Another baby step towards the acceptance of gay athletes in sports was taken by one Magic Johnson, who was spurred to speak on the subject when his son came out to the public earlier this week. In an interview with TMZ, Magic discussed how it might encourage an L.A. Dodger to make a similar admission. Magic, for his part, seems elated at the concept. Video after the jump.

Just when you thought LeBron James couldn’t find himself in another lose-lose situation, Magic Johnson has made him an offer he can’t refuse.

The Lakers played their first game since the death of Jerry Buss last night, and it fittingly came against the Celtics. They won, Kobe Bryant gave an emotional pregame speech, which moved another Laker legend to tears.

Over 30,000 points, five NBA championships, two Olympic gold medals, and countless other accolades. Kobe Bryant’s resume is pretty impressive. But is he the greatest Laker ever? According to two of the best Lakers ever, yes.

Magic Johnson was a guest on HBO’s Real Sports, and was asked about, among other things, his efforts to make Dwight Howard a Laker. One of Magic’s sales pitches: you’ll get to play with Kobe, the league’s “ultimate closer.” And that would sound nice – if it weren’t totally wrong.

John Salley says that Michael Jordan isn’t the greatest basketball player of all time. Or in the top five. Our heads just exploded, which is precisely what John Salley wanted. Video, after the jump.

The Marlins and Dodgers looked like teams headed in opposite directions at the beginning of the year: the Marlins had a fancy new stadium, new name, new colors, and new players. The Dodgers? They were pretty much the jokes of baseball, thanks to the McCourts. And now, in July, the teams are headed in opposite directions – just not the way we expected. A breakdown of how they did it, after the jump.

Why clear your schedule for that date and time? Because that’s when the documentary The Dream Team [presented by Right Guard] premieres on NBATV. The documentary will cover exactly what it sounds like: the journey of the fabled U.S.A. Olympic basketball team of 1992 [presented by Right Guard], the greatest basketball team ever assembled. And it will be awesome.

For those of you that are less than pscyhed for tonight’s offensively challenged battle between Philadelphia and Boston, here’s a way for you to get the juices flowing. If there’s one thing the NBA brass has a knack for, it’s commercials for the NBA Playoffs. This year, they brought back Larry Bird and Magic Johnson to detail just what basketball is about, what it’s all for. Feel the chills, after the jump.

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were in New York for the Broadway premiere of Magic/Bird last night, and while they were in town, they also stopped by the Late Show to chat with David Letterman. See that after the jump.