Magic Johnson nickname, Ervin Johnson

H o o p s C o r n e r . c o m

HoopsCorner

What Lakers' player was called EJ or Buck instead of another nickname generally used by the public?

The Lakers' 1979 rookie Ervin Johnson was nicknamed E.J by his teammates. He was also called Buck because of the way he ran the offense at the point (running).

Perhaps the idea of a rookie having the coolest nickname on the team didn't sit well with his veteran teammates. However his more popular nickname came around after he became the anchor of their championship team that season.

Then everyone called him Magic. It had been his nickname since he was 15 years old in high school.

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