When the Lakers added Magic Johnson in the 1979 draft and paired him with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers promptly won the next NBA championship. However, Show Time didn’t get fully underway until the Lakers added James Worthy out of UNC in 1982.
Worthy gave Johnson a brilliant fast-break target. The guy ran like a deer and Johnson loved to get him the ball.
It was a beautiful pairing and prosperous. The Lakers won three titles when Worthy was on the team and Showtime became legendary.
The New Orleans Pelicans are the first team since to have a dynamic with as much potential in Lonzo Ball and Zion Williamson but they are still a long way from matching the Johnson-Worthy pairing.