It’s often said that greatness doesn’t wait; it shows up early. Look at Kobe Bryant. At Lower Merion High, he scored over 2,800 points and won a state title before heading straight to the 1996 NBA Draft. Shaquille O’Neal? He was already a towering force at Robert G. Cole High, leading his team to a 68–1 record and a state championship. LeBron James? We knew he was special before he even put on a Cavaliers jersey. That kind of early spark? Magic Johnson had it, too.

Before the world called him “Magic,” Earvin Johnson rose to NBA fame with the Lakers. Across 13 seasons, he won five NBA titles, earned three MVPs, and made 12 All-Star teams. He also led the league in assists four times and helped redefine fast-paced basketball. But while fans often remember his no-look passes or Finals performances, the roots of that brilliance trace back to Lansing. That’s where the spark first caught fire long before the cameras followed.

Magic Johnson recently gave us the chance to peek through the curtains of history all the way back to the 1970s when he tweeted, “Throwback Thursday! Check me out when I was in the 8th grade!” Along with it came a newspaper clipping that felt like a time capsule. Back then, he wasn’t “Magic” yet: just Earvin Johnson, a towering 6-foot-5 forward at Dwight Rich Junior High. His numbers, however, were already magical.

The paper read, “Earvin Johnson… established three city junior high basketball records in pacing his team to a second-place finish.” In just ten games, he scored 227 points, pulled down 138 rebounds, and dropped 48 points in a single matchup. That 89–25 win over C.W. Otto? The team’s highest-scoring game ever. Even his squad’s 6–2 season stood strong, just one win shy of topping the league.

It also added a personal touch: “His parents are Mr. and Mrs. Earvin Johnson of 814 Middle St.” That line reminds us he was still a kid with a Lansing address and a dream. Looking at it now, that paper wasn’t just reporting stats, it was witnessing the rise of something special. Before NBA titles and Showtime, there was just Earvin, breaking records in a junior high gym. Isn’t it wild how legends start?

Shaq’s yacht challenge to Magic Johnson is more than a game

This summer, Shaquille O’Neal didn’t just clock into vacation mode. He dialed into something bigger. No games were scheduled, but he made one anyway. From the sunlit streets of Barcelona, Shaq stirred up the kind of moment only he could create. “I’m in Barcelona,” he began, but it didn’t stop there. He was searching. Laughing. Plotting. “I’m looking for Magic Johnson! Hey, Magic… I saw you playing basketball on your yacht.” And just like that, it wasn’t just summer anymore, it was story time.

Magic Johnson and Shaq never played a single NBA minute together. So why this sudden playful hunt? Why the challenge across oceans and luxury vehicles? Shaq explained it loud and proud: “I’ve been wanting to do it for a long time… One-on-one. Your yacht versus my plane.” It wasn’t your typical callout. This was layered with history. It echoed back to 1995, when Shaq dared Hakeem to a million-dollar one-on-one.

And make no mistake, Shaq wasn’t half-hearted. Phone in hand, he roamed Barcelona’s marinas, turning into “Detective O’Neal.” He searched boats, questioned strangers, and offered clues like a man on a serious mission. “I saw a Ferris wheel. I saw an orange road. I saw some buildings,” he said, all while playfully shouting Magic’s name into the sea air. But when there was no reply? He smiled into the lens, introducing a new friend. “Say hello to Julio. Hey, Mr. Magic Johnson. Love you guys. Te amo, Julio. I love you.”

So what makes this more than just a skit? It’s how Shaq did it. Not as a rival, but as a legacy in search of another. Magic had once guided him. Well, while Magic has yet to respond to the challenge, he took the fans on a ride to the past instead.