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View Full Version : Biggest what Ifs: How magic Johnson nearly played with Kobe and Shaq in 1997


k0kakw0rld
02-04-2021, 12:33 PM
https://zupimages.net/up/21/05/iy0o.jpg (https://zupimages.net/viewer.php?id=21/05/iy0o.jpg)

Here is an article I found online

http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/la-lakers/lakers-history-how-magic-johnson-nearly-played-with-kobe-and-shaq-in-1997/
guy
02-04-2021, 01:03 PM
https://zupimages.net/up/21/05/iy0o.jpg (https://zupimages.net/viewer.php?id=21/05/iy0o.jpg)

Here is an article I found online

http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/la-lakers/lakers-history-how-magic-johnson-nearly-played-with-kobe-and-shaq-in-1997/

He was obviously a shell of himself but still very good. Not sure if another year at 37 years old would've changed that.

Would've been awesome to see that team in the Finals vs the Bulls, but far from a guarantee that they would've beaten the Jazz. I always thought it would've been way more entertaining to see either this Lakers team or the 97 Rockets vs the Bulls that year instead of the Jazz.
rawimpact
02-04-2021, 01:45 PM
Damn look at Mitch in that pic... reminds me of a younger Phil
Psileas
02-04-2021, 07:45 PM
He looks fitter in those 2 photos than what he was in '96, just after coming back. Would love to see some of that footage of him practicing with Shaq/Kobe.
Though he wouldn't obviously return to prime form, there's no reason not to believe he'd be able to become at least slightly better than his '96, mid-season+overweight/fresh from retirement, version, like '95 vs '96 Jordan and accelerate the next Big Duo's progress.
k0kakw0rld
02-04-2021, 08:04 PM
He looks fitter in those 2 photos than what he was in '96, just after coming back. Would love to see some of that footage of him practicing with Shaq/Kobe.
Though he wouldn't obviously return to prime form, there's no reason not to believe he'd be able to become at least slightly better than his '96, mid-season+overweight/fresh from retirement, version, like '95 vs '96 Jordan and accelerate the next Big Duo's progress.

This.

Can you guys just imagine Shq, Kobe and Magic handling the point. DAMNNNN
Smoke117
02-04-2021, 08:07 PM
He looks fitter in those 2 photos than what he was in '96, just after coming back. Would love to see some of that footage of him practicing with Shaq/Kobe.
Though he wouldn't obviously return to prime form, there's no reason not to believe he'd be able to become at least slightly better than his '96, mid-season+overweight/fresh from retirement, version, like '95 vs '96 Jordan and accelerate the next Big Duo's progress.

Jordan was comfortably younger and much more athletic in general so it isn’t the same at all.
Psileas
02-04-2021, 08:20 PM
Jordan was comfortably younger and much more athletic in general so it isn’t the same at all.

'95 Jordan wasn't "comfortably younger and much more athletic" than '96 Jordan, so it's a perfectly valid analogy.
Smoke117
02-04-2021, 08:22 PM
'95 Jordan wasn't "comfortably younger and much more athletic" than '96 Jordan, so it's a perfectly valid analogy.

The point is that Magic would be 37 in 97 and was never the most athletic guy whether in shape or not. You are comparing apples and oranges.
dankok8
02-04-2021, 08:24 PM
I made a thread on this recently. Magic's career is one of the biggest what-if's because the man didn't retire for basketball reasons. I can see him having a 20-year career without HIV because he wasn't injury prone and never really relied on athleticism. He probably could have won a ring in the late 90's for sure too.
k0kakw0rld
02-04-2021, 08:31 PM
I made a thread on this recently. Magic's career is one of the biggest what-if's because the man didn't retire for basketball reasons. I can see him having a 20-year career without HIV because he wasn't injury prone and never really relied on athleticism. He probably could have won a ring in the late 90's for sure too.
Where is it at?

And yeah you are right. He could have won a ring in the late 90s. Well, we will never know and that's so sad tbh.
kuniva_dAMiGhTy
02-04-2021, 08:37 PM
Those matchups vs Utah would've been clean.

Could see LA ringing although they were green and immature before Phil. Who knows? Maybe Magic fills that void.
Psileas
02-04-2021, 08:43 PM
The point is that Magic would be 37 in 97 and was never the most athletic guy whether in shape or not. You are comparing apples and oranges.

You are the one who mentioned athleticism, not me.
I'm not comparing Magic vs Jordan, I'm comparing '96 Magic vs '97 Magic, being potentially similar to '95 Jordan vs '96 Jordan. It doesn't get more "apples vs apples" than that.
Micku
02-04-2021, 09:33 PM
It would definitely be fun to see, not gonn'a lie. But I recall Magic saying that the 96 Lakers were toxic, in modern terms. He said he had more team drama in one year with the 96 Lakers than in the 10 years he was with the Lakers in the 80s. But I have to double check that to be for sure. And Shaq and Kobe was gonn'a make drama no matter what.

But, it would've been a pleasure to see. He wasn't prime Magic, but he was still Magic. He was still good.