Some of the best stories behind the scenes of the Showtime Lakers was when ‘fresh meat’ came along. When Magic Johnson wasn’t the literal ‘Young Buck’ of the team, he was teaming up with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to haze the newbies. Those rookies would be so blinded by the Showtime dazzle, they had no idea they were walking into a Wile E. Coyote-style secret trap. At least Byron Scott was unprepared when he arrived in LA.

Scott was selected by the erstwhile San Diego Clippers in 1983 and traded to the Los Angeles Lakers a couple of days before his NBA debut. The early incarnation of the Clippers was one of the worst teams in the NBA. So being traded away felt like a huge promotion to the Inglewood native.

On an All Star edition of the Fast Break podcast. he described it as going from “the f—house to the penthouse.” That was till a cold reality check from the Showtime centerpiece.

The “penthouse” came with chores. Scott described walking onto the floor for his first practice, arriving early to show his rookie discipline, only to be met by the looming presence of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

While Magic offered a casual “What’s up?”, the captain’s greeting was far more legendary. “Kareem comes out. I said, ‘What’s up, Cap?’ He said, ‘Go get me some water, boy.’ Just like that. Water boy right there. That’s Cap, right?”

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And that’s the story of how Byron Scott became the ‘Water Boy.’ To be fair, Kareem was notoriously hard to please even for Magic.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar made his rookies work for their spot

Michigan product, Earvin “Magic” Johnson was a 22-year-old loud and vibrant addition to the Lakers with a megawatt smile. And stoic NBA veteran, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at age 32 didn’t vibe with that. He was far from the guy who once gave 11-year-old Magic an autograph.

According to insiders from the Showtime lore (somewhat fueled by that HBO series the Lakers hate), Kareem turned Magic into his errand boy. Johnson fetched the big man’s newspaper, juice, and hot dog when he demanded it.

If that’s true, we can see where Magic got it from when Byron Scott came along. While others might have been crushed, Kareem’s odd brand of rookie initiation shaped his teammates. Scott also turned the ‘water boy’ role into self-assurance.

He had just seen the Kareem and Magic duo in the ’84 finals and found it surreal to suddenly be sharing a gym with his idols. “It was an unreal feeling, but also for me it was like, you know, I belong here,” Scott said. “I thought I did a good enough job in college and high school that I was a little arrogant… I was like, ‘No s—, I’m supposed to be here.'”

And coming back to LA County also gave Scott his hometown edge back. That confidence was instantly tested during drills. “They started trying to beat me up on the court and everything,” Scott said about going into his tough Inglewood upbringing to stand up against Kareem, Magic, and Michael Cooper. That somehow earned their respect and Scott his spot on the squad.

Scott went on to become a key piece of the later Showtime era and help the Lakers win three championships. Yet his rookie welcome serves as a stark reminder that even in the glamour of Showtime, respect from the team’s Cap had to be earned.