Magic Johnson admits cheating in pickup games against Paul Pierce and Reggie Miller: 'I was teaching them that it wasn't gonna be easy'

Magic Johnson's bright smile masks a fierce competitive fire that never faded, even in the twilight of his career. So intense was his drive that he'd call phantom fouls during pickup games against younger players, all in the name of teaching them a lesson. As it turns out, Paul Pierce was one of the unfortunate youngsters on the receiving end of Johnson's crafty tricks.

"I told this story a thousand times, Joy. I've guarded Magic, six to six, game on the line. I'm guarding him, and I know what he wants to do. Back me down, go to his hook, boom!" recalled The Truth on FS1's Speak. "It hit the front rim, we get the rebound, throw it ahead, score, and we get the game… Magic turned around, looked back, and said, 'Come here, it's a foul.' The next play, they throw it at him, hook again, he hit it. Game over."

The exact timing of these behind-the-scenes pickup games was not addressed on the set of Speak. However, "The Truth" noted on the All the Smoke podcast that this was when Matt Barnes played at UCLA from 1998 to 2002. Pierce then directly mentioned this was his rookie year, which points to the 1998-99 season.

"Everything's not gonna go their way"

As ridiculous as that sounds, Magic had a method behind the cheating. It could also be his undying competitive spirit, but the five-time champion claims he did it for the right reasons.

"You know what, I was teaching them. Reggie Miller, the same thing. I was teaching that it wasn't gonna be easy. This is what's gonna happen in the NBA," Johnson explained.

As "Buck" noted in one "All the Smoke" podcast episode, the lesson was that "everything's not gonna go their way" in the big league. So, he kept calling phantom fouls to help the youngsters be strong, play on, and never complain. Magic believes he achieved his purpose. As the saying goes, the ends do not justify the means, but they did in this instance for Johnson.

"Reggie, yourself, everybody remember them stories. But the thing that I wanted to do happened. Look at it. All of them are champions, all of them doing great in life," the three-time Finals MVP stated.

Intense rivalries

Johnson was looking out for the young guys in those legendary UCLA runs by teaching them a lesson or two about reality. Nevertheless, it can't also be discounted that Magic loved winning, thrived on intense rivalries, and wanted to come out on top, no matter what it took. The Lakers legend would have his way, whether that's in front of millions of NBA fans or a pickup game with a dozen or so hoopers in attendance.

"I hated Larry Bird and every Celtic… Somewhat, that's what it was. The Celtics-Lakers hate each other, disliked each other, so it made for great TV and people tuning in," reminisced the Los Angeles Lakers legend.

To Magic's point, this element is no longer seen in the Association today, and perhaps a factor in the viewership drop. Everybody fraternizes with everybody, knows each other from playing AAU basketball, and won't go all out against their buddies. Back then, it was a battle night in and night out, and the All-Star Game was just another way to re-establish dominance.

"We hated the East. We're coming to bust you. Michael (Jordan), Isiah (Thomas), Dr. J (Julius Erving), uh-uh, you can't have one over me. I'm coming to get that. Now, 'Hi!' and the score is 200 to 200. What is that?" said Magic.

Unfortunately for Johnson, he only had three All-Star game wins against the rival conference in 11 tries. Nevertheless, that's beside the point. He showed his deep appreciation by taking every basketball game seriously, even if it meant pulling a fast one over the youngsters in pickup runs.