Magic Johnson explained how NBA superstars got special treatment from referees: “Nobody pays good money to see Michael Jordan or Larry Bird foul out”

Earvin “Magic” Johnson ended his NBA career as one of the greats. But like every player, he also had to earn his stripes in the league before reaching the kind of success he had.

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It included earning the respect of game officials, notwithstanding the impressive credentials he had entering the league in 1979 and the immediate impact he made early in the NBA, which saw him win championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, earn Finals MVP awards and All-Star selections.

Magic had to deal with the reality in the NBA that young players do not always get their way like those afforded to veteran players. He did not get the same leeway he felt he earned when he started in his league journey.

Not having it easy

Johnson touched on it in his autobiography, My Life, published in 1992, providing a vivid view of how young players often have to pay their dues in the NBA, particularly when it comes to calls they get from game officials.

“A lot of these fouls were called simply because I was new in the league. The officials will never admit it, but every rookie has to pay his dues, just as every star gets a few breaks. When you’ve got a veteran who makes great moves and excites the fans, the refs go easy on him. After all, nobody pays good money to see Michael Jordan or Larry Bird foul out,” Magic said.

“But my third year in the league I was making some of the same defensive plays that had gotten me in trouble when I was a rookie, but now I was getting away with them,” he added.

As his career progressed, Johnson developed a better rapport with the referees. While it was not particularly close or friendly, it was rooted in mutual respect and a better understanding of how his game worked, giving him more leeway to do his thing.

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Earning his lone suspension

While Magic had his in-game issues with NBA referees during his playing days, he made sure that he did not cross the line and always showed respect to game officials, save for one instance when he earned his first, and only, league suspension.

The ban came during Johnson’s comeback season in the NBA in 1996, four years after announcing that he had tested positive for HIV and had to retire.

The date was April 14 in a home game against the Phoenix Suns. In the second quarter, as he was backing down on former Lakers teammate AC Green inside the paint, Magic missed a layup. Feeling he was fouled and not called, he confronted second-year referee Scott Foster, bumped the game official and was immediately tossed for it.

The ejection meted him a three-game suspension and a $10,000 fine. It was an episode he did not forget, especially how then-NBA Commissioner David Stern came down hard on him.

“Commissioner Stern called me and gave me some stern words. He said, ‘You’re supposed to be the face of the league and you bump into the referee and get kicked out. Don’t ever do that again.’ ‘Yes, sir.’ And so, uh, that was a big mistake,”Magic

Johnson had a solid run in the NBA, and he can take greater pride in it, knowing he had to prove himself and earn his keep like everyone else.

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This story was originally published September 20, 2026 at 6:03 PM.