Johnson announced his return to basketball for the 1992-93 season, though after practicing during the preseason, he opted out of seasonal play and went back into retirement. He made two other returns to basketball later, entering as a coach for the final sixteen games of the 1993-94 season in the stead of Randy Pfund. After winning only five of those games and not even leading the team into the playoffs, he chose not to coach the following season. Again in 1995-96, Magic returned to basketball as a player, late in the season. He played the final 32 games of the season, and, after the team lost the first round of the playoffs, he retired for the last time. He continues to make charitable appearances on the court, and he's pursued the ownership of two basketball clubs, one Swedish and one Scandinavian. He's played a few games in the Summer Pro League (played just prior to the start of the NBA season and consisting mostly of NBA rookies and sometimes more well known players looking to get in shape), as well as a few games with the teams he owned, though he was injured in a game with his Scandinavian team and prevented from playing any more games. Much like Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson is an iconic figure for the Los Angeles Lakers. |
