Former Lakers HC On Magic Johnson's Competitive Nature: 'Wanted To Destroy You, Whether It Was For $2 Or $2 Million'

When Mike Dunleavy Sr. took over as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1990, he wasn’t just stepping into a storied franchise, he was stepping into a locker room still fueled by the fire of one of the most competitive athletes the NBA has ever seen: Magic Johnson.

Dunleavy, a first-time head coach at the time, inherited a veteran squad led by Johnson and quickly learned that Magic’s reputation for intensity was no exaggeration. On the Run It Back TV show, Dunleavy shared candid memories of coaching Magic, offering a firsthand glimpse into the relentless mindset that made the Lakers legend an icon.

"Magic Johnson, you know, as a rookie head coach with the Lakers, Jerry West would get on me sometimes. He'd say, 'Mike, dude, you had the game won. You didn’t have to play Magic those extra two or three minutes.' And I’d tell him, 'Jerry, I don’t have that game won. I’m a rookie coach. I’ve got to bank wins."'

"So I’d plan to give Magic the day off in practice. I’d say, 'Irvin, I played you 38, 39 minutes last night. Why don’t you just sit out today?' And he’d look me in the eye and say, 'Coach, if I sit out, the rest of these guys think they got the day off too.'" 

"That’s who he was. When I played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Sidney Moncrief was defensive player of the year, same mentality. All those guys had it. I played pickup with Magic in the offseason." 

"We could be playing for $2 Or $2 Million. Didn’t matter. He was going for the jugular every single time. He wanted to win every single game he played."

That exchange highlighted not just Dunleavy’s rookie nerves, but also Magic’s iron will to compete, even when logic said rest was the better call. Magic didn’t want minutes off. He didn’t want practices off. He didn’t want days off. Dunleavy once tried to give him a break after a 38- or 39-minute night.

Magic’s leadership wasn’t just vocal, it was physical. He led by example, never easing up even in low-stakes situations.

That type of competitive DNA defined Magic Johnson’s career and helped Dunleavy in his first year guide the Lakers past Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1991 Western Conference Finals. 

With Magic running the show alongside Vlade Divac, the Lakers reached the NBA Finals. Although they lost to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in five games, that run marked the end of an era, one that would come to a sudden halt months later.

In October 1991, shortly after winning the McDonald’s Open in Paris, Magic Johnson announced he had tested positive for HIV and retired. The Lakers still made the playoffs that season, but the loss of their floor general and locker room heartbeat was a blow from which they wouldn’t recover for years.

Yet Dunleavy will always remember those precious months when he saw the fire up close, the competitor who didn’t care if the stakes were pocket change or a championship ring. Because to Magic Johnson, every game was a war worth winning.