Tennessee basketball team met Magic Johnson following Michigan State exhibition

Tobe Awaka was curious.

The Tennessee basketball bus pulled into Capital City International Airport in Lansing, Michigan, after beating Michigan State on Sunday and they spotted a plane with Los Angeles Lakers' logo on the tail. The plane was parked at the airport, sending the Vols' thoughts bouncing.

“We thought it was LeBron," said freshman forward J.P. Estrella in reference to Lakers forward LeBron James.

It wasn't. It was Magic Johnson, a Lakers great and a native of Lansing, Michigan.

"We were going through security and we see him standing right there," said Awaka, a sophomore forward. "Personally, I was a little starstruck. I couldn’t believe it. It was cool seeing him in person.”

The Vols travel party ranging from players to support staff took turns taking photos with the NBA legend and former Michigan State star. He obliged all the requests.

“It was fire," Estrella said. "It was super sick. Best point guard to ever play the game. Had to snag a flick as soon as I saw him.”

The No. 9 Vols beat No. 4 Michigan State 89-88 on Sunday at Breslin Center in a charity exhibition to raise proceeds for relief after the Maui wildfires in August. UT smacked Lenoir-Rhyne 90-48. on Tuesday at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center to cap its two-game exhibition run.

Tennessee opens the season against Tennessee Tech on Monday (6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+).

Johnson played at Everett High School and won a national title at Michigan State in 1979. He won five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and was a three-time NBA MVP. He also was a member of the USA team that won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics.

The 6-foot-9 point guard averaged 19.5 points, 11.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game.

Forbes reported Monday that Johnson is now a billionaire. He joined fellow NBA players Michael Jordan and James as well as golfer Tiger Woods as the only four athletes to achieve billionaire status. Forbes estimated Johnson's worth to be around $1.2 billion.

Johnson purchased a minority stake in the Washington Commanders in July. Johnson is a founding member of Guggenheim Baseball Management, which owns the Los Angeles Dodgers. Johnson also is minority owner of the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA and LAFC in the MLS.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball met Magic Johnson after Michigan State exhibition