When the Lakers selected Magic Johnson with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft, they instantly formed the most exciting backcourt in the league.
In their first season together, Johnson and Norm Nixon eliminated concerns about two point guards being able to share the floor. They combined to average more than 35 points and 15 assists per game on the way to a championship.
But the thrills that Los Angeles' dynamic duo brought to the Forum didn't last long. After helping the Lakers win two titles in the early 1980s, Nixon was sent to the then-San Diego Clippers before the start of the 1983-84 campaign.
In HBO's hit show "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty," there always seems to be an underlying tension between Johnson and Nixon, giving viewers the impression that perhaps Johnson urged Los Angeles to trade Nixon.
Is the series' depiction of events accurate or just another example of Hollywood adding extra drama for entertainment purposes?
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Norm Nixon's relationship with Magic Johnson
"Winning Time" is based on Jeff Pearlman's book "Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s." In his book, Pearlman wrote that Nixon had "little interest in surrendering control of his team." Nixon felt that Johnson would have to "yank the [point guard] position from his fingertips."
"Jealousy is ugly," Lakers guard Michael Cooper said. "And we all knew Norman was really jealous."
Cooper noted that the friction between Johnson and Nixon went "way beyond basketball." They were close friends, but they became extremely competitive about basketball and romantic pursuits.
"[Nixon] saw everything Magic did as a competition," Lakers guard Ron Carter said. "For the ball. For playing time. For women. Who's the coolest? Who's the smartest? Me and [Cooper] would sit back and just watch.
"They certainly respected each other. But there was this weird tension."
However, during an appearance on the "Cedric Maxwell Podcast" last year, Nixon insisted that he was not "intimidated or worried about" Johnson after the Lakers drafted him.
"I wanted to win, and I wasn't worried about my job," Nixon said. "I knew, with Magic coming in, they were going to figure out a way for us to play together. I wasn't worried about him coming in, taking my job. That wasn't even in my mentality."
Nixon also told Maxwell that he didn't believe Johnson pressured the front office to trade him.
"Do I think he went in there and fought for me? No. But management makes trades," Nixon said. "You can say whatever you want to say. Management has to make decisions."
MORE: Why did Magic Johnson request trade from Lakers in 1981?
Norm Nixon's relationship with Jerry West
The bigger issue for Nixon? Lakers legend Jerry West.
Before serving as a scout and the team's general manager, West was Los Angeles' head coach from 1976-79. He made Nixon his "whipping boy," according to Hall of Famer Adrian Dantley.
Per Pearlman:
West didn't so much ride Nixon as he mentally tortured him. Compliments never came. Insults soared. Nixon was a wimp, Nixon was inept. Nixon couldn't handle the spotlight. Nixon — dashingly handsome, with a wardrobe straight off the page of GQ — was a pretty boy. Nixon wasn't committed to the game. Nixon was a whiner. A maligner.
"Norm probably never realized this, but he was one of my favorite guys," West said. "He was very talented and very competitive. But he was wild, and he made some stupid mistakes. I was harder on him than anyone else because I knew what was there.
"Even to this day, I'm not so sure Norm Nixon doesn't think of me as the anti-Christ."
But Nixon didn't just accept the verbal abuse from West. Carter said that Nixon would "say smart things to Jerry to get under his skin."
"It wasn't unusual for Jerry to call a timeout, call a play and have Norm change it as we're walking onto the court," Carter said. "Norm lived to contradict him."
Trade rumors always seemed to follow Nixon, but his play and the Lakers' success prevented the front office from pulling the trigger on a deal. Nixon was named an All-Star and won the second championship of his career in 1981-82.
Then, during the 1982-83 season, the Nixon-West relationship hit an all-time low.
Believing that Nixon was using illegal drugs, West, who was the GM at that point, "hired a private investigation agency to follow Nixon and file a detailed report on his behavior," per Pearlman.
Throughout the second half of the season, Nixon unknowingly had people trailing his car, watching his house, keeping tabs on his every move. "I had no idea," he said. "When I found out, it really shook me."
Nixon said that he confronted West, who claimed that Nixon was "hanging out with drug dealers."
"Once the perception of being a drug user is out there, it's very hard to erase," Nixon said. "There were articles that talked about me buying Quaaludes and cocaine — totally untrue."
Carter also pushed back on any allegations that Nixon had used illegal drugs or associated with drug dealers.
"I was with Norm regularly, and I can tell you, drugs weren't happening. ... Norm taught me how to be around that stuff and not become part of it," Carter said.
MORE: The bizarre Pat Riley-Jerry West press conference, explained
Norm Nixon trade details
It was only a matter of time before the Lakers traded Nixon. Ahead of the 1983-84 season, West was looking for "a better defender and a better shooter." It was even easier to finalize a deal after Nixon reportedly told Lakers director of promotions Lon Rosen that he wanted to leave.
Nixon tried to back off his stance after he heard rumors about the Clippers, but it was too late. The Lakers shipped Nixon, Eddie Jordan and future second-round picks to the Clippers in exchange for Byron Scott and Swen Nater.
In his first three seasons with the Clippers, Nixon averaged 16.4 points and 9.6 assists per game, earning an All-Star selection in 1984-85. Injuries later took their toll, though, as Nixon sat out the 1986-87 (knee) and 1987-88 (Achilles) seasons. He played his final NBA game in March 1989.
Scott, meanwhile, emerged as a key contributor on three championship teams. He spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Lakers, averaging a career-high 21.7 points per game in 1987-88.