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“Praying For The Captain”: Magic Johnson Pens Heartfelt Note For Kareem Abdul-Jabbar After ‘Accidental’ Fall

Published 12/16/2023, 6:48 PM EST

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The NBA world met with worrying news as the sun rose on Saturday morning. Media channels broke that Lakers Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had been hospitalized after a scary fall at a concert. Fans grew concerned, immediately praying for the Hall of Famer. Soon, his long-time business partner released a medical statement that described the events of Friday night. As the update surfaced, fans continued to pray, and Magic Johnson dropped a heartfelt message on Twitter.

The statement confirmed that Abdul-Jabbar, “Kareem had an accidental fall and broke his hip. He will have surgery today.” Furthermore, his business partner thanked the doctors and team at UCLA for their prompt response to provide aid and care for Abdul-Jabbar. The NBA world let out a small sigh of relief.

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Laced with concern, Johnson took to Twitter and wished for a quick recovery. He lovingly addressed Kareem as his “Showtime Teammate” and added, “Praying for the Captain!” 

Magic Johnson and Kareem-Abdul Jabbar donned the Lakers jersey together, winning 5 championship titles together. Both teammates have previously been vocal about their love for each other. They have shared several anecdotes that have won over fans, who more often than not term them to be one of the NBA’s best duos.

Magic Johnson’s Anecdote On Kareem-Abdul Jabbar

Infamously, it is claimed that in 1980, when Magic joined the Lakers, there was an air of tension. However, with time, there developed an understanding and friendship between Kareem and Magic, thereby diffusing this tension. Magic once said, We took off, our relationship took off, the team took off. So I love Kareem, the smartest athlete I’ve ever met in my life, he’s amazing.”

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While stating this, the Lakers Legend narrated a hilarious story from his rookie days. During Magic’s first-ever NBA game, he was left in awe of Kareem after the duo helped Lakers clinch a win. The reality of having helped Kareem and the Lakers win hit Johnson, who couldn’t shy away from his emotions. Supposedly, he ran up and gave Abdul-Jabbar a big hug – a gesture that didn’t sit well.

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Magic said, “Rookie don’t ever do that again, we have 81 more games we can’t be this high after the first game.” The locker room waited with bated breath to see how the young rookie would respond. However, Johnson’s response was fearless. He said, “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.” 

What are your thoughts on the bond between Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Shriya Rajachandra

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Shriya Rajachandra is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. She earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism, Psychology, and Communicative English. Shriya previously interned at The New Indian Express, but her favorite journalist, Marcus Thompson motivated her to start writing about basketball.
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Edited by:

Daniel D'Cruz