Thanks for posting! Man it takes me back but this has to be the sickest passer ever to play the game! I had to watch it twice just to see where the ball went!
My mom isn't much of a basketball fan but she always would talk about the passes magic made to his other teammates. I'm now seeing all the gameplay as I was too young to even see or remember
Not only the greatest passer ever, but I've never seen a better finisher or more effective post player. Greatest player ever not only as a winner but also for how he made everyone else on the court better and along with Bill Walton and Larry Bird changed how the game was played.
Great video. The guy is an amazing passer. Have to give his teammates credit as well for having good hands and being able to catch some of those rockets.
Also, I'll take Byron Scott over shooters like Monta Ellis, Jason Richardson, Ben Gordon, Michael Redd, maybe even Ray Allen (that might be a stretch), etc.. any day of the week during any era of basketball.
@chart3 I'm glad you added the parentheses to ray allen lol people forget how much of a beast he used to be. far from just a shooter. used to put in 25 a night
1) I don't know why people don't consider Magic to have been very athletic. His reaction time is faster than basically everyone else's on the court and he could run like a deer with his 6'9" frame with a LOW dribble which is very hard to do full speed at that height. So what if he didn't have gravity-defying hops, he could still play ever position on the floor and DOMINATE.
2) I never realized how large his hands were until watching 4:51 where he's palming the ball.
Greatest. Player. Ever. Jordan may have been the best individual player, but since basketball is a team sport, I'd have to say Magic is the greatest and the first person I'd pick if I ever could build a team. He could shoot, pass, defend, block... he did it all. And he made everyone around him better and was the true focal point of the entire team. I was fortunate enough to see him play and his skill was simply mystifying.
@gamblour Exactly right sir!! I too count myself lucky for having seen his entire career & I know that he was every bit as good as you say, if not even better!! When I tell younger people about how good this guy was they think I am exaggerating,... what they can't quite understand is that it's almost impossible to overstate the greatness of Magic! We'll never see anything like him again.
@gamblour Excellent comment. I completely agree. Jordan was overhyped. Magic was a great innovator of the game. Jordan has spawned two generations of players who can do little more than dunk and shoot the three.
@iambillym1 Overhyped? Maybe. Even the GOAT can be overhyped at times, I'll agree with that. But it's hardly his fault that today's players can do little more than dunk and shoot the three. Dunking, maybe, but threes were never his strong suit to begin with. His mid-range game was actually his bread and butter. The (over)usage of the three has simply come along with the times, not Jordan going ballistic from beyond the arc.
@toomuchfails Good points about Jordan, and there was, of course, much more to his game than scoring. I guess what I'm trying to say is that today's players tend to be too focused on spectacular individual scoring plays,and neglect the finer points of team play (great passing) that innovators like Bird, Magic,Bill Walton and others brought to the game,and this is a product of the overhyped Jordan era and today's players copying his and Kobe's style of play.Consider how limited Lebron's game is.
@gamblour Magic was perhaps the greatest team player in the history of sports. He made basketball into an art form. Jordan and Bryant's games are very similar but NOBODY has come close to reminding me of Magic Johnson.
@gamblour MAGIC is the best ALL AROUND player ever. JORDAN is still the GREATEST player. If i wanted to build a team, it would be tough, but I'd take a JORDAN and his ability to win against ANY and EVERYBODY before i take Magic. It'll be tough tho. But JORDAN single handedly came in and took Magic and Showtimes SPOTLIGHT, and NEVER gave it back! And it was nothin anyone could do about it.
@gamblour Magic's a great ball stealer, but his overall defense is just average. Hence, he's a 0-time all defensive team member. He's one of my favorite players but he can only "do it all" on one end of the court.
@jp3813 Dominating a game without taking a shot, that's something you rarely, if ever, see. Magic could do that. Sure, he was an average defender, but most superstars are. There aren't many MJ's out there.
@75samuel75 Well yeah, like I said, he could "do it all" on one end of the court. Other great players like MJ, Bird, Oscar, Wilt, etc... could also dominate the game w/o taking a shot; they just choose to score big along the way. Magic's 20 ppg average indicates that he chose to score as well. But the point is, Magic didn't "do it all" on defense like some people here tend to believe.
Thanks for the upload-this is so much fun to watch. What a great player and creative passer. Such great court vision. Can you imagine trying to defend Magic at 6-9 pushing the ball up the court. People forget that Magic was a great dribbler and ball handler because of his passing skills. Magic and Bird truly brought passing to the NBA--where is it now? Oh yeah - on lockout.
How in the WORLD do u catch th0se bullet train passes??! Those passes looks so easy to steal but if u fcking touch that ball ur hands will BURN! Magic lucky his teamates could catch his passes. And how do u fucking throw passes in that speed it like LIGHTNING. No word can describe magic's greatness!!
Magic had the fastest and most accurate passes I've ever seen, It's gotta b super hard to make a pin-point pass going 100 mph but he made it look easy, he would just burn the D on a super fast pass and let his teammates do the rest and collect the dime
Magic was the man. The guy could have scored 40 every night if he wanted, but he knew winning and running the show was most important. Amazing player.
I like that they showed the misses too. Those passes are no less spectacular, and its not his fault they missed the shots. On a related note, Magic was also lucky to have so many teammates with good hands (worthy, scott, Cap, etc.) that could handle the bullet passes.
@DrmrGuy1979 The comparison is off for sure, but I don't think its just because they are white. They are both forwards who shoot the ball exceptionally well. I think the people that make that comparison, forget what a great all-around player Bird was. Top notch passer and rebounder in addition to a top notch shooter.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
While an excellent athlete, Magic Johnson has AIDS so he should be a role model to no one. The fact that videos like this deify him and his lifestyle which led to AIDS is a disservice to impressionable children and young adults who may then try to emulate him. I am proud to be the first person to "dislike" this video. But I hope I am not the last.
Thanks for the video. Very rare footage -- great finds! Thanks for not recycling the same Magic highlights that are floating around from NBA TV and others.
There were some truly great ones in here, but I still haven't seen anyone upload the highlight where Magic made a 50-foot softball-styled pass (under handed) at the Forum.
Its probably because it was only a "Prime Ticket" game -- a home game that only a few were able to watch in '87 or sometime around then.
Great Job, Aas ever Fatal. Good editing. Lots of games watched to pick these.
The game vs the suns where he does to me the best pass ever...to b. scott fot that nuts and 1 dunk is unreal always wanted that game. I hope to have it soon.
It maybe not the best 'pass ever' but the whole combo is EPIC!
@marshmallowok Sad that that's damned near what the game has become today,... slow & boring with no fundamentals skills for the most part. I just wish I could see the mid 80's "Showtime" Lakers play against any team you want to choose from today,... it would be a massacre.
imagine how many more assists he would've had if James Worthy made his shots.
comebacktyme 1 day ago
Thanks for posting! Man it takes me back but this has to be the sickest passer ever to play the game! I had to watch it twice just to see where the ball went!
blurrg1 1 day ago
I know Magic's teammates had a ball playing with him. His nickname fit his game to a T
Mistuhbig 2 days ago
dude should be a quarter back
Frongner1 2 days ago
Thank you for this fatalf9sh
hightide147 2 days ago
dammmmn magic was dirty
ninzaburoooooo 4 days ago
my eyes are sharp but some of those passes were
really quick. esp passes in traffic
he knows at a distance if a defender isn't looking
then he passes through the blind side
ojstrike 6 days ago
I'm just amazed how his passes are so accurate that they don't get stolen even when the pass go between several defenders
stevenash13beast 1 week ago
@SupremeTeamFP I smell a hater
Hackerhawiti 1 week ago
Magic.. the best passer in the history of basketball, not even close, end of discussion.
DevilzDandruff 1 week ago
1:44 is one of the best passes displayed in this vid
grazemn 2 weeks ago
@grazemn he is so fast, i can barely see the ball in slow mo..
504Diva 1 week ago
when you can make a highlight reel over 6 minutes long of just passes...you gotta be magic
camtheman1807 4 weeks ago
My mom isn't much of a basketball fan but she always would talk about the passes magic made to his other teammates. I'm now seeing all the gameplay as I was too young to even see or remember
igfromthe323 4 weeks ago
Magic made passing an art form. he made it cool to do long bounce passes.
GunterJPN 4 weeks ago
This has been flagged as spam show
hahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaah
xshine143 1 month ago
fucked up passing skills !!!!!
xshine143 1 month ago
imagine if he was a quarter back?
Barstian 1 month ago
I had to watch 0:17 a thousand times, and I still don't understand it,
Randon1928 1 month ago
@iambillym1 Magic was innovator. Lebron is only good at what has already been done
Hackerhawiti 1 month ago
The best to ever play the game
roddit1 1 month ago
Crazy he's like a quarterback
sicknero1 1 month ago
Now I know why they said he had eyes in the back of his head. Magic was incredible! I've never seen passes like that by any pg in this era.
Fluxxxx 1 month ago
There hasn't been a player after Magic that made me loose track of the ball. The best ever!
MrTachyon3000 1 month ago
Nearly every pass is a bullet. I don't think many of today's players would catch them. They don't expect passes like these.
ShuttlesworthJesus 1 month ago
Not only the greatest passer ever, but I've never seen a better finisher or more effective post player. Greatest player ever not only as a winner but also for how he made everyone else on the court better and along with Bill Walton and Larry Bird changed how the game was played.
iambillym1 1 month ago
Great video. The guy is an amazing passer. Have to give his teammates credit as well for having good hands and being able to catch some of those rockets.
237b 1 month ago
Wow he is the Best in the WEST & EAST !!
rdhbraum 1 month ago
double teaming magic was the worst idea. The best way to guard him was one on one. The second you leave you man to double him, your man scores!
lukatme2 1 month ago
I think Steve Nash can pass better
ACDM95 1 month ago
@ACDM95 I'm still trying to figure out if your being sarcastic.
glong86 1 month ago
@ACDM95 As great as Steve Nash is, you can't be serious.
iambillym1 1 month ago
WOW he is so good!!!!!
TheApril1230 2 months ago
2 jackasses apparently watched this.
ProOcho116 2 months ago
"Giving Magic the basketball is like giving Hitler an army, Jesse James a gang, or Genghis Khan a horse." -Jim Murray, about Earvin Johnson
JonasDkingster 2 months ago
Straight DIMES!
JMorales1032 2 months ago
My God! this guy is amazing!
MadridNFRoses 2 months ago
marlone and stockton why u guys gonna hate on this vid??
ToNywhitetee26 2 months ago 13
@chart3 4:51 that was a sweet pass that only magic could make
rodney1b 2 months ago
Also, I'll take Byron Scott over shooters like Monta Ellis, Jason Richardson, Ben Gordon, Michael Redd, maybe even Ray Allen (that might be a stretch), etc.. any day of the week during any era of basketball.
chart3 2 months ago
@chart3 I'm glad you added the parentheses to ray allen lol people forget how much of a beast he used to be. far from just a shooter. used to put in 25 a night
trentmt11 2 months ago
A few observations:
1) I don't know why people don't consider Magic to have been very athletic. His reaction time is faster than basically everyone else's on the court and he could run like a deer with his 6'9" frame with a LOW dribble which is very hard to do full speed at that height. So what if he didn't have gravity-defying hops, he could still play ever position on the floor and DOMINATE.
2) I never realized how large his hands were until watching 4:51 where he's palming the ball.
chart3 2 months ago 5
Comment removed
chart3 2 months ago
damn ... worthy's finising ability is CRAZY, best damn real fastbreak wingman
25AInMR25 2 months ago
The best EVER!!! no one can surpass the MAGIC MAN!
BBalltayo 2 months ago
The second bounce pass is funny but awesome
RandomFTWClips 2 months ago
This was way too short. I was just getting into it when it ended. Awesome.
tjd10 2 months ago
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Greatest. Player. Ever. Jordan may have been the best individual player, but since basketball is a team sport, I'd have to say Magic is the greatest and the first person I'd pick if I ever could build a team. He could shoot, pass, defend, block... he did it all. And he made everyone around him better and was the true focal point of the entire team. I was fortunate enough to see him play and his skill was simply mystifying.
gamblour 2 months ago
Comment removed
bobyost42 2 months ago
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@gamblour Exactly right sir!! I too count myself lucky for having seen his entire career & I know that he was every bit as good as you say, if not even better!! When I tell younger people about how good this guy was they think I am exaggerating,... what they can't quite understand is that it's almost impossible to overstate the greatness of Magic! We'll never see anything like him again.
bobyost42 2 months ago
@gamblour Mystifying is great way to describe... MAGIC.
chart3 2 months ago
@gamblour Excellent comment. I completely agree. Jordan was overhyped. Magic was a great innovator of the game. Jordan has spawned two generations of players who can do little more than dunk and shoot the three.
iambillym1 1 month ago
@iambillym1 Overhyped? Maybe. Even the GOAT can be overhyped at times, I'll agree with that. But it's hardly his fault that today's players can do little more than dunk and shoot the three. Dunking, maybe, but threes were never his strong suit to begin with. His mid-range game was actually his bread and butter. The (over)usage of the three has simply come along with the times, not Jordan going ballistic from beyond the arc.
toomuchfails 1 month ago
@toomuchfails Good points about Jordan, and there was, of course, much more to his game than scoring. I guess what I'm trying to say is that today's players tend to be too focused on spectacular individual scoring plays,and neglect the finer points of team play (great passing) that innovators like Bird, Magic,Bill Walton and others brought to the game,and this is a product of the overhyped Jordan era and today's players copying his and Kobe's style of play.Consider how limited Lebron's game is.
iambillym1 1 month ago
@gamblour Magic was perhaps the greatest team player in the history of sports. He made basketball into an art form. Jordan and Bryant's games are very similar but NOBODY has come close to reminding me of Magic Johnson.
DevilzDandruff 1 week ago
@gamblour MAGIC is the best ALL AROUND player ever. JORDAN is still the GREATEST player. If i wanted to build a team, it would be tough, but I'd take a JORDAN and his ability to win against ANY and EVERYBODY before i take Magic. It'll be tough tho. But JORDAN single handedly came in and took Magic and Showtimes SPOTLIGHT, and NEVER gave it back! And it was nothin anyone could do about it.
SupremeTeamFP 1 week ago
@gamblour Magic's a great ball stealer, but his overall defense is just average. Hence, he's a 0-time all defensive team member. He's one of my favorite players but he can only "do it all" on one end of the court.
jp3813 1 day ago
@jp3813 Dominating a game without taking a shot, that's something you rarely, if ever, see. Magic could do that. Sure, he was an average defender, but most superstars are. There aren't many MJ's out there.
75samuel75 8 hours ago
@75samuel75 Well yeah, like I said, he could "do it all" on one end of the court. Other great players like MJ, Bird, Oscar, Wilt, etc... could also dominate the game w/o taking a shot; they just choose to score big along the way. Magic's 20 ppg average indicates that he chose to score as well. But the point is, Magic didn't "do it all" on defense like some people here tend to believe.
jp3813 1 hour ago
Wish I could of lived during his prime. But I was born in 92 haha. Best point guard ever. We'll never see another 6'9 PG.
YSRrider 2 months ago
GREATEST POINT GUARD EVER!!! Period, end of discusion..
Brothabone1977 3 months ago
Magic Johnson would've been the best QB the NFL would've ever seen. I'm convinced his entire head was a cleverly disguised eye w/ perfect vision.
HooliganMovement 3 months ago
Thanks for the upload-this is so much fun to watch. What a great player and creative passer. Such great court vision. Can you imagine trying to defend Magic at 6-9 pushing the ball up the court. People forget that Magic was a great dribbler and ball handler because of his passing skills. Magic and Bird truly brought passing to the NBA--where is it now? Oh yeah - on lockout.
mrho4speed 3 months ago
I am in awe of the skills this dude had, the precision, creativity and energy!!!! Poetry in motion..........;-)
unitychikoto 3 months ago
and people compare him to lebron... smh 0.o
LakersFTW1 3 months ago
@LakersFTW1 MAGIC was miles beyond Lebron in terms of his passing, finishing and post up abilities, focus, and the ability to make winning plays.
iambillym1 1 month ago
he saw the game in 6D or something
louridah2 3 months ago
How in the WORLD do u catch th0se bullet train passes??! Those passes looks so easy to steal but if u fcking touch that ball ur hands will BURN! Magic lucky his teamates could catch his passes. And how do u fucking throw passes in that speed it like LIGHTNING. No word can describe magic's greatness!!
eman6538 3 months ago
Magic had the fastest and most accurate passes I've ever seen, It's gotta b super hard to make a pin-point pass going 100 mph but he made it look easy, he would just burn the D on a super fast pass and let his teammates do the rest and collect the dime
Jaymez2012 3 months ago
@afromaster1552 no magic is replaced by darius morris
MrNofaceshadow 4 months ago
kareem is replaced by pau gasol and magic is replaced by darek fisher :) hahahaah
afromaster1552 4 months ago
great stuff, had to rewind and replay on a bunch of these plays just to figure out what he was doing
menumba1 4 months ago
damn these are simple passes but its so effective lol
OsanaiE 4 months ago
he would be one hell of a quarterback
BrickGrease 4 months ago
I wanna say he was on steroids but that wouldn't make any sense. I'm just glad I was a witness to the miracles of Majic Johnson! Amen.
mraims2plez 4 months ago
Magic was the man. The guy could have scored 40 every night if he wanted, but he knew winning and running the show was most important. Amazing player.
aitraining 4 months ago
Greatest passer of the game. His awareness of the court and physical agility to perform such passing is unbeatable. And he had such charisma!
pegleg747 5 months ago
Greatest passer ever. Period.
CLewey44 5 months ago 2
that pass at 3:17 has got to be top 3 for me all-time. To have that kind of balance and awareness the man played the PG position to perfection.
randomaznpopper 5 months ago
@DrmrGuy1979 no one compares to magic... He not only played all 5 positions, but he could dominate all 5 positions...
tigerjonn 5 months ago
I like that they showed the misses too. Those passes are no less spectacular, and its not his fault they missed the shots. On a related note, Magic was also lucky to have so many teammates with good hands (worthy, scott, Cap, etc.) that could handle the bullet passes.
CeilingF4n 5 months ago
@DrmrGuy1979 The comparison is off for sure, but I don't think its just because they are white. They are both forwards who shoot the ball exceptionally well. I think the people that make that comparison, forget what a great all-around player Bird was. Top notch passer and rebounder in addition to a top notch shooter.
dakidobf 5 months ago
@dakidobf AND Rick Barry was just as good as Bird.
iambillym1 1 month ago
Rambis made magic look good !!! lol
cfetzner 5 months ago
my favorites were the 3:34 and 4:12
krove 5 months ago
0:28 OMG
jaybdaboat 6 months ago
Even after watching it seven times plus the slow-mo replay, I still don't completely understand how he pulled off the one at 1:38.
Magic had such a distinctive way of passing the ball.
Camurgladius 6 months ago
@Camurgladius LOLThat was truly one of the sickest EVER!!
bobyost42 2 months ago
even magic knew the value of posting up and facilitating. take note, lebron.
krove 6 months ago
I'm 34, 5'7" and out of shape. If I played on a team with prime Magic passing me the ball I could probably average 10ppg in the league.
professorlip 6 months ago
It's like the only way to stop his passes is to accidently be stretching lol
classmassgrass 6 months ago
watching this video made me cry. the young gen don't know what they're missing
krove 6 months ago 2
@krove I, too, get "tears of joy" from watching Magic! I'm GLAD I grew up during the '80s!
AngelofAnguish 4 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
While an excellent athlete, Magic Johnson has AIDS so he should be a role model to no one. The fact that videos like this deify him and his lifestyle which led to AIDS is a disservice to impressionable children and young adults who may then try to emulate him. I am proud to be the first person to "dislike" this video. But I hope I am not the last.
IdiotForPalin 6 months ago
@IdiotForPalin first and only
feenix219 6 months ago
Watch Jason Williams highlight passes
/watch?v=AUz18ewZlPo
semtechdeck13 7 months ago
And not one alley-oop in the bunch. Unreal.
nyquil99 7 months ago
C'mon Magic, Rambis is OPEN!
Chick Hearn, the best...
mrbubble2727 7 months ago
"What's a 'pass'?" - NCAA class of '08
ostifari 7 months ago 17
@ostifari That's gotta be one of the most ignorant comments I've ever read.
Zachrydaman 5 months ago
@Zachrydaman You mustn't read much.
ostifari 5 months ago
So rare and refreshing to see a basketball highlight video on Youtube that doesn't have some stupid hip-hop song in the background.
Matches10 7 months ago 2
Thumbs up if....... SIMMONS
pereiro16 7 months ago 33
no one does a bounce pass like magic. amazing!!!
confuzedaznguy 7 months ago
This compilation is better than the so-called top 10 Magic assists from the NBA's youtube channel.
jp3813 7 months ago 4
Thanks for the video. Very rare footage -- great finds! Thanks for not recycling the same Magic highlights that are floating around from NBA TV and others.
There were some truly great ones in here, but I still haven't seen anyone upload the highlight where Magic made a 50-foot softball-styled pass (under handed) at the Forum.
Its probably because it was only a "Prime Ticket" game -- a home game that only a few were able to watch in '87 or sometime around then.
Edd1e8 7 months ago
lebron traveled
timfosho 7 months ago
@timfosho shut up queer
johnsmoke889900 7 months ago
good arm, but the magic in Magic was his improv, its like watching jimi play guitar
Kuzarkit 7 months ago
Magic is underrated...
ksmall82 7 months ago
Love those 30'-40' bounce passes between the defense.
stewiedog01 7 months ago
Guy had an arm.
Drazx3 7 months ago
the pass at 0:18 is rediculous!!!!!
jayhov15 7 months ago
Comment removed
jayhov15 7 months ago
just GREAT!
joseucr23 7 months ago
Great Job, Aas ever Fatal. Good editing. Lots of games watched to pick these.
The game vs the suns where he does to me the best pass ever...to b. scott fot that nuts and 1 dunk is unreal always wanted that game. I hope to have it soon.
It maybe not the best 'pass ever' but the whole combo is EPIC!
Gremlin212332 7 months ago
I thought the only way to be a good passer was to dribble at the top for 20 seconds and then pass it to a 3-point shooter at the last moment.
marshmallowok 7 months ago 2
@marshmallowok Sad that that's damned near what the game has become today,... slow & boring with no fundamentals skills for the most part. I just wish I could see the mid 80's "Showtime" Lakers play against any team you want to choose from today,... it would be a massacre.
bobyost42 2 months ago