Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and the Rebirth of the Showtime Lakers

I became a life-long fan of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1980 when a skinny rookie by the name of Earvin "Magic" Johnson guided his team to a NBA championship, while playing center in place of an injured Kareem-Abdul Jabbar.

In that memorable Game Six, Magic had more than 40 points and 15 rebounds, as well as seven assists, and from that moment on my allegiance to the Lakers was simply a matter of course.

1980 was the beginning of a magical time in Lakers' history, for Johnson went on to lead Los Angeles to four more championships as the lead guard in what came to be known as the Showtime era.

That group of players, consisting of names such as Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Byron Scott, Michael Cooper, A.C. Green, Kurt Rambis and others is considered one of the ...

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