"He comes in the league with all that stuff and they call it magic" - Why Joe Bryant initially had a problem with Magic Johnson's nickname
When Los Angeles Lakers superstar Earvin Magic Johnson took the league by storm during his rookie year in 1979, the consensus adored the young rising superstar. Johnson, who came fresh out of Michigan State University, was the ultimate media darling, and it helped that his style of play, specifically his penchant for passing the ball, made him even more appealing as a player.
Johnson's ability to creatively pass the ball and create opportunities for his teammates was what initially earned him the nickname Magic during his sophomore year of high school. Everyone was on board with it, at least publicly, except a grumpy old Joe Bryant, who felt that he should've been perceived the way Earvin was.
"He comes in the league with all that stuff and they call it magic," Bryant once said, according to what Mike Sielski wrote in his book: "The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality." "I've been doing it all these years and they call it 'schoolyard.'"
Joe didn't like how he was perceived
By the time Johnson set foot in the league, Bryant was already on his way out and pretty much had the reputation as a bust five years into the league. So it wasn't that Jellybean had animosity towards the Laker rookie, but more so anger towards the NBA and the media for writing him off so quickly. Throughout his eight years in the league, the 6'10'' power forward always went underappreciated by the media.
"When he's playing good which is most of the time, nobody hardly mentions him except to say, 'Well, he made this made mistake.' And when he's playing really good, people say, 'Well, he ought to play better," Joe's wife, Pamela Bryant, once said.
To be fair to the media, Bryant's career didn't turn out like his son's. After a successful collegiate career as a member of the La Salle Explorers from 1973 to 1975, where he averaged 21.8 points in his last year, Joe's talent didn't translate in the pros, which ultimately led him to hop from one team to another.
Joe went from being selected 14th overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 1975 NBA draft to being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he had to accept a bench role. He was then traded again to the San Diego Clippers and Houston Rockets, where Jellybean played his last year in the NBA before pursuing basketball overseas, particularly in Italy. Unlike Johnson, Bryant just couldn't find his footing in the league, which was why the media never loved him the way they loved the superstar point guard.Joe played like Magic
Bryant felt pity for himself in the first place because he felt he was Johnson before the latter developed into the superstar that he eventually became. Joe may have been a forward, but his speed was top-tier, and he was an extremely versatile player who could do everything his coach asked him to do.
"As his skinny body grew corded with muscle, he retained the showy handy-eye coordination he'd always possessed, dribbling the basketball between his legs, swirling it behind his back, spinning to the hoop as if he were smaller, as if he were a guard," wrote Sielski when describing Bryant's game.
Unfortunately, Jellybean's professional career never panned out, even though he had the tools to thrive and make a name for himself. Instead, he's more well-known as Kobe Bryant's father, who eventually became Magic's successor on the Lakers.This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
JJ Redick identified two NBA players Bronny James could emulate
Over the last handful of months, there has been a growing hope that Bronny James can eventually become a legitimate rotation player in the NBA. He put up strong numbers during this past G League regular season, and he played very solid basketball during the Las Vegas summer league this month. There is a continuing debate about what type of player James will be if and when he makes it in the NBA. He has been projected as an undersized shooting guard or even a 3-and-D player, and many feel his defense is his strong suit. But the 6-foot-3 20-year-old has also shown the ability to attack in transition and create for himself off the dribble. Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick came up with two possible players whom James could possibly emulate moving forward, according to an ESPN article. "Redick points to the 6-2, 205-pound Davion Mitchell of the Miami Heat or his friend and former teammate, the 6-1, 190-pound T.J. McConnell of the Indiana Pacers, as examples of the type of game changer James can become," wrote Dave McMenamin. Mitchell has become not just a strong defender but also a potent 3-point shooter over the last couple of years. During the 2024-25 season, he averaged 7.9 points and 4.9 assists a game and made 39.8% of his 3-point attempts. Many basketball fans are likely familiar with McConnell after the Pacers' run to Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. He has been a spark plug off the bench, and there were times in the championship series where he was arguably more impactful than Tyrese Haliburton. McConnell has often been a good 3-point shooter, although he struggled in that department during the 2024-25 regular season. His ability to attack off the dribble and penetrate helped Indiana maintain an up-tempo pace throughout the season until it gave out in the final game of the finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Some are predicting that James will crack the Lakers' rotation this coming season. That would be welcome news, especially given the Lakers' lack of serviceable backcourt depth.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Zach Lowe picks his most intriguing player heading into next season: "He's going to be really, really good, really, really soon"
Zach Lowe picks his most intriguing player heading into next season: "He's going to be really, really good, really, really soon" originally appeared on Basketball Network. Back in his days as an NBA writer, Zach Lowe used to highlight the most intriguing players — no rookies or sophomores allowed — before each season. This segment was recently revived in podcast form. Joined by journalist Howard Beck, both the guest and the host named six players who fit the criteria. Leading Lowe's list was Ausar Thompson, soon entering his third season in the league. Playoff debut against the Knicks Thompson, the Detroit Pistons' fifth overall pick in 2023, got his first real taste of playoff basketball last season — an invaluable experience for any player. Growth only comes from being exposed to high-pressure moments, which Detroit faced plenty of against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference First Round. Although the team from "Motor City" fell in six games, Lowe believes Thompson and the team benefited from the "physicality and intensity" of that series. Playing over 22 minutes per game against the Knicks, Ausar made a noticeable impact, especially with his ability to grab boards. "He's an insane offensive rebounder," Zach said. "In the playoffs, he averaged nearly one and a half free throws per 36 minutes." The stats back it up: the Pistons' young forward, blessed with a seven-foot wingspan, grabbed three offensive rebounds in both Game 2 and Game 6. Lowe also called the former Pine Crest high school player "an absolute force of nature attacking the rim." While his scoring numbers don't fully reflect his impact — Thompson averaged just 11.5 points against New York and can sometimes struggle offensively — it's encouraging to see him play fearlessly, something that has held many players — former All-Star Ben Simmons being one example — is set to break out What sets Ausar apart isn't just his rebounding or aggression at the rim. Zach also highlighted his skill as a "great cutter," a perfect fit for Detroit's offense. Lowe explains that when point guard Cade Cunningham draws double teams, he can quickly swing the ball to center Jalen Duren, whose passing vision creates scoring chances by hitting Thompson on his cuts to the basket. The 48-year-old added that even when Cunningham initiates the offense, Thompson's screens create space and mismatches, using his physicality to battle bigger forwards while still having the edge on most guards. Even if defenders then sag off Thompson because of his dismal three-point shooting — he's not even hitting 20 percent from deep — Lowe says Detroit can still weaponize him through handoffs to shooters coming off screens, like Duncan Robinson. Ultimately, Lowe called Thompson "an incredibly exciting player," noting that his defense is already his biggest strength — and still getting better. "He's just going to be a monster on defense across every position," said the veteran NBA analyst, who believes the sky's the limit for Ausar. "With a season under his belt, a playoff run under his belt — I'm not saying All-Star or anything, that's still a ways off considering he's mostly a garbage man on offense — but he's going to be really, really good, really, really soon," Lowe remarked. Pistons fans will start finding out how soon that prediction plays out — or doesn't — on October 21, 2025, which is opening night of the new NBA story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Lakers jersey history No. 1 — Joe Smith
Through the 2024-25 season, the Los Angeles Lakers have had a total of 506 players suit up for them, going back to their days in Minneapolis. Some were forgettable, some were serviceable, some were good and a select few were flat-out legendary. As the Lakers approach their 80th season of existence (they were founded back in 1946 as the Detroit Gems in the National Basketball League), LeBron Wire is taking a look at each player who has worn their jersey, whether it has been a purple and gold one or the ones they donned back in the Midwest during their early years. Here, we take a look at Joe Smith, a big man who played in the NBA for 16 seasons. Smith was a star at the University of Maryland, where he averaged 20.2 points and 10.7 rebounds a game over two seasons. He was named the AP Player of the Year and the Naismith College Player of the Year in 1995 before the Golden State Warriors made him the No. 1 overall pick in that year's NBA draft. He averaged 15.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks a game during the 1995-96 season and was named to the All-Rookie First Team. During the following season, he posted 18.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. However, that would be the apex of Smith's productivity in the NBA. In the years to come, he would bounce around from team to team, and by the late 2000s, he had become a definite journeyman. Early in the 2010-11 season, the Lakers participated in a three-team trade where they sent out guard Sasha Vujacic and a 2011 first-round pick and received Smith, along with two future second-round picks and a big man named Sergei Lishouk. Smith appeared in 12 games for Los Angeles and had a total of six points on 2-of-12 field-goal shooting, 18 rebounds, four blocks and three assists in 44 minutes. He got 11 minutes of playing time in five playoff games that year but didn't score a single point. That would turn out to be the end of Smith's NBA career.
