It was 1988 or 1989 when I first met the Los Angeles Lakers, also known as the greatest show in L.A., the Lakeshow.
My dad used to study for his tests at Loyola Marymount University. He would take me with him when I was six years old. I’d roam the campus grounds like a kid on a mission. One day, excited and curious, I found the school’s gym, knowing fun and adventure were waiting just for me. Important people stood outside, dressed in suits and security uniforms. I slipped by them and walked right in. Inside, there was one more door before I could step onto the gym’s basketball court. A security guard stood there. “Hey kid, where do you belong?” he asked. I pointed inside the gym. He looked around like he was making a life or death decision, then looked down at me and let me in. As I looked around the court, I could tell I wasn’t supposed to be there. Cameras and lights were everywhere, and I saw the biggest men I’d ever seen. One logo was on everything: LAKERS. It was 1988 or 1989 when I first met the Los Angeles Lakers, also known as the greatest show in L.A., the Lakeshow. They had already won five championships and were the greatest organization to ever exist. As a kid, I didn’t fully understand all that, but standing in that gym, I felt the presence of rings. The energy on that court belonged to superheroes. My six-year-old self stood there in awe, realizing I was in the presence of something much bigger, better, and greater. Now, pick your brain on this: my last name is Johnson. My dad’s name is Irvin Johnson. And one of the greatest players to ever touch a basketball was named Ervin “Magic” Johnson. Can you believe that? After a while, my dad realized I’d been gone too long. He found me in the gym, playing around with A.C. Green and Michael Cooper. They were picking me up so I could slam the ball in the hoop. I remember the look on my dad’s face. He was proud. Months later, I saw those same men on TV. I kept going back to that gym, again and again. That’s when I knew I WAS A LAKER.
