From his entry into the NBA in 1979, Earvin “Magic” Johnson began the era of “Showtime” in Los Angeles. The uniquely-sized 6’9” point guard from Michigan State immediately paid dividends for the Lakers as he helped lead Los Angeles to the 1980 NBA title. Following the 1980 title, Magic and the Lakers would make four NBA Finals appearances in five seasons, winning it all in 1982 and 1985 and capturing his second Finals MVP in 1982.

Magic Johnson game used jerseys from his early days are hard to find, especially the road purple jerseys. To date, only a handful of road Magic Lakers jerseys have ever hit the market and have been graded as high as the jersey being offered here. This purple mesh Los Angeles Lakers road jersey worn by Magic during the period of 1980-1985. “LAKERS” is sewn on the upper chest in yellow and white tackle twill with Johnson’s number “32” sewn on below in yellow and white shadow tackle twill. The neck and sleeve openings have white/yellow/white band. The back of the jersey has “JOHNSON” sewn on in yellow and white tackle twill with his number “32” sewn on in the same color pattern. The jersey was manufactured by Tiernan of Glendale, California and is an approximate size 42 based on the 21-inch chest measurement, which is the appropriate size for Magic Johnson during that era. Tiernan was the official jersey supplier for the Lakers from 1975-1985. Magic signed his name diagonally on the white area of the “2” on the back of the jersey in blue marker. The jersey shows moderate game use and comes with a full LOA from MEARS (315389) for the game use, grading it a perfect A10. Additionally, there is a LOA from Beckett Authentication for Magic’s signature.

Auction Notepad