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“Don’t Ever Do That Again”: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Who Was Taught by the Calm Bruce Lee, Admits He Ripped Magic Johnson for Sweet Gesture

Published 11/25/2022, 9:10 AM EST

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The Lakers legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar got a bit annoyed with a hug from fellow Lakers legend Magic Johnson. This happened when Johnson won his debut match after a splendid Abdul Jabbar winner. Recently, both Magic and Abdul Jabbar talked about this story in the documentary They call me Magic.

The documentary of Johnson revealed several interesting details, ranging from how he got the name ‘Magic’ to overcoming all staggering odds after his HIV infection. In one instance of the documentary, both the Lakers’ legends explained the incident that took place after Johnson’s debut game.

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Interestingly, Abdul Jabbar learned a lot from superstar Bruce Lee, who was a long-time friend of his before even Lee was famous. He once discussed his relationship with the martial arts trailblazer Bruce Lee. Kareem revealed how he initially met Lee and how training with him for years allowed him to stay healthy throughout his NBA career.

Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar reflect on the hug

Magic Johnson won his debut game after getting picked by the Lakers in the 1979 NBA draft. However, Abdul Jabbar went on to stunt Johnson’s excitement in the locker room after he got annoyed by his hug.

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Abdul Jabbar opened up on Johnson’s documentary and said that he addressed Johnson as a rookie and said, “Rookie! Don’t ever do that again!” The six-time NBA champion added, he said Magic not be emotional level after every win as they still had 81 games left to play.

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He further said if they get excited after every win, they would get wasted by Christmas. However, Johnson replied by saying, “He pointed at me so I pointed at him, if ever hit a shot like that 81 more times, Ima jump in your arms 81 more times.” 

via Imago

Abdul Jabbar and Magic were two very different individuals. While Magic showed his emotions a lot, Abdul Jabbar was a calm but strong presence. They did not have the best of starts as teammates. However, the legends soon started trusting each other, and this ultimately helped the Lakers win multiple championships.

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What do you think about this incident between NBA legends Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Ayush Roy

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Ayush Roy is an NBA writer at Essentially Sports. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Calcutta. Capitalizing his background in finance, Ayush likes to dive deep into the economics of the NBA.
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Edited by:

Bagavathi Eswaran