Magic Johnson Buss had given Johnson a contract that paid him $14 million a year, as payback for all the years he was not the league's highest paid player. Although Johnson's retirement prior to the 1992–93 NBA season voided this contract, Buss insisted that he still be paid. It was this arrangement that allowed Johnson to coach the team without receiving any additional salary. After Johnson ended his coaching stint, Buss sold him a 4% stake in the Lakers for $10 million, and Johnson served as a team executive. Johnson's autobiography is Other biographies include: Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born
Magic Johnson forever"; during Johnson's Hall of Fame ceremony, Bird formally inducted his old rival. In 2009, Johnson and Bird collaborated with journalist Jackie MacMullan on a non-fiction book titled "When the Game Was Ours". The book detailed their on-court rivalry and friendship with one another. The following year, HBO developed a documentary about their rivalry titled "", which was directed by Ezra Edelman. Magic Johnson had an extremely close relationship with Lakers owner Jerry Buss, whom he saw as a mentor and a father figure. Calling Buss his "second father" and "one of [his] best friends", Johnson spent five hours visiting