Twenty-four years after Earvin Johnson brought the "Magic" to MSU with its first national championship, the Spartans plan to honor the NBA Hall-of-Famer with a trophy of his own.
A larger-than-life statue of the former Spartan will be erected in front of the Breslin Center and unveiled Nov. 1, said MSU Trustee Joel Ferguson.
University officials acknowledged plans are underway but were tight-lipped about any specifics of the statue.
"A recognition for Mr. Johnson is planned," said John Lewandowski, athletic department spokesman. "At the appropriate time we will share the information that needs to be shared."
MSU Trustee Colleen McNamara said funding for the statue was done through private donations.
Sculptor Omri Amrany confirmed on June 3 that his company, the Fine Art Studio of Rotblatt-Amrany, based in Highland Park, Ill., would be working on the Johnson statue, but was unwilling to elaborate on any details regarding the statue after talking with university officials.
"We're kind of at mid-stage of the sculpture right now," Amrany said. "We won the competition. The university chose us based on previous projects that we have done."
Amrany and his wife, Julie Rotblatt-Amrany, have created statues of numerous celebrities, most notably a Michael Jordan likeness in front of Chicago's United Center and a Harry Caray statue, which stands at the entrance to Wrigley Field in Chicago.
The sculptors also were commissioned to create statues to commemorate six of the Detroit Tigers' all-time greatest athletes. The stainless steel monuments perch atop the wall in left center field at Comerica Park, the Tigers' home stadium.
Amrany said his studio works on five to 10 projects each year. The statues usually range in size from 7 to 10 feet tall and are sculpted out of stainless steel, white bronze or regular bronze.
Johnson is probably best remembered for his legacy on the basketball court.
He has collected one NCAA National Championship and five NBA Championships and was a 2002 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, home to professional basketball's finest.
During his two-year career as a Spartan, Johnson posted a 17.1 scoring average and broke into the school's all-time top 10 in assists (491), steals (146) and scoring. In his 13-year professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers, he averaged 19.5 points and 11.2 assists per contest.
Despite an illustrious professional career, Johnson has not forgotten his roots.
In 1999, he attended the grand opening of Starbucks Coffee Co., 401 E. Grand River Ave., where he donated his high school, college and NBA jerseys to the coffee shop.
The Lansing native was in town May 15 for the opening of the 11th Magic Johnson HP Inventor Center at the Black Child & Family Institute, 835 W. Genessee St. in Lansing.
McNamara says Johnson epitomizes what it means to be a Spartan.
"The statue will symbolize the spirit of something we are proud of," she said.
