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“I Said Prince, We Close at 2AM….”: Magic Johnson Shares Most “Thrilling Experiences” with Michael Jackson and American Singing Legend

Published 01/17/2023, 12:30 PM EST

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NBA legend Magic Johnson was one of the most popular athletes during his playing career. Coming from the small town of Lansing, Michigan, Johnson struggled to navigate the city of Los Angeles initially. However, with the help of his teammates and legendary owner Dr Jerry Buss, Magic soon became an icon in the city. Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, he made friends with many Hollywood superstars and celebrities, including legendary artists Prince and Michael Jackson.

The five-time NBA champion recently joined former NBA stars Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson in the All The Smoke podcast of ShowTime Basketball. During the show, Magic opened up about a variety of interesting things that had occurred throughout his life.

Magic Johnson on Prince’s pajama parties

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Towards the end of the All The Smoke podcast, there was a quick fire round where hosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson asked Magic Johnson some interesting questions. In one instance, former Los Angeles Lakers player Barnes asked about musician Prince’s pajama parties in Magic’s theater. As soon as Barnes asked, Johnson and the fans broke out laughing. The 3-time MVP then revealed the story behind the pajama parties.

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Magic recounted that he received a call from Prince and he could not believe that it was actually the superstarhimself. Johnson added, “I said: ‘What’s up?’ He said: ‘Man I wanna come to your movie theater about 2 AM in the morning.’ I said: ‘Prince we close at 2 AM.’ He said, ‘I know. That’s why I wanna come and I want to bring my own people.'”

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So he accepted the musician’s request and made it happen. Magic then added Prince showed up at the theater with a big bus full of people wearing pajamas. He noted there were drinks, popcorn, etc, and Prince and everyone enjoyed watching movies till 4 or 5 in the morning. The 12-time NBA all-star also stated that Prince requested the theater for pajama parties many times because they had so much fun.

Johnson about going on tour with Michael Jackson

After talking about the Prince’s pajama parties in his theater, Magic Johnson then revealed his greatest thrill. He said, “But you know what was cool? My greatest thrill was going on tour with him [Prince] and then going on tour with Michael Jackson.”

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The Hall of Famer noted that he had gone on tour with Michael Jackson twice. He then talked about the how legendary musician and he escaped thousands of fans waiting outside hotels. Magic disclosed that the fans would think Michael Jackson would be in the limo and follow it while he and Jackson would ride in a van to the stage. He added MJ’s work ethic inspired him to be a better basketball player.

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Written by:

Bagavathi Eswaran

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Bagavathi Eswaran is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He has been playing the game of basketball for more than 20 years now and has also been following the NBA for more than 10 years. After not being able to go pro, this former college player decided to join the IT industry.
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Edited by:

Satagni Sikder