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Magic Johnson Returns to Michigan Virtually to Celebrate MSU’s Major Feat

Published 03/04/2024, 11:49 PM EST

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The Michigan State University is raising the bar every year, and it makes Magic Johnson the happiest. The Los Angeles Lakers icon has never missed a chance to celebrate his alma mater. The MSU’s NCAA outburst has put a huge smile on Johnson’s face and this time he went a step further to give his flowers to the women’s team, who have made it to the headlines once again. Well, we are not speaking about the MSU Spartans’ basketball team. That’s a story for another day. The “Lady Spartans” from the gymnastics are the talk of the town and the Lakers champion wanted to credit them face-to-face. 

The 5x champion had some big words for the MSU’s gymnastics team. On X, he shared, “I was really excited to talk to the Lady Spartans Gymnastics team today and personally congratulate them for being back-to-back Big Ten regular season champions!” Johnson did not make a live appearance, rather, he joined the team through a virtual video call to congratulate and wish them luck. 

The next stage is set for the 23rd of this month, where the MSU girls will look to win the Big Ten Championship. The best part is that these youngsters are undefeated 9-0 so far, which makes them one of the strongest teams marching toward the finals. Johnson added, “All of Spartan nation is wishing them well at the Big Ten Championships on March 23rd!”, and hopefully, they can make the 3x MVP prouder. 

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The 197.725 points secured by MSU were its best home score and the 2nd-highest overall score for this season. Notably, they defeated the #14 Ohio State, #15 Minnesota, #23 Nebraska, and Rutgers to finish the regular season in style. 

Who’s the star of MSU gymnastics like Magic Johnson was for the MSU in 1979? 

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The gymnasts are awarded a full score if their performances do not have any flaws. For the NBA folks, let’s imagine this to be similar to a Slam Dunk contest in the All-Star weekend, but on a bigger scale. A full score is not everyone’s cup of tea. The MSU has only a total of 6 full scores in the school’s history, out of which Sophomore Nikki Smith has contributed twice. Although she did not secure one in the recent win, she came close to a 9.975, which gave the team a perfect head start and the rest is well known. 

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Smith is basically the anchor of the team, just like how Magic Johnson was to the MSU’s basketball team in 1979. His heroics for the Michigan unit are quite unmatched and Smith is on the same path for her team this year. The Lakers icon gave his heart out on the court, assisting, rebounding, and scoring in almost every position, which gave the MSU basketball their first-ever championship in 1979. Well, Nikki Smith and the Lady Spartans are undefeated so far, and let’s hope they deliver the final one to honor both Michigan and Magic.

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Written by:

Rohan Dharmalingam

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Rohan Dharmalingam is an NBA beat writer at EssentiallySports, who extensively covers the Lakers. Be it a multimillion dollar deal breaking or a classic throwback, Rohan has covered the many themes and formats. Most notably, his coverage received a shoutout from the Purple & Gold icon Shaquille O'Neal and the rap legend 50 Cent, on Instagram.
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Edited by:

Daniel D'Cruz