Dousing 40YO Magic Johnson Beef Fire, 2x NBA Champ Finally Debunked Controversial Lakers Trade

The Los Angeles Lakers and everything that went into building them into a dynasty are portrayed in the show ‘Winning Time’. The show follows the lives of the Buss family and the players of the team—especially Magic Johnson. As a rookie, he changed the trajectory of the franchise. But tensions were high between Magic and his former teammate back in 1980. Or so we thought.

Norm Nixon, the two-time NBA champion, revealed recently that ‘Winning Time‘ might have exaggerated the details a bit too much for entertainment purposes.

Nix0n reveals the truth about his relationship with Magic

Norm Nixon was in his third season when the Los Angeles Lakers drafted Magic Johnson. With a rookie coming to take his spot on the team, tension rose within the organization. That’s what we were told based on the show. But Nixon begs to differ.

Norm Nixon was traded in the 1983-1984 season. It was always speculated that Jerry West traded him because of the tension between the two parties. So the trade put an end to the feud between the two. But in the show, there was an instance when Michael Cooper had to separate Magic and Nixon while they were fighting. But it was never confirmed by any of the parties involved.

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But recently, a TMZ reporter asked Nixon if Michael Cooper ever had to break up a fight between him and Magic. Nixon immediately said that it was not true, and it never got close to that.

With Nixon saying that the facts were not true and the show blew things out of proportion for the viewers, this might be one of the reasons why many former players have refused to watch the show.

Magic Johnson vs. Norm Nixon

Norm Nixon was a great point guard. But when someone like Magic Johnson was brought to the team, it meant that he had to relegate himself to a secondary role even though he was great on the floor. The responsibility of having to share the ball with a rookie is said to be the reason behind the feud.

With Nixon’s no-filter attitude and comments about Magic, the media also twisted the words of the Laker great. This all eventually culminated with Nixon getting traded to the Clippers for Byron Scott. Well, it’s safe to say that not keeping true to the original content has definitely altered how people perceive the show.

Players like James Worthy are not watching the show. He said it was because they did not include him in the series, nor did they come to him for any interviews. The show was not well received by the fans. As viewership dropped along with the writer’s strike, HBO decided to cancel the show after the second season.

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What do you think of Norm Nixon’s statement? Let us know in the comments!