magic is an All-Star + Second Team + Championship + FMVP.

However, in the selection of the best rookie, he lost to his old rival Bird.

Bird was the No. 6 pick in '78, and he didn't land in the NBA until he graduated from college, so he entered the league in the same year as Magic. In his rookie season, Bird averaged points, rebounds, assists and steals per game, and his appearance made the Celtics jump from 29 wins to 61 wins. This kind of performance can be said to be a once-in-20 year.

In the end, Bird was named to the All-Star and All-Star team.

In the regular season, Bird's statistics were more gorgeous, the honors were more dazzling, and the team's performance was more prominent, and he beat the Magic to become the best rookie, which was well deserved. Not only that, the first half of the magician's career was actually pressed by Bird, and when Bird was at the peak of the three consecutive MVPs, the magician didn't have a single MVP, and he was very anxious for a while. It was only later in his career that the magician achieved a comeback.

It can only be said that the magician is not complaining about losing to Bird.

Because Johnson lost to Larry Bird, who averaged rebounds and assists per game, and the stats were better.

Because he was injured in the previous game, his strength was seriously affected, and he was injured in the course of this game.

Because he didn't play very well in his rookie season and didn't get many opportunities to play.

If there is anything most striking about the NBA in the 80s of the last century, it must be the Lakers of the Showtime era. And the leader of this super show is undoubtedly the all-time No. 1 point guard Magic Johnson.

After being drafted by the Lakers with the No. 1 pick in '79, the Magic started a rookie season that can be called "open". Not only did he average points, rebounds, assists, and steals per game in the regular season, but he even stepped up in the desperate situation of Abdul-Jabbar and helped the Lakers win the final championship as a rookie and was crowned FMVP, becoming the first rookie FMVP in history.

However, the Magician, who won many awards that year, did not win the final Best Rookie, which also made many fans wonder which one could snatch the Best Rookie award from the rookie, that is, the Magic of FMVP? That's right, this legendary cowman is the magician's lifelong enemy - Larry Bird.

In fact, as early as the 1978 draft, the Celtics selected Bird, but Bird chose to stay in the NCAA for a year so that he could finish college and then enter the league, so in fact, Bird and the Magic landed in the NBA at the same time. Bird, who was highly expected by the Celtics, handed over gorgeous statistics of points, rebounds, assists and steals per game in his rookie season, and led the Celtics to a terrifying record of 61 wins, considering that the Celtics only had 29 wins in the previous season. Seeing this, it is not difficult to see why Magic lost to Bird in the competition for the best rookie, although the Magic rookie season also has 18+7+7 comprehensive statistics and FMVP trophy, but it is still slightly inferior in front of Bird, who is the rookie and the king.

The rivalry between the lifelong rivals also kicked off with a rookie of the best game, with the Magic reportedly furious in the locker room after hearing that Bird had won the rookie of the best award, vowing to take out the Celtics. In the years that followed, the duo led the team to dominate the entire '80s, winning eight NBA championships. In the three finals between the two, the Magic won two of them, which is also the fulfillment of his vow.

A lifelong enemy on the field, but off the field is a lifelong friend. Although they fought openly and secretly on the field, they were best friends off the court, and the two were inseparable even during offseason training. And when the young magician was diagnosed with AIDS, the first greeting he received was from Bird

Brother, how can I help you? "To have such a brother when he was sick may be God's compensation for the loss of the best rookie in the Magic.

No two players in NBA history have made such a difference in the NBA as much as Bird and Magic, and the two of them were the perfect duo in that dark era of the NBA. Regardless of who won the Rookie of the Year award, both were destined to become the league's brightest stars.

Because Johnson lost to Bird, Bird's team record and statistics are better than Johnson's.

Because his personal strength was not fully shown, there was a certain gap between his performance in the draft and usual.

Because there are rookies who perform much better than him, he can't win the best rookie by others.