Years: 1979-96 | Teams: LAL
Long before there was the Baby-Faced Assassin (Stephen Curry), there was the Smiling-Faced Assassin.
Magic Johnson’s friendly exterior masked a biting edge. He didn’t just talk trash. He held grudges. Consider this recollection from Byron Scott, Magic’s former teammate, during an episode of the Fast Break Podcast back in 2025:
“[Vernon] Maxwell said he could guard him [Johnson]…So me and [Michael Cooper] said, ‘Buck (Magic Johnson’s other nickname), did you hear what he just said?’ We made sure Buck heard him. Buck said, ‘No, no, no — I heard him, I heard him.’ Magic looked unstoppable against Maxwell, as the Lakers legend backed Mad Max into the post repeatedly, prompting Maxwell to eventually call for help from his teammates. Scott recalled Magic saying, ‘No, no, no—you don’t need help.’ Is that what you said?'”
Drawn-out rebukes don’t always make for the best trash-talking anecdotes. They’re like a long joke that ends with a flimsy payoff. Magic’s disembowelment of Maxwell, a legendary smack-talker himself, is well worth the extended preamble.