Michael Cooper believes Magic Johnson deserved the Finals MVP over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1985 Finals: "I'm sure he wanted those"
Michael Cooper believes Magic Johnson deserved the Finals MVP over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1985 Finals: "I'm sure he wanted those" originally appeared on Basketball Network.
In the NBA, the spotlight doesn't always land on the team's certified No. 1 option when it comes to their biggest triumphs.
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A perfect example of this could be seen in the Boston Celtics' 2024 title victory, where Jaylen Brown was awarded the Finals MVP over Jayson Tatum. Similarly, in the 2025 Eastern Conference finals, it was Pascal Siakam who walked away with the MVP honor over Tyrese Haliburton.
For Michael Cooper, such scenarios bring back memories of his own experience with the Los Angeles Lakers, especially during the 1985 NBA Finals. As, according to the former Defensive Player of the Year, it was Magic Johnson who truly carried the team on and off the court, but it was eventually Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who walked away with the Finals MVP honor.
Cooper explained why Magic deserved the '85 Finals MVP award over Kareem
A 37-year-old "Cap" was statistically the Lakers' best player during the 1985 NBA Finals when they beat their arch-rivals Boston Celtics, averaging a team-high 25.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists over six games. However, for Coop, Johnson's leadership was the ultimate x-factor for the Showtime Lakers.
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Speaking on his podcast, the 69-year-old former shooting guard recalled how while Kareem might be prejudged as the team's anchor in terms of production, it was Magic who orchestrated the offense and encouraged all the players to find their rhythm, especially after dropping the series opener by 34 points.
Moreover, Cooper understood that given that Abdul-Jabbar was in the last leg of his career, the emotional sentiment motivated everyone to crown him the Finals MVP, which made everyone conveniently overlook the fact that the team's point guard had averaged 18.3 points and a staggering 14.0 assists while playing the most minutes for the team in that series.
"Magic was very pivotal in the room and for the entire series because he was the one that was firing us up, getting us ready to go. Kareem was a player that you didn't have to talk to much in the locker room. He was reading a newspaper or (was) in his own world," Cooper recalled the behind-the-scenes talks.
"Magic was never about individual accolades, although I'm pretty sure he wanted those. We all do, but Magic was about the bottom line, 'How many championships?'... What you don't know is Magic was always in Kareem's ears and fed him the ball constantly," Cooper concluded.
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Related: "He said, 'You the guy that broke all my records in high school, right?" - Shawn Kemp on the time Larry Bird told him exactly what he was going to do before scoring 40 points
Magic made sure to bring out the best in Kareem
When looking back on Kareem's illustrious resume, which contains six championships and six MVPs, it's impressive how he attained individual as well as team success so thoroughly. There's no denying that his dominance redefined the center position and earned him well-deserved accolades.
But as Mike pointed out, without Magic's unselfish play and leadership, some of those titles might not have materialized. In 1980, for example, a young Magic stepped up when Kareem was injured. In the 1982 playoffs, Kareem averaged just 20.4 points, but it was Johnson again who fueled the Lakers' title run.
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Even in 1987 and 1988, during Kareem's final championship runs, he averaged just 16.6 points across those two postseasons, while Magic continued to steer the ship and helped him add more silverware to his resume.
Safe to say, had it not been for Magic, who knows, without those Larry O'Brien trophies, many would have found flaws in Abdud-Jabbar's legacy as well. Thankfully, Abdul-Jabbar had a teammate from Michigan who did everything to enrich his name in the basketball lore, and Coop recognized it fully.
Related: "It was easy, beautiful basketball" - The moment Spencer Haywood realized what a genius Magic Johnson was
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
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