Johnson referred to Abdul-Jabbar as “the GOAT” in a tweet after their reunion
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Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar still have nothing but love for each other.
On Tuesday, Feb. 4, the retired Lakers legends ran into one another on the basketball court while attending a game between UCLA and Michigan State.
In a video shared to Instagram by the Big 10 Network, Johnson, 65, is seen walking through a small crowd as he makes his way over to 77-year-old Abdul-Jabbar’s seat.
The UCLA alum, who was a center for the Bruins basketball team during his college days, wastes no time setting his belongings down and rising to his feet to greet the fellow Lakers star.
Though their conversation was inaudible over the sounds in the gymnasium, Abdul-Jabbar seemed to make a joke about Johnson wearing Michigan State gear — looking down at his own letterman jacket and back up at Johnson’s green hoodie.
Whatever was said resulted in a belly rolling laugh from Johnson, one that could be heard over the announcers and cheering.
After the sweet video surfaced online, Johnson reshared the post, adding a heartfelt message.
“I love my captain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Without question he’s the GOAT of college basketball – and its not even close! @kaj33,” he wrote on X, including the clip.
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Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar were Lakers teammates in the 1980s. They won five titles during their time together, according to Sports Illustrated.
In 2021, both were honored as the NBA celebrated the 75th anniversary of its organization.
A panel of “current and former NBA players, coaches, general managers and team and league executives, WNBA legends and sportswriters and broadcasters” chose 75 of the all-time greatest players, the league said at the time.
According to their release, the group selected boasted “A total of 158 NBA championships and 730 NBA All-Star selections. A combined 110 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Awards and Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Awards. More than 1.5 million points scored.”
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Earlier that same year, a Hulu docuseries about the Lakers was announced. The project was set to highlight Lakers legends and NBA Hall of Famers Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal and more.
Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers arrived in August 2022 as a 10-part docuseries.
“We want Laker fans to watch this and enjoy it, which I believe they will,” Jeanie Buss, the president and controlling owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, told PEOPLE at the time.
Her late father Jerry Buss turned a struggling Lakers into one of the NBA’s most successful franchises.
“But we also want a new generation of fans who may not be basketball fans to enjoy the story and about the family drama that exists because this is a family business,” she continued.
