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December 13, 2009 –
Los Feliz, CA (Cable Muse Network) -- On a rare 40 degree, rain infested Saturday morning in Los Feliz, California NBA Legend
turned businessman, Earvin “Magic” Johnson held a signing at Costco for his new book When the Game
Was Ours. The signing was scheduled from noon-1:30 pm, however some of the biggest Johnson fans and cohorts
hit upon a way to disembark at the store as early as 5am. These folks ultimately dwelled across eight aisles at the store,
totting up as a horde of nearly 600 Magic Johnson autograph seekers. Within a half hour of his event Johnson cracks a gigantic
grin that is as bright as a sun that could rid of the terrible rain conditions taking place outside of the Costco while the
NBA legend signs everything from books to Upper Deck trading cards to old basketball programs form the Lakers Showtime days
of the 1980’s.
“I feel like I’m
back playing again,” said Magic. “This is the type of crowd you would expect as if I was announcing I was coming
back to play with the Lakers,” he says with a smile. This prompts two teenagers to ask whether Johnson is coming back
to join the defending NBA Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers. A team stacked with the talent of All-Star caliber players in
Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum and Ron Artest not to mention arguably the best player of the last decade, Kobe Bryant.
To clear up any rumors from circulating the net, the 50 year old responded immediately. “I still play basketball and
workout hear and there but the NBA is a young man’s game,” explains the five time NBA champion.
When the Game Was Ours, co-authored with fellow NBA legend Larry Bird and longtime Boston Globe sports writer Jackie MacMullan takes readers behind the scenes and reveals for the first time
the inner-workings of Johnson and Bird's rivalry and how, along the way, they became lifelong friends. From the moment these
two legendary players took the court on opposing sides, they engaged in a fierce physical and psychological battle. Their
uncommonly competitive relationship came to symbolize the most thrilling rivalry in the NBA. Each pushed the other to greatness.
With unprecedented candor, When the Game Was Ours offers a look at the lives and the legendary careers
of two iconic players who changed the game forever.
“Larry and I wanted to give longtime sports fans as close
as first hand encounter in a book as you can get, explained Magic. “I think this book would be great for fans who want
to know more about the evolution of basketball; Me and Larry passed the torch to Michael (Jordan) and Michael (Jordan) passed
it to Kobe (Bryant) and eventually Kobe (Bryant) will pass it to LeBron (James), but I don’t think that will happen
just yet.”
In his 13 seasons with
the Los Angeles Lakers, Johnson claimed five NBA titles
and three MVP awards. He was a 12-time All-Star and a nine-time member of the All-NBA First Team. He won Olympic gold as part of the historic 1992 "Dream Team" in Barcelona and was elected to the Naismith
Hall of Fame in 2002. He was recently, along with Bird, inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Johnson is Vice President and part owner of his beloved
Los Angeles Lakers. His desire to win carried over from the basketball to the boardroom. As Chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises, he now leads the #1 brand in Urban America. Johnson is also
the Founder and Chairman of the Magic Johnson Foundation.
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