By Jonah Sharf
On May 16, 1980, rookie point guard Magic Johnson replaced the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as starting center for the Lakers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Magic put up 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists, leading Los Angeles to a 4-to-2 series victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Magic put up 21.5 points per game, 11.2 rebounds per game, 8.7 assists per game, and 2.7 steals per game in the series, including the dominant Game 6 performance, on the way to picking up the Finals MVP Award. Johnson is the only rookie and the youngest player, at 20 years old, to win the Finals MVP.