Magic Johnson was drafted first overall by the Lakers in 1979.
The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most storied franchises in the NBA. They have won 17 championships with some of the best players in NBA history having played for the franchise. Let’s highlight their top five leaders in assists per game for a single season.
Magic Johnson, 1983-84, 13.1 APG
Johnson claims all five of the top spots on this list. He even has the top nine seasons in terms of assists per game for the franchise. In 1983-84, he led the NBA by averaging 13.1 assists per game. That season, he also provided 17.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. He made the All-Star team, was named All-NBA First Team and came in third in MVP voting.
Magic Johnson, 1988-89, 12.8 APG
Despite averaging 12.8 assists per game in 1988-89, Johnson did not lead the league in the category. He finished in second place behind John Stockton (13.6). Johnson also averaged 22.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game on his way to being named regular season MVP. Johnson also led the league in free-throw shooting percentage (91.1%) that season.
Magic Johnson, 1985-86, 12.6 APG
With his average of 12.6 assists per game in 1985-86, Johnson led the league in the category for the third time in his career. He also chipped in 18.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game to finish third in MVP voting. Johnson continued his stellar production in the playoffs, averaging 21.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 15.1 assists and 1.9 steals over 14 games.
Magic Johnson, 1984-85, 12.6 APG
Johnson’s average of 12.6 assists per game in 1984-85 ranked second in the NBA behind Isiah Thomas (13.9). However, he, Thomas and Johnny Moore (10.0) were the only players to average more than 9.0 assists per game that season. Johnson also averaged 18.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals on his way to finishing second in MVP voting. The Lakers won the championship that season with Johnson averaging 17.5 points, 15.2 assists, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game in the playoffs.
Magic Johnson, 1990-91, 12.5 APG
By averaging 12.5 assists in 1990-91, Johnson extended his streak of averaging at least 11.5 assists per game to eight straight seasons. Alongside 19.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, Johnson finished second in MVP voting. Over 13 NBA seasons, averaged 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 11.2 assists and 1.9 steals. Johnson led the league in assists per game four times, in steals per game two times, made 12 All-Star teams, was named All-NBA First Team nine times and won three MVP awards. Johnson also won five championships and was named Finals MVP three times.
