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The NBA jersey advent calendar: 25 days of hoops history for the holidays

By Aaron Hertzog

Saint Mary'a Basilica and a traditional Christmas Market at the Main Square in Krakow, Poland, on November 25, 2017. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Saint Mary'a Basilica and a traditional Christmas Market at the Main Square in Krakow, Poland, on November 25, 2017. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /
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Dream Team
1992: Michael Jordan (L), Magic Johnson (M) and Clyde Drexler (R) of Team USA, the Dream Team, sit on the bench during the men’s basketball competition at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Icon Sportswire) /

15. Magic Johnson — Team USA, 1992 Summer Olympics

The greatest basketball team ever assembled finally makes the list, 15 days into our holiday season calendar with the man who chose his number to ensure he’d be introduced last; Magic Johnson.

While Charles Barkley may have been the best player on the court for those Olympics, and Michael Jordan the keystone to help bring the team together, Magic Johnson was the captain and was playing for something even bigger than the gold.

Johnson was forced to retire following the 1990-91 season after being diagnosed with HIV twelve years into his Hall of Fame career. The news was tragic and rocked the world inside and out of sports.

Magic vowed to beat the disease, even though the prognosis at the time was not good. He dedicated his life to healthy living and became an advocate for HIV and AIDS prevention and safe sex.

His inclusion on the Dream Team may have seemed to many a formality, but Johnson took it as an opportunity to show that he still had what it took to excel at the game of basketball. His presence on the team along with career-long rival turned friend Larry Bird, allowed the two to tie their careers, ever intertwined, up in a gold-medal connected bow.

While any player from that team (even ridiculously misplaced token college kid Christian Laettner) would make a great choice for the list, Magic is the man because of everything the games meant to him.

The jersey itself is iconic, a look plastered everywhere from hats and jackets to collectible cups at McDonald’s. The USA Basketball logo and red, white, and blue color swatch straight from the stars-and-bars make the jersey go-to attire for Independence Day cookouts and fireworks.

A can’t miss pick for number 15.

Honorable Mention: Vince Carter (Toronto Raptors), Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets), Matt Bonner (San Antonio Spurs), Hal Greer (Syracuse Nationals), Latrell Sprewell (Golden State Warriors)

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