Magic Johnson is known as one of the greatest players to ever grace the courts of the NBA, spending his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers during their famous ‘Showtime’ era.

Selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft, Johnson was very nearly joined in the league by his brother Larry.

However, things didn’t turn out for Larry, as a dispute over his playing style resulted in him leaving the sport and becoming an addict.

“I was a drug addict, alcoholic. Had a $450 a day habit. Overdosed twice, almost died. And so the last time I went to jail, I was facing 20 to 40 years in prison,” Larry said in an interview with News 4 Tucson KVOA-TV.

He also described his time in prison, where he saw plenty of young men enter and brag about how much money they had made but with no way out.

That’s when Larry realized he had to clean himself up in order to help others stay away from drugs and alcohol.

Larry on what could have been

While Magic went on to become an NBA legend, Larry was forced to watch on from the sidelines, something he admits wasn’t easy.

“I was thinking it could have been me. So, I used drugs and alcohol to medicate my pain,”Larry said in a 2020 interview with Medium.

“I was a pretty good young player too, and taught Earvin how to make no-look passes.” 

Now, Larry has turned his attention to helping others, spreading awareness about substance abuse thanks to the ‘Brotherhood Against Drugs’ organization.

Despite Larry’s struggles, Magic has never wavered in supporting his brother. Larry even asked him to flash a subtle OK sign during interviews to let him know he was thinking of him.

Magic also offered Larry a job at his company, Sodexo Magic, after he spent years working at General Motors while getting his life back on track.