When Magic Johnson announced on Nov. 7, 1991, that he was HIV positive and was immediately retiring from the Los Angeles Lakers, it looked like they were royally screwed.
The rest of the roster was aging, and they lacked a legitimate starting-quality point guard and floor general.
Just weeks earlier, L.A. had traded for veteran guard Sedale Threatt in an attempt to have a reliable backup for Johnson. Threatt had never averaged more than 12.7 points or 3.8 assists per game in eight seasons in the NBA.
Suddenly, he was forced to start at point guard and keep the Purple and Gold afloat, and that he did.
He put up 15.1 points and 7.2 assists a game in the 1991-92 season, and he also notched 2.0 steals per game, leading legendary Lakers play-by-play man Chick Hearn to nickname him “The Thief.”
But with multiple starters on the injured list late in the season, the Lakers were on the verge of missing the playoffs. They needed to win their final regular-season game, which was against the Los Angeles Clippers, to avoid that fate.
Threatt got the job done, scoring 24 points and hitting the game-winning shot in overtime to send his team to the playoffs for the 16th consecutive year.
Showtime may have been over, but Threatt at least allowed the Lakers to maintain a bit of dignity for a little while longer.
