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Wikipedia

Magic Johnson

February 15, 2024

For the Red Hot Chili Peppers song, see Mother's Milk (album).
"Earvin Johnson" redirects here. For the NBA center, see Ervin Johnson.

Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessperson and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time,[3][4][5][6][7] Johnson spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After winning a national championship with Michigan State in 1979, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Lakers, leading the team to five NBA championships during their "Showtime" era. Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. After protests against his return from his fellow players, he retired again for four years, but returned in 1996, at age 36, to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time.

Magic Johnson
Johnson in 2022
Personal information
Born (1959-08-14) August 14, 1959 (age 64)
Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)[1]
Career information
High schoolEverett (Lansing, Michigan)
CollegeMichigan State (1977–1979)
NBA draft1979: 1st round, 1st overall pick
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Playing career1979–1991, 1996, 1999–2000
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
Number32
Career history
As player:
1979–1991, 1996Los Angeles Lakers
1999–2000Magic M7 Borås
2000Magic Great Danes
As coach:
1994Los Angeles Lakers
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points17,707 (19.5 ppg)
Rebounds6,559 (7.2 rpg)
Assists10,141 (11.2 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2006
Medals

Johnson's career achievements include three NBA MVP Awards, three NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Awards, nine NBA Finals appearances, 12 All-Star games, and nine All-NBA First Team selections. He led the league in regular season assists four times, and is the NBA's all-time leader in average assists per game in both the regular season (11.19 assists per game) and the playoffs (12.35 assists per game).[8][9] He also holds the records for most career playoff assists and most career playoff triple-doubles.[10][11] Johnson was a member of the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team ("The Dream Team"), which won the Olympic gold medal in Barcelona. After leaving the NBA in 1991, Johnson formed the Magic Johnson All-Stars, a barnstorming team that traveled around the world playing exhibition games.[12]

Johnson was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 and selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021, and became a two-time inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame—being enshrined in 2002 for his individual career, and again in 2010 as a member of the "Dream Team".[13] His friendship and rivalry with Boston Celtics star Larry Bird, whom he faced in the 1979 NCAA finals and three NBA championship series, are well documented.

Since his retirement, Johnson has been an advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention and safe sex,[14] as well as an entrepreneur,[15] philanthropist,[16] broadcaster and motivational speaker.[17] Johnson is a former part-owner of the Lakers and was the team's president of basketball operations in the late 2010s. He is a founding member of Guggenheim Baseball Management, managing entity of the MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers, and also partly owns the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, the MLS' Los Angeles FC, and the NFL's Washington Commanders. Johnson has won 14 total championships during his career, one in college, five as an NBA player and eight as an owner.[18]

Early life

Earvin Johnson Jr. was born in Lansing, Michigan, to General Motors assembly worker Earvin Sr. and school janitor Christine.[19] Johnson, who had six siblings and three half-siblings by his father's previous marriage,[20][21][a] was influenced by his parents' strong work ethic. His mother spent many hours after work each night cleaning their home and preparing the next day's meals, while his father did janitorial work at a used car lot and collected garbage, all while never missing a day at General Motors. Johnson would often help his father on the garbage route, and he was teased by neighborhood children who called him "Garbage Man".[23] His mother raised him in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.[24][25]

Johnson came to love basketball as a young man. His favorite basketball player growing up was Bill Russell, whom he admired more for his many championships than his athletic ability.[26] He also idolized players such as Earl Monroe and Marques Haynes,[27] and practiced "all day".[28] Johnson came from an athletic family. His father played high school basketball in his home state of Mississippi,[29] and Johnson learned the finer points about the game from him. Johnson's mother, originally from North Carolina,[29] had also played basketball as a child, and she grew up watching her brothers play the game.[26]

By the time he had reached the eighth grade, Johnson had begun to think about a future in basketball. He had become a dominant junior high player, once scoring 48 points in a game.[21] Johnson looked forward to playing at Sexton High School, a school with a very successful basketball team and history that also happened to be only five blocks from his home. His plans underwent a dramatic change when he learned that he would be bused to the predominantly white Everett High School instead of going to Sexton,[26][30] which was predominantly black.[21][31] Johnson's sister Pearl and brother Larry had bused to Everett the previous year and did not have a pleasant experience. There were incidents of racism, with rocks being thrown at buses carrying black students and white parents refusing to send their children to school. Larry was kicked off the basketball team after a confrontation during practice, prompting him to beg his brother not to play. Johnson did join the basketball team but became angry after several days when his new teammates ignored him during practice, not even passing the ball to him. He nearly got into a fight with another player before head coach George Fox intervened. Eventually, Johnson accepted his situation and the small group of black students looked to him as their leader.[21] When recalling the events in his autobiography, My Life, he talked about how his time at Everett had changed him:

As I look back on it today, I see the whole picture very differently. It's true that I hated missing out on Sexton. And the first few months, I was miserable at Everett. But being bused to Everett turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me. It got me out of my own little world and taught me how to understand white people, how to communicate and deal with them.[21]

High school career

Johnson was first dubbed "Magic" at 15, when he recorded a triple-double of 36 points, 18 rebounds, and 16 assists as a sophomore at Everett.[28] After the game, Fred Stabley Jr., a sports writer for the Lansing State Journal, gave him the moniker[32] despite the belief of Johnson's mother, a devout Christian, that the name was sacrilegious.[28] In his final high school season, Johnson led Everett to a 27–1 win–loss record while averaging 28.8 points and 16.8 rebounds per game,[28] and took his team to an overtime victory in the state championship game.[33] Johnson dedicated the championship victory to his best friend Reggie Chastine, who was killed in a car accident the previous summer.[34] He gave Chastine much of the credit for his development as a basketball player and as a person,[35] saying years later, "I doubted myself back then."[36] Johnson and Chastine were almost always together, playing basketball or riding around in Chastine's car.[23] Upon learning of Chastine's death, Magic ran from his home, crying uncontrollably.[36] Johnson, who finished his high school career with two All-State selections, was considered at the time to be the best high school player ever to come out of Michigan.[34] He was also named to the inaugural McDonald's All-American team, which played in the 1977 Capital Classic.[37][38]

College career

Although Johnson was recruited by several top-ranked colleges such as Indiana and UCLA, he decided to play close to home.[39] His college decision came down to Michigan and Michigan State in East Lansing. He ultimately decided to attend Michigan State when coach Jud Heathcote told him he could play the point guard position. The talent already on Michigan State's roster also drew him to the program.[40]

Johnson did not initially aspire to play professionally, focusing instead on his communication studies major and desire to become a television commentator.[41] Playing with future NBA draftees Greg Kelser, Jay Vincent, and Mike Brkovich, Johnson averaged 17.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game as a freshman, and led the Spartans to a 25–5 record, the Big Ten Conference title, and a berth in the 1978 NCAA tournament.[28] The Spartans reached the Elite Eight, but lost narrowly to eventual national champion Kentucky.[42]

During the 1978–79 season, Michigan State again qualified for the NCAA tournament, where they advanced to the championship game and faced Indiana State, which was led by senior Larry Bird. In what was the most-watched college basketball game ever,[43] Michigan State defeated Indiana State 75–64, and Johnson was voted Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.[33] He was selected to the 1978–79 All-American team for his performance that season.[44] After two years in college, during which he averaged 17.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game, Johnson entered the 1979 NBA draft.[45] Jud Heathcote stepped down as coach of the Spartans after the 1994–95 season, and on June 8, 1995, Johnson returned to the Breslin Center to play in the Jud Heathcote All-Star Tribute Game. He led all scorers with 39 points.[46]

Professional career

Rookie season in the NBA (1979–1980)

Johnson was drafted first overall in 1979 by the Los Angeles Lakers. Johnson said that what was "most amazing" about joining the Lakers was the chance to play alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,[47] the team's 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) center who became the leading scorer in NBA history.[48] Despite Abdul-Jabbar's dominance, he had failed to win a championship with the Lakers, and Johnson was expected to help them achieve that goal.[49] Lakers coach Jack McKinney had the 6-foot-9-inch (2.06 m) rookie Johnson, who some analysts thought should play forward, be a point guard, even though incumbent Norm Nixon was already one of the best in the league.[50][51] Johnson averaged 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game for the season, was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Team, and was named an NBA All-Star Game starter.[52]

The Lakers compiled a 60–22 record in the regular season and reached the 1980 NBA Finals,[53] where they faced the Philadelphia 76ers, who were led by forward Julius Erving. The Lakers took a 3–2 lead in the series, but Abdul-Jabbar, who averaged 33 points a game in the series,[54] sprained his ankle in Game 5 and could not play in Game 6.[49] Coach Paul Westhead, who had replaced McKinney early in the season after he had a near-fatal bicycle accident,[50][55] decided to start Johnson at center in Game 6; Johnson recorded 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals in a 123–107 win, while playing guard, forward, and center at different times during the game.[49] Johnson became the only rookie to win the NBA Finals MVP award,[49] and his clutch performance is still regarded as one of the finest in NBA history.[3][56][57] He also became one of four players to win NCAA and NBA championships in consecutive years.[58]

Ups and downs (1980–1983)

Early in the 1980–81 season, Johnson was sidelined after he suffered torn cartilage in his left knee. He missed 45 games,[45] and said that his rehabilitation was the "most down" he had ever felt.[59] Johnson returned before the start of the 1981 playoffs, but the Lakers' then-assistant and future head coach Pat Riley later said Johnson's much-anticipated return made the Lakers a "divided team".[60] The 54-win Lakers faced the 40–42 Houston Rockets in the first round of playoffs,[61][62] where Houston upset the Lakers 2–1 after Johnson airballed a last-second shot in Game 3.[63]

In 1981, after the 1980–81 season, Johnson signed a 25-year, $25 million contract with the Lakers (equivalent to $80,000,000 in 2022), which was the highest-paying contract in sports history up to that point.[64][65] Early in the 1981–82 season, Johnson had a heated dispute with Westhead, who Johnson said made the Lakers "slow" and "predictable".[66] After Johnson demanded to be traded, Lakers owner Jerry Buss fired Westhead and replaced him with Riley. Although Johnson denied responsibility for Westhead's firing,[67] he was booed across the league, even by Laker fans.[28] Buss was also unhappy with the Lakers' offense and had intended on firing Westhead days before the Westhead–Johnson altercation, but assistant GM Jerry West and GM Bill Sharman had convinced Buss to delay his decision.[68] Despite his off-court troubles, Johnson averaged 18.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and a league-high 2.7 steals per game, and was voted a member of the All-NBA Second Team.[45] He also joined Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only NBA players to tally at least 700 points, 700 rebounds, and 700 assists in the same season.[33] The Lakers advanced through the 1982 playoffs and faced Philadelphia for the second time in three years in the 1982 NBA Finals. After a triple-double from Johnson in Game 6, the Lakers defeated the Sixers 4–2, as Johnson won his second NBA Finals MVP award.[69] During the championship series against the Sixers, Johnson averaged 16.2 points on .533 shooting, 10.8 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2.5 steals per game.[70] Johnson later said that his third season was when the Lakers first became a great team,[71] and he credited their success to Riley.[72]

During the 1982–83 NBA season, Johnson's first of nine consecutive double-double seasons, he averaged 16.8 points, 10.5 assists, and 8.6 rebounds per game, and earned his first All-NBA First Team nomination.[45] The Lakers again reached the Finals, and for a third time faced the Sixers, who featured center Moses Malone as well as Erving.[73] With Johnson's teammates Nixon, James Worthy, and Bob McAdoo all hobbled by injuries, the Lakers were swept by the Sixers, and Malone was crowned the Finals MVP.[73] In a losing effort against Philadelphia, Johnson averaged 19.0 points on .403 shooting, 12.5 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game.[74]

Battles against the Celtics (1983–1987)

 
Johnson with the Lakers, c. 1987

Prior to Johnson's fifth season, West—who had become the Lakers general manager—traded Nixon to free Johnson from sharing the ball-handling responsibilities.[75] Johnson averaged another double-double season, with 17.6 points, 13.1 assists, and 7.3 rebounds per game.[45] The Lakers reached the Finals for the third year in a row, where Johnson's Lakers and Bird's Celtics met for the first time in the postseason.[76] The Lakers won the first game, and led by two points in Game 2 with 18 seconds to go, but after a layup by Gerald Henderson, Johnson failed to get a shot off before the final buzzer sounded, and the Lakers lost 124–121 in overtime.[76] In Game 3, Johnson responded with 21 assists in a 137–104 win, but he made several crucial errors late in the contest during Game 4. In the final minute of the game, Johnson had the ball stolen by Celtics center Robert Parish, and then missed two free throws that could have won the game. The Celtics won Game 4 in overtime, and the teams split the next two games. In the decisive Game 7 in Boston, as the Lakers trailed by three points in the final minute, opposing point guard Dennis Johnson stole the ball from Johnson, a play that effectively ended the series.[76] Friends Isiah Thomas and Mark Aguirre consoled him that night, talking until the morning in his Boston hotel room amidst fan celebrations on the street.[77][78] During the Finals, Johnson averaged 18.0 points on .560 shooting, 13.6 assists, and 7.7 rebounds per game.[79] Johnson later described the series as "the one championship we should have had but didn't get".[80]

In the 1984–85 regular season, Johnson averaged 18.3 points, 12.6 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game, and led the Lakers into the 1985 NBA Finals, where they faced the Celtics again. The series started poorly for the Lakers when they allowed an NBA Finals record 148 points to the Celtics in a 34-point loss in Game 1.[81] However, Abdul-Jabbar, who was now 38 years old, scored 30 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in Game 2, and his 36 points in a Game 5 win were instrumental in establishing a 3–2 lead for Los Angeles.[81] After the Lakers defeated the Celtics in six games, Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson, who averaged 18.3 points on .494 shooting, 14.0 assists, and 6.8 rebounds per game in the championship series,[82][83] said the Finals win was the highlight of their careers.[84]

Johnson again averaged a double-double in the 1985–86 NBA season, with 18.8 points, 12.6 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game.[45] The Lakers advanced to the Western Conference Finals, but were unable to defeat the Houston Rockets, who advanced to the Finals in five games.[85] In the next season, Johnson averaged a career-high of 23.9 points, as well as 12.2 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game,[45] and earned his first regular season MVP award.[86][87] The Lakers met the Celtics for the third time in the NBA Finals, and in Game 4 Johnson hit a last-second hook shot over Celtics big men Parish and Kevin McHale to win the game 107–106.[88] The game-winning shot, which Johnson dubbed his "junior, junior, junior sky-hook",[88] helped Los Angeles defeat Boston in six games. Johnson was awarded his third Finals MVP title after averaging 26.2 points on .541 shooting, 13.0 assists, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.33 steals per game.[88][89]

Repeat and falling short (1987–1991)

 
Johnson with Lakers' head coach Pat Riley (left)

Before the 1987–88 NBA season, Lakers coach Pat Riley publicly promised that they would defend the NBA title, even though no team had won consecutive titles since the Celtics did so in the 1969 NBA Finals.[90] Johnson had another productive season with averages of 19.6 points, 11.9 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game despite missing 10 games with a groin injury.[45] In the 1988 playoffs, the Lakers swept the San Antonio Spurs in 3 games, then survived two 4–3 series against the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks to reach the Finals and face Thomas and the Detroit Pistons,[91] who with players such as Bill Laimbeer, John Salley, Vinnie Johnson, and Dennis Rodman were known as the "Bad Boys" for their physical style of play.[92] Johnson and Thomas greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek before the opening tip of Game 1, which they called a display of brotherly love.[78][93][94] After the teams split the first six games, Lakers forward and Finals MVP James Worthy had his first career triple-double of 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists, and led his team to a 108–105 win.[95] Despite not being named MVP, Johnson had a strong championship series, averaging 21.1 points on .550 shooting, 13 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game.[96] It was the fifth and final NBA championship of his career.[97]

In the 1988–89 NBA season, Johnson's 22.5 points, 12.8 assists, and 7.9 rebounds per game[45] earned him his second MVP award,[98] and the Lakers reached the 1989 NBA Finals, in which they again faced the Pistons. However, after Johnson went down with a hamstring injury in Game 2, the Lakers were no match for the Pistons, who swept them 4–0.[99]

Playing without Abdul-Jabbar for the first time, Johnson won his third MVP award[100] after a strong 1989–90 NBA season in which he averaged 22.3 points, 11.5 assists, and 6.6 rebounds per game.[45] However, the Lakers bowed out to the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals, which was the Lakers' earliest playoffs elimination in nine years.[101] Mike Dunleavy became the Lakers' head coach in 1990–91, when Johnson had grown to be the league's third-oldest point guard. He had become more powerful and stronger than in his earlier years, but was also slower and less nimble.[102] Under Dunleavy, the offense used more half-court sets, and the team had a renewed emphasis on defense.[103] Johnson performed well during the season, with averages of 19.4 points, 12.5 assists, and 7 rebounds per game, and the Lakers reached the 1991 NBA Finals. There they faced the Chicago Bulls, led by shooting guard Michael Jordan, a five-time scoring champion regarded as the finest player of his era.[104][105] Although the series was portrayed as a matchup between Johnson and Jordan,[106] Bulls forward Scottie Pippen defended effectively against Johnson. Despite two triple-doubles from Johnson during the series, Finals MVP Jordan led his team to a 4–1 win.[28] In the last championship series of his career, Johnson averaged 18.6 points on .431 shooting, 12.4 assists, and 8 rebounds per game.[107]

HIV announcement and Olympics (1991–1992)

After a physical examination before the 1991–92 NBA season, Johnson discovered that he had tested positive for HIV. In a press conference held on November 7, 1991, Johnson made a public announcement that he would retire immediately.[108] He stated that his wife, Cookie, and their unborn child did not have HIV, and that he would dedicate his life to "battle this deadly disease".[108]

Johnson initially said that he did not know how he contracted the disease,[108] but later acknowledged that it was through having numerous sexual partners during his playing career.[109] He admitted to having "harems of women" and talked openly about his sexual activities because "he was convinced that heterosexuals needed to know that they, too, were at risk".[109] At the time, only a small percentage of HIV-positive American men had contracted it from heterosexual sex,[93][110] and it was initially rumored that Johnson was gay or bisexual, although he denied both.[93] Johnson later accused Isiah Thomas of spreading the rumors, a claim Thomas denied.[78][111]

Johnson's HIV announcement became a major news story in the United States,[110] and in 2004 was named as ESPN's seventh-most memorable moment of the previous 25 years.[108] Many articles praised Johnson as a hero, and the then-U.S. President George H. W. Bush said, "For me, Magic is a hero, a hero for anyone who loves sports."[110]

Despite his retirement, Johnson was voted by fans as a starter for the 1992 NBA All-Star Game at Orlando Arena, although his former teammates Byron Scott and A.C. Green said that Johnson should not play,[112] and several NBA players, including Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone, argued that they would be at risk of contamination if Johnson sustained an open wound while on court.[113] Johnson led the West to a 153–113 win and was crowned All-Star MVP after recording 25 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds.[114] The game ended after he made a last-minute three-pointer, and players from both teams ran onto the court to congratulate Johnson.[115]

Johnson was chosen to compete in the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics for the U.S. national team, dubbed the "Dream Team" because of the NBA stars on the roster.[116] The Dream Team, which along with Johnson included fellow Hall of Famers such as Bird, Michael Jordan, and Charles Barkley, was considered unbeatable.[117] After qualifying for the Olympics with a gold medal at the 1992 Tournament of the Americas,[118] the Dream Team dominated in Olympic competition, winning the gold medal with an 8–0 record, beating their opponents by an average of 43.8 points per game. Johnson averaged 8.0 points per game during the Olympics, and his 5.5 assists per game was second on the team.[117][119] Johnson played infrequently because of knee problems,[120] but he received standing ovations from the crowd, and used the opportunity to inspire HIV-positive people.[41]

Post-Olympics and later life

Before the 1992–93 NBA season, Johnson announced his intention to stage an NBA comeback. After practicing and playing in several pre-season games, he retired again before the start of the regular season, citing controversy over his return sparked by opposition from several active players.[33] In an August 2011 interview, Johnson said that in retrospect he wished that he had never retired after being diagnosed with HIV, saying, "If I knew what I know now, I wouldn't have retired."[121] Johnson said that despite the physical, highly competitive practices and scrimmages leading up to the 1992 Olympics, some of those same teammates still expressed concerns about his return to the NBA. He said that he retired because he "didn't want to hurt the game."[121]

During his retirement, Johnson has written a book on safe sex, run several businesses, worked for NBC as a commentator, and toured Asia, Australia, and New Zealand with a basketball team of former college and NBA players.[28] In 1985, Johnson created "A Midsummer Night's Magic", a yearly charity event which included a celebrity basketball game and a black tie dinner. The proceeds went to the United Negro College Fund, and Johnson held this event for twenty years, ending in 2005. "A Midsummer Night's Magic" eventually came under the umbrella of the Magic Johnson Foundation, which he founded in 1991.[122] The 1992 event, which was the first one held after Johnson's appearance in the 1992 Olympics, raised over $1.3 million for UNCF. Johnson joined Shaquille O'Neal and celebrity coach Spike Lee to lead the blue team to a 147–132 victory over the white team, which was coached by Arsenio Hall.[123][124]

Return to the Lakers as coach and player (1994, 1996)

Johnson returned to the NBA as coach for the Lakers near the end of the 1993–94 NBA season, replacing Randy Pfund, and Bill Bertka, who served as an interim coach for two games.[125][126] Johnson, who took the job at the urging of owner Jerry Buss, admitted "I've always had the desire (to coach) in the back of my mind." He insisted that his health was not an issue, while downplaying questions about returning as a player, saying, "I'm retired. Let's leave it at that."[127] Amid speculation from general manager Jerry West that he may only coach until the end of the season,[127] Johnson took over a team that had a 28–38 record, and won his first game as head coach, a 110–101 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.[128] He was coaching a team that had five of his former teammates on the roster: Vlade Divac, Elden Campbell, Tony Smith, Kurt Rambis, James Worthy, and Michael Cooper, who was brought in as an assistant coach.[127][129] Johnson, who still had a guaranteed player contract that would pay him $14.6 million during the 1994–95 NBA season, signed a separate contract to coach the team that had no compensation.[127] The Lakers played well initially, winning five of their first six games under Johnson, but after losing the next five games, Johnson announced that he was resigning as coach after the season. The Lakers finished the season on a ten-game losing streak, and Johnson's final record as a head coach was 5–11.[126] Stating that it was never his dream to coach, he chose instead to purchase a 5% share of the team in June 1994.[28]

At the age of 36, Johnson attempted another comeback as a player when he rejoined the Lakers during the 1995–96 NBA season. During his retirement, Johnson began intense workouts to help his fight against HIV, raising his bench press from 135 to 300 pounds, and increasing his weight to 255 pounds.[36] He officially returned to the team on January 29, 1996,[130] and played his first game the following day against the Golden State Warriors. Coming off the bench, Johnson had 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists to help the Lakers to a 128–118 victory.[131] On February 14, Johnson recorded the final triple-double of his career, when he scored 15 points, along with 10 rebounds and 13 assists in a victory against the Atlanta Hawks.[131] Playing power forward, he averaged 14.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game in 32 games, and finished tied for 12th place with Charles Barkley in voting for the MVP Award.[45][132] The Lakers had a record of 22–10 in the games Johnson played, and he considered his final comeback "a success."[130] While Johnson played well in 1996, there were struggles both on and off the court. Cedric Ceballos, upset over a reduction in his playing time after Johnson's arrival, left the team for several days.[133][134] He missed two games and was stripped of his title as team captain.[135] Nick Van Exel received a seven-game suspension for bumping referee Ron Garretson during a game on April 9. Johnson was publicly critical of Van Exel, saying his actions were "inexcusable."[136] Johnson was himself suspended five days later, when he bumped referee Scott Foster, missing three games. He also missed several games due to a calf injury.[130] Despite these difficulties, the Lakers finished with a record of 53–29 and fourth seed in the NBA Playoffs. Although they were facing the defending NBA champion Houston Rockets, the Lakers had home court advantage in the five-game series. The Lakers played poorly in a Game 1 loss, prompting Johnson to express frustration with his role in coach Del Harris' offense.[137] Johnson led the way to a Game 2 victory with 26 points, but averaged only 7.5 points per game for the remainder of the series, which the Rockets won three games to one.[131]

After the Lakers lost to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs,[138] Johnson initially expressed a desire to return to the team for the 1996–97 NBA season, but he also talked about joining another team as a free agent, hoping to see more playing time at point guard instead of power forward.[130] A few days later, Johnson changed his mind and retired permanently, saying, "I am going out on my terms, something I couldn't say when I aborted a comeback in 1992."[33][130]

Magic Johnson All-Stars

 
Johnson greeting a local player during his tour with the All-Stars to Argentina in January 1994

Determined to play competitive basketball despite being out of the NBA, Johnson formed the Magic Johnson All-Stars, a barnstorming team composed of former NBA and college players. In 1994, Johnson joined with former pros Mark Aguirre, Reggie Theus, John Long, Earl Cureton, Jim Farmer, and Lester Conner, as his team played games in Australia, Israel, South America, Europe, New Zealand, and Japan. They also toured the United States, playing five games against teams from the CBA. In the final game of the CBA series, Johnson had 30 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists, leading the All-Stars to a 126–121 victory over the Oklahoma City Cavalry.[139] By the time he returned to the Lakers in 1996, the Magic Johnson All-Stars had amassed a record of 55–0, and Johnson was earning as much as $365,000 per game.[36] Johnson played with the team frequently over the next several years, with possibly the most memorable game occurring in November 2001. At the age of 42, Johnson played with the All-Stars against his alma mater, Michigan State. Although he played in a celebrity game to honor coach Jud Heathcoate in 1995,[46] this was Johnson's first meaningful game played in his hometown of Lansing in 22 years. Playing in front of a sold-out arena, Johnson had a triple-double and played the entire game, but his all-star team lost to the Spartans by two points. Johnson's half-court shot at the buzzer would have won the game, but it fell short.[140][141] On November 1, 2002, Johnson returned to play a second exhibition game against Michigan State. Playing with the Canberra Cannons of Australia's National Basketball League instead of his usual group of players, Johnson's team defeated the Spartans 104–85, as he scored 12 points and had 10 assists and 10 rebounds.[142]

Brief period in Scandinavia

In 1999, Johnson joined the Swedish squad M7 Borås (now known as 'Borås Basket'), and was undefeated in five games with the team.[143][144] Johnson also became a co-owner of the club;[145] however, the project failed after one season and the club was forced into reconstruction.[145] He later joined the Danish team The Great Danes.[145]

Rivalry with Larry Bird

See also: Celtics–Lakers rivalry
 
Johnson against the Celtics during the 1987 NBA Finals

Johnson and Bird were first linked as rivals after Johnson's Michigan State Spartans squad defeated Bird's Indiana State Sycamores team in the 1979 NCAA finals. The rivalry continued in the NBA, and reached its climax when Boston and Los Angeles met in three out of four NBA Finals from 1984 to 1987, with the Lakers winning two out of three Finals. Johnson asserted that for him, the 82-game regular season was composed of 80 normal games, and two Lakers–Celtics games. Similarly, Bird admitted that Johnson's daily box score was the first thing he checked in the morning.[115]

Several journalists hypothesized that the Johnson–Bird rivalry was so appealing because it represented many other contrasts, such as the clash between the Lakers and Celtics, between Hollywood flashiness ("Showtime") and Boston/Indiana blue collar grit ("Celtic Pride"), and between blacks and whites.[146][147] The rivalry was also significant because it drew national attention to the faltering NBA. Prior to Johnson and Bird's arrival, the NBA had gone through a decade of declining interest and low TV ratings.[148] With the two future Hall of Famers, the league won a whole generation of new fans,[149] drawing both traditionalist adherents of Bird's dirt court Indiana game and those appreciative of Johnson's public park flair. According to sports journalist Larry Schwartz of ESPN, Johnson and Bird saved the NBA from bankruptcy.[33]

Despite their on-court rivalry, Johnson and Bird became close friends during the filming of a 1984 Converse shoe advertisement that depicted them as enemies.[150][151] Johnson appeared at Bird's retirement ceremony in 1992, and described Bird as a "friend forever";[115] during Johnson's Hall of Fame ceremony, Bird formally inducted his old rival.[149]

In 2009, Johnson and Bird collaborated with journalist Jackie MacMullan on a non-fiction book titled When the Game Was Ours. The book detailed their on-court rivalry and friendship with one another.[152] The following year, HBO developed a documentary about their rivalry titled Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals, which was directed by Ezra Edelman.[153]

Legacy

In 905 NBA games, Johnson tallied 17,707 points, 6,559 rebounds, and 10,141 assists, translating to career averages of 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 11.2 assists per game, the highest assists per game average in NBA history.[45] Johnson shares the single-game playoff record for assists (24),[154] holds the Finals record for assists in a game (21),[154] and has the most playoff assists (2,346).[155] He is the only player to average 12 assists in an NBA Finals series, achieving it six times.[156] He holds the All-Star Game single-game record for assists (22), and the All-Star Game record for career assists (127).[154]

"Magic is head-and-shoulders above everybody else [...] I’ve never seen [anybody] as good as him."

—Larry Bird[157]

Johnson introduced a fast-paced style of basketball called "Showtime", described as a mix of "no-look passes off the fast break, pin-point alley-oops from halfcourt, spinning feeds and overhand bullets under the basket through triple teams."[28] Fellow Lakers guard Michael Cooper said, "There have been times when [Johnson] has thrown passes and I wasn't sure where he was going. Then one of our guys catches the ball and scores, and I run back up the floor convinced that he must've thrown it through somebody."[28][33] Johnson could dominate a game without scoring, running the offense and distributing the ball with flair.[156] In the 1982 NBA Finals, he was named the Finals MVP averaging just 16.2 points, the lowest average of any Finals MVP award recipient in the three-point shot era.[156]

Johnson was exceptional because he played point guard despite being 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), a size reserved normally for frontcourt players.[28] His career 138 triple-double games places him third all-time behind Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook.[158] Johnson is the only player in NBA Finals history to have triple-doubles in multiple series-clinching games.[156]

For his feats, Johnson was voted as one of the 50 Greatest Players of All Time by the NBA in 1996,[159] and selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.[160] The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted him in 2002.[161] ESPN's SportsCentury ranked Johnson No. 17 in their "50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century"[162] In 2006, ESPN.com rated Johnson the greatest point guard of all time, stating, "It could be argued that he's the one player in NBA history who was better than Michael Jordan."[3] Bleacher Report also listed Johnson first in its all-time NBA point guard rankings.[4] In 2022, to commemorate the NBA's 75th anniversary, The Athletic ranked their top 75 players of all time, and named Johnson as the 5th greatest player in NBA history, and the highest ranked point guard.[6] Several of his achievements in individual games have also been named among the top moments in the NBA.[57][163][164] At the 2019 NBA Awards, Johnson received the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award (shared with Bird).[165] In 2022, the NBA began awarding MVPs for the conference finals; the Western Conference Finals MVP trophy is named after Johnson, while the Eastern Conference trophy is named after Bird.[166]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship  *  Led the league  ‡  NBA record

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1979–80† L.A. Lakers 77 72 36.3 .530 .226 .810 7.7 7.3 2.4 0.5 18.0
1980–81 L.A. Lakers 37 35 37.1 .532 .176 .760 8.6 8.6 3.4* 0.7 21.6
1981–82† L.A. Lakers 78 77 38.3 .537 .207 .760 9.6 9.5 2.7* 0.4 18.6
1982–83 L.A. Lakers 79 79 36.8 .548 .000 .800 8.6 10.5* 2.2 0.6 16.8
1983–84 L.A. Lakers 67 66 38.3 .565 .207 .810 7.3 13.1* 2.2 0.7 17.6
1984–85† L.A. Lakers 77 77 36.1 .561 .189 .843 6.2 12.6 1.5 0.3 18.3
1985–86 L.A. Lakers 72 70 35.8 .526 .233 .871 5.9 12.6* 1.6 0.2 18.8
1986–87† L.A. Lakers 80 80 36.3 .522 .205 .848 6.3 12.2* 1.7 0.4 23.9
1987–88† L.A. Lakers 72 70 36.6 .492 .196 .853 6.2 11.9 1.6 0.2 19.6
1988–89 L.A. Lakers 77 77 37.5 .509 .314 .911* 7.9 12.8 1.8 0.3 22.5
1989–90 L.A. Lakers 79 79 37.2 .480 .384 .890 6.6 11.5 1.7 0.4 22.3
1990–91 L.A. Lakers 79 79 37.1 .477 .320 .906 7.0 12.5 1.3 0.2 19.4
1995–96 L.A. Lakers 32 9 29.9 .466 .379 .856 5.7 6.9 0.8 0.4 14.6
Career[45] 906 870 36.7 .520 .303 .848 7.2 11.2‡ 1.9 0.4 19.5
All-Star[45] 11 10 30.1 .489 .476 .905 5.2 11.5 1.9 0.6 16.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1980† L.A. Lakers 16 16 41.1 .518 .250 .802 10.5 9.4 3.1 0.4 18.3
1981 L.A. Lakers 3 3 42.3 .388 .000 .650 13.7 7.0 2.7 1.0 17.0
1982† L.A. Lakers 14 14 40.1 .529 .000 .828 11.3 9.3 2.9 0.2 17.4
1983 L.A. Lakers 15 15 42.9 .485 .000 .840 8.5 12.8 2.3 0.8 17.9
1984 L.A. Lakers 21 21 39.9 .551 .000 .800 6.6 13.5 2.0 1.0 18.2
1985† L.A. Lakers 19 19 36.2 .513 .143 .847 7.1 15.2 1.7 0.2 17.5
1986 L.A. Lakers 14 14 38.6 .537 .000 .766 7.1 15.1 1.9 0.1 21.6
1987† L.A. Lakers 18 18 37.0 .539 .200 .831 7.7 12.2 1.7 0.4 21.8
1988† L.A. Lakers 24 24 40.2 .514 .500 .852 5.4 12.6 1.4 0.2 19.9
1989 L.A. Lakers 14 14 37.0 .489 .286 .907 5.9 11.8 1.9 0.2 18.4
1990 L.A. Lakers 9 9 41.8 .490 .200 .886 6.3 12.8 1.2 0.1 25.2
1991 L.A. Lakers 19 19 43.3 .440 .296 .882 8.1 12.6 1.2 0.0 21.8
1996 L.A. Lakers 4 0 33.8 .385 .333 .848 8.5 6.5 0.0 0.0 15.3
Career[45] 190 186 39.7 .506 .241 .838 7.7 12.3‡ 1.9 0.3 19.5

Head coaching record

Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
L.A. Lakers 1993–94 16 5 11 .313 (resigned) — — — — —
Career[167] 16 5 11 .313 — — — — —

Awards and honors

See also: List of career achievements by Magic Johnson
 
Johnson's Hollywood Walk of Fame star
 
Johnson's number 32 jersey was retired by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1992.
NBA
USA Basketball
NCAA
High school
Halls of Fame
Sports ownership
Media and entertainment

Executive career

On February 21, 2017, Johnson replaced Jim Buss as the president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers.[183] Under Johnson, the Lakers sought to acquire multiple star players and cleared existing players, including future All-Star D'Angelo Russell, off of their roster in an attempt to free up room under the league's salary cap. The franchise reached an agreement with free agent LeBron James on a four-year contract in 2018, but efforts to trade for Anthony Davis during the 2018–19 season proved unsuccessful. The Lakers did not reach the playoffs during Johnson's executive tenure.[184] In an impromptu news conference on April 9, 2019, Johnson resigned from the Lakers, citing his desire to return to his role as an NBA ambassador.[184][185][186]

Off the court

Personal life

 
Johnson with his wife, Cookie, in 2014

Johnson first fathered a son in 1981 when Andre Johnson was born to Melissa Mitchell. Although Andre was raised by his mother, he visited Johnson each summer, and later worked for Magic Johnson Enterprises as a marketing director.[15]

In 1991, Johnson married Earlitha "Cookie" Kelly in a small wedding in Lansing which included guests Thomas, Aguirre, and Herb Williams.[187] Johnson and Cookie have one son, Earvin III ("EJ"), who is openly gay and a star on the reality show Rich Kids of Beverly Hills.[15][188] The couple adopted a daughter, Elisa, in 1995.[189] Johnson resides in Beverly Hills and has a vacation home in Dana Point, California.[190][191]

Johnson is a Christian[192] and has said his faith is "the most important thing" in his life.[193]

In 2010, Johnson and then-current and former NBA players such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Bill Russell, as well as Maya Moore from the WNBA, played a basketball game with President Barack Obama as an exhibition for a group of military troops who had been injured in action. The game was played at a gym inside Fort McNair, and reporters covering the president were not allowed to enter. The basketball game was a part of other festivities organized to celebrate Obama's 49th birthday.[194]

Relationship with Jerry Buss

Johnson had an extremely close relationship with Lakers owner Jerry Buss, whom he saw as a mentor and father figure.[195] Calling Buss his "second father" and "one of [his] best friends", Johnson spent five hours visiting Buss at the hospital just a few months before his 2013 death from cancer. Speaking to media just hours after Buss had died, Johnson was emotional, saying, "Without Dr. Jerry Buss, there is no Magic."[196] Buss acquired the team from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979, shortly before he drafted Johnson with the #1 pick in the 1979 NBA draft. Buss took a special interest in Johnson, introducing him to important Los Angeles business contacts and showing him how the Lakers organization was run, before eventually selling Johnson a stake in the team in 1994.[196] Johnson credits Buss with giving him the business knowledge that enabled him to become part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.[196][197]

Buss supported Johnson as he revealed his diagnosis of HIV in 1991, and he never hesitated to keep Johnson close to the organization, bringing him in as part-owner, and even as a coach. Johnson had never seriously considered coaching, but he agreed to take the head coaching position with the Lakers in 1994 at Buss' request. In 1992, Buss had given Johnson a contract that paid him $14 million a year, as payback for all the years he was not the league's highest-paid player. Although Johnson's retirement prior to the 1992–93 NBA season voided this contract, Buss insisted that he still be paid.[196] It was this arrangement that allowed Johnson to coach the team without receiving any additional salary.[127][195] After Johnson ended his coaching stint, Buss sold him a 4% stake in the Lakers for $10 million, and Johnson served as a team executive.[196]

Media figure and business interests

 
Johnson giving a speech at the George R. Brown Convention Center in 2013

In 1997, his production company Magic Johnson Entertainment signed a deal with Fox.[198] In 1998, Johnson hosted a late night talk show on the Fox network called The Magic Hour, but the show was canceled after two months because of low ratings.[199] Shortly after the cancellation of his talk show, Johnson started a record label. The label, initially called Magic 32 Records, was renamed Magic Johnson Music when Johnson signed a joint venture with MCA in 2000. Magic Johnson Music signed R&B artist Avant as its first act.[200][201] Johnson also co-promoted Janet Jackson's Velvet Rope Tour through his company Magicworks.[202] He has also worked as a motivational speaker,[17] and was an NBA commentator for Turner Network Television for seven years,[203] before becoming a studio analyst for ESPN's NBA Countdown in 2008.[204]

Johnson runs Magic Johnson Enterprises, a conglomerate company that has a net worth of $700 million;[15] its subsidiaries include Magic Johnson Productions, a promotional company; Magic Johnson Theaters, a nationwide chain of movie theaters; and Magic Johnson Entertainment, a film studio.[205] In addition to these business ventures, Johnson has also created the Magic Card, a pre-paid MasterCard aimed at helping low-income people save money and participate in electronic commerce.[206] In 2006, Johnson created a contract food service with Sodexo USA called Sodexo-Magic.[207][208] In 2004, Johnson and his partner Ken Lombard sold Magic Johnson Theaters to Loews Cineplex Entertainment. The first Magic Johnson Theater located in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, closed in 2010 and re-opened in 2011 as Rave Cinema 15.[209] In 2012, Johnson launched a cable TV network called Aspire, featuring programming targeted at black audiences, similar to networks such as Black Entertainment Television (BET) and TV One.[210]

Johnson began thinking of life after basketball while still playing for the Lakers. He wondered why so many athletes had failed at business, and sought advice. During his seventh season in the NBA, he had a meeting with Michael Ovitz, CEO of Creative Artists Agency. Ovitz encouraged him to start reading business magazines and to use every connection available to him. Johnson learned everything he could about business, often meeting with corporate executives during road trips.[211] Johnson's first foray into business, a high-end sporting goods store named Magic 32,[211] failed after only one year, costing him $200,000.[212] The experience taught him to listen to his customers and find out what products they wanted. Johnson has become a leading voice on how to invest in urban communities, creating redevelopment opportunities in underserved areas, most notably through his movie theaters and his partnership with Starbucks. He went to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz with the idea that he could successfully open the coffee shops in urban areas. After showing Schultz the tremendous buying power of minorities, Johnson was able to purchase 125 Starbucks stores, which reported higher than average per capita sales.[212] The partnership, called Urban Coffee Opportunities, placed Starbucks in locations such as Detroit, Washington, D.C., Harlem, and the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles. Johnson sold his remaining interest in the stores back to the company in 2010, ending a successful twelve-year partnership.[213][214] He has also made investments in urban real estate through the Canyon-Johnson and Yucaipa-Johnson funds.[215] Another major project is with insurance services company Aon Corp.[216] In 2005–2007, Johnson was a part of a syndicate that bought the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower, then the tallest building in Brooklyn, for $71 million and converted the 512-foot high landmark structure from an office building into luxury condominiums.[217][218] According to Forbes, Johnson became a billionaire in 2023.[219]

In 1990, Johnson and Earl Graves Sr. obtained a large interest in the Washington, D.C. PepsiCo bottling operation, making it the company's largest minority-owned facility in the U.S.[220] Johnson became a minority owner of the Lakers in 1994, having reportedly paid more than $10 million for part ownership. He also held the title of team vice president.[221] Johnson sold his ownership stake in the Lakers in October 2010 to Patrick Soon-Shiong, a Los Angeles surgeon and professor at UCLA,[222] but continued as an unpaid vice president of the team.[223] In February 2017, Johnson returned to the Lakers as an advisor to Jeanie Buss.[224]

In the wake of the Donald Sterling controversy, limited media reports indicated that Johnson had expressed an interest in purchasing the Los Angeles Clippers franchise.[225]

In 2015, Johnson completed his planned acquisition for a "majority, controlling interest" in EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, which manages $14.5 billion in annuities, life insurance and other financial products.[226]

He is an investor for aXiomatic eSports, the ownership company of Team Liquid.[227]

Sports team ownership

In January 2012, Johnson joined with Guggenheim Partners and Stan Kasten in a bid for ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.[228] In March 2012, Johnson's ownership group was announced as the winner of the proceedings to buy the Dodgers.[229] The Johnson-led group, which also includes movie executive Peter Guber, paid $2 billion for the Dodgers. Johnson is considered the face of the ownership group while the controlling owner is Mark Walter.[230] The Dodgers won the 2020 World Series.[231]

Johnson and Guber were also partners in the Dayton Dragons,[230] a Class-A minor league baseball team based in Dayton, Ohio, that sold out more than 1,000 consecutive games, a record for professional sports.[232] Johnson and Guber sold their stake in the Dragons in 2014.[233] Together with Guggenheim, Johnson was also involved in buying the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA in 2014.[234] As such, in 2014, Johnson was named one of ESPNW's Impact 25.[235] He won the WNBA championship as the owner in 2016.[236] Johnson announced co-ownership of a Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion franchise, Los Angeles FC, which began play in 2018 and won the MLS Cup in 2022.[237][238][239][177]

In 2023, Johnson invested $240 million in a group headed by Josh Harris that purchased the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL) for $6.05 billion, the highest price ever paid for a sports team.[240][241] A lifelong fan of the NFL, he considered it a "dream" and the greatest achievement of his business career.[240][242] Johnson had previously held talks with other groups interested in buying the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders before meeting and joining Harris on an unsuccessful bid on the Denver Broncos in 2022.[240][243]

Politics

 
In 2003, Johnson met with Nancy Pelosi to discuss federal assistance for those with AIDS.

Johnson is a supporter of the Democratic Party. In 2006, he publicly endorsed Phil Angelides for Governor of California.[244] He supported Hillary Clinton during her 2008 presidential campaign,[245] and in 2010, he endorsed Barbara Boxer in her race for re-election to the U.S. Senate.[246] In 2012, he endorsed Barack Obama for president.[247] He endorsed and appeared in campaign ads for unsuccessful Los Angeles mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel in 2013.[248] In 2015, he once again endorsed Hillary Clinton in her second presidential campaign.[249] He hosted a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign on August 22, 2016.[250]

HIV activism

I think sometimes we think, "Well, only gay people can get it; it's not going to happen to me", and here I am saying that it can happen to anybody.

— Magic Johnson (November 7, 1991)[251]

Johnson was one of the first sports stars to go public about having HIV.[252] AIDS activist Elizabeth Glaser, to whom Johnson had been introduced by a friend,[253] convinced Johnson to go public about his diagnosis.[253][254] "She made me promise before she died that I would become the face of the disease and really go out and help people and educate people about it", Johnson recalled in a 2011 interview with Frontline.[253]

After announcing his infection in November 1991, Johnson created the Magic Johnson Foundation to help combat HIV,[255] although he later diversified the foundation to include other charitable goals.[256] In 1992, he joined the National Commission on AIDS, a committee appointed by members of Congress and the Bush Administration. Johnson left after eight months, saying that the White House had "utterly ignored" the work of the panel, and had opposed the commission's recommendations, which included universal healthcare and the expansion of Medicaid to cover all low-income people with AIDS.[255][257] He was also the main speaker for the United Nations (UN) World AIDS Day Conference in 1999,[256] and has served as a United Nations Messenger of Peace.[258]

HIV had been associated with intravenous drug users and homosexuals,[255] but Johnson's campaigns sought to show that the risk of infection was not limited to those groups. Johnson stated that his aim was to "help educate all people about what [HIV] is about" and teach others not to "discriminate against people who have HIV and AIDS".[256] Johnson was later criticized by the AIDS community for his decreased involvement in publicizing the spread of the disease.[255][256]

A number of research papers have been written on the "Magic Johnson effect", the effect Johnson's HIV announcement had on various populations, particularly those outside the stereotypes of who got infected with HIV – that is, heterosexuals.[259] Johnson's announcement was a "public-health catalyst", according to a West Virginia University paper,[260] "rapidly correcting the public's understanding of who was at risk of infection".[261] The paper argues there was a "large but temporary increase in the number of AIDS diagnoses for heterosexual men following the announcement" and suggests that, for some of those people, Johnson's announcement "prolonged patients' lifespans as a result of earlier access to medical care".[261] A paper published in AIDS Education and Prevention, based on interviews with clients of a Philadelphia sexually-transmitted-disease clinic, found that "the announcement by Magic Johnson that he had been infected with HIV was associated with increased concern about HIV and with attitude and behavior changes that would lead to reduced risk".[262]

To prevent his HIV infection from progressing to AIDS, Johnson takes a daily combination of drugs, also called a drug cocktail.[263] He has advertised GlaxoSmithKline's drugs,[264] and partnered with Abbott Laboratories to publicize the fight against AIDS in African American communities.[263]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Magic was the fourth of seven children Earvin Sr. and Christine had together.[22]

References

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  2. ^ "2021–22 Big Ten Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Big Ten Conference. 2021. p. 88. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
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  264. ^ "Magic Johnson assists drugmaker to advertise HIV treatment". USA Today. January 20, 2003. from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2009.

Sources

Further reading

Biographies

Johnson's autobiography is Johnson, Earvin (1992). Magic Johnson: My Life. Random House. ISBN 0-449-22254-3. Other biographies include:

  • Haskins, James (1981). Magic: A Biography of Earvin Johnson. Hillside, New Jersey: Enslow Publishers. ISBN 0-89490-044-7.
  • Gutman, Bill (1991). Magic: More Than a Legend. New York: Harper Paperbacks. ISBN 0-06-100542-8.
  • Morgan, Bill (1991). The Magic: Earvin Johnson. Scholastic. ISBN 0-606-01895-6.
  • Gutman, Bill (1992). Magic Johnson: Hero On and Off the Court. Brookfield, Connecticut: Millbrook Press. ISBN 1-56294-287-5.
  • Johnson, Rick L. (1992). Magic Johnson: Basketball's Smiling Superstar. New York: Dillon Press. ISBN 0-87518-553-3.
  • Rozakis, Laurie (1993). Magic Johnson: Basketball Immortal. Vero Beach, Florida: Rourke Enterprises. ISBN 0-86592-025-7.
  • Schwabacher, Martin (1993). Magic Johnson (Junior World Biographies). New York: Chelsea Juniors. ISBN 0-7910-2038-X.
  • Bork, Günter (1994). Die großen Basketball Stars. Copress-Verl. ISBN 3-7679-0369-5. (German)
  • Frank, Steven (1994). Magic Johnson (Basketball Legends). New York: Chelsea House Publishers. ISBN 0-7910-2430-X.
  • Bork, Günter (1995). Basketball: Sternstunden. Copress-Verl. ISBN 3-7679-0456-X. (German)
  • Blatt, Howard (1996). Magic! Against The Odds. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-00301-1.
  • Rosner, Mark (1999). Michael MacCambridge (ed.). Earvin "Magic" Johnson: The Star of Showtime. New York: Hyperion ESPN Books. pp. 251–52. (In ESPN SportsCentury)
  • Gottfried, Ted (2001). Earvin Magic Johnson: Champion and Crusader. New York: F. Watts. ISBN 0-531-11675-1.

Instructional

  • Johnson, Earvin "Magic" (1992). Magic's Touch: From Fundamentals to Fast Break With One of Basketball's All-Time Greats. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co. ISBN 0-201-63222-5.
  • Johnson, Earvin "Magic" (1996). What You Can Do to Avoid AIDS. New York: Times Books. ISBN 0-8129-2844-X.
    • Updated version of Johnson, Earvin "Magic" (1992). Unsafe Sex in the Age of AIDS. New York: Times Books. ISBN 0-8129-2063-5.

External links

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Magic Johnson.
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Magic Johnson.

February 15, 2024
magic, johnson, chili, peppers, song, mother, milk, album, earvin, johnson, redirects, here, center, ervin, johnson, earvin, magic, johnson, born, august, 1959, american, businessperson, former, professional, basketball, player, often, regarded, greatest, poin. For the Red Hot Chili Peppers song see Mother s Milk album Earvin Johnson redirects here For the NBA center see Ervin Johnson Earvin Magic Johnson Jr born August 14 1959 is an American businessperson and former professional basketball player Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time 3 4 5 6 7 Johnson spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association NBA After winning a national championship with Michigan State in 1979 Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Lakers leading the team to five NBA championships during their Showtime era Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV but returned to play in the 1992 All Star Game winning the All Star MVP Award After protests against his return from his fellow players he retired again for four years but returned in 1996 at age 36 to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time Magic JohnsonJohnson in 2022Personal informationBorn 1959 08 14 August 14 1959 age 64 Lansing Michigan U S Listed height6 ft 9 in 2 06 m Listed weight220 lb 100 kg 1 Career informationHigh schoolEverett Lansing Michigan CollegeMichigan State 1977 1979 NBA draft1979 1st round 1st overall pickSelected by the Los Angeles LakersPlaying career1979 1991 1996 1999 2000PositionPoint guard shooting guardNumber32Career historyAs player 1979 1991 1996Los Angeles Lakers1999 2000Magic M7 Boras2000Magic Great DanesAs coach 1994Los Angeles LakersCareer highlights and awards5 NBA champion 1980 1982 1985 1987 1988 3 NBA Finals MVP 1980 1982 1987 3 NBA Most Valuable Player 1987 1989 1990 12 NBA All Star 1980 1982 1992 2 NBA All Star Game MVP 1990 1992 9 All NBA First Team 1983 1991 All NBA Second Team 1982 NBA All Rookie Team 1980 4 NBA assists leader 1983 1984 1986 1987 2 NBA steals leader 1981 1982 IBM Award 1984 NBA Lifetime Achievement Award 2019 NBA anniversary team 50th 75th No 32 retired by Los Angeles Lakers NCAA champion 1979 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player 1979 Consensus first team All American 1979 Second team All American NABC 1978 Third team All American AP UPI 1978 2 first team All Big Ten 1978 1979 2 No 33 retired by Michigan State Spartans First team Parade All American 1977 McDonald s All American 1977 Mr Basketball of Michigan 1977 Career NBA statisticsPoints17 707 19 5 ppg Rebounds6 559 7 2 rpg Assists10 141 11 2 apg Stats at NBA comStats at Basketball Reference comBasketball Hall of Fame as playerCollege Basketball Hall of FameInducted in 2006Medals Men s basketballRepresenting the United StatesOlympic Games1992 Barcelona Men s basketballFIBA Americas Championship1992 Portland Men s basketballJohnson s career achievements include three NBA MVP Awards three NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Awards nine NBA Finals appearances 12 All Star games and nine All NBA First Team selections He led the league in regular season assists four times and is the NBA s all time leader in average assists per game in both the regular season 11 19 assists per game and the playoffs 12 35 assists per game 8 9 He also holds the records for most career playoff assists and most career playoff triple doubles 10 11 Johnson was a member of the 1992 United States men s Olympic basketball team The Dream Team which won the Olympic gold medal in Barcelona After leaving the NBA in 1991 Johnson formed the Magic Johnson All Stars a barnstorming team that traveled around the world playing exhibition games 12 Johnson was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 and selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021 and became a two time inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame being enshrined in 2002 for his individual career and again in 2010 as a member of the Dream Team 13 His friendship and rivalry with Boston Celtics star Larry Bird whom he faced in the 1979 NCAA finals and three NBA championship series are well documented Since his retirement Johnson has been an advocate for HIV AIDS prevention and safe sex 14 as well as an entrepreneur 15 philanthropist 16 broadcaster and motivational speaker 17 Johnson is a former part owner of the Lakers and was the team s president of basketball operations in the late 2010s He is a founding member of Guggenheim Baseball Management managing entity of the MLB s Los Angeles Dodgers and also partly owns the WNBA s Los Angeles Sparks the MLS Los Angeles FC and the NFL s Washington Commanders Johnson has won 14 total championships during his career one in college five as an NBA player and eight as an owner 18 Contents 1 Early life 2 High school career 3 College career 4 Professional career 4 1 Rookie season in the NBA 1979 1980 4 2 Ups and downs 1980 1983 4 3 Battles against the Celtics 1983 1987 4 4 Repeat and falling short 1987 1991 4 5 HIV announcement and Olympics 1991 1992 4 6 Post Olympics and later life 4 6 1 Return to the Lakers as coach and player 1994 1996 4 6 2 Magic Johnson All Stars 4 6 3 Brief period in Scandinavia 5 Rivalry with Larry Bird 6 Legacy 7 NBA career statistics 7 1 Regular season 7 2 Playoffs 8 Head coaching record 9 Awards and honors 10 Executive career 11 Off the court 11 1 Personal life 11 2 Relationship with Jerry Buss 11 3 Media figure and business interests 11 4 Sports team ownership 11 5 Politics 11 6 HIV activism 12 See also 13 Notes 14 References 15 Sources 16 Further reading 16 1 Biographies 16 2 Instructional 17 External linksEarly lifeEarvin Johnson Jr was born in Lansing Michigan to General Motors assembly worker Earvin Sr and school janitor Christine 19 Johnson who had six siblings and three half siblings by his father s previous marriage 20 21 a was influenced by his parents strong work ethic His mother spent many hours after work each night cleaning their home and preparing the next day s meals while his father did janitorial work at a used car lot and collected garbage all while never missing a day at General Motors Johnson would often help his father on the garbage route and he was teased by neighborhood children who called him Garbage Man 23 His mother raised him in the Seventh day Adventist Church 24 25 Johnson came to love basketball as a young man His favorite basketball player growing up was Bill Russell whom he admired more for his many championships than his athletic ability 26 He also idolized players such as Earl Monroe and Marques Haynes 27 and practiced all day 28 Johnson came from an athletic family His father played high school basketball in his home state of Mississippi 29 and Johnson learned the finer points about the game from him Johnson s mother originally from North Carolina 29 had also played basketball as a child and she grew up watching her brothers play the game 26 By the time he had reached the eighth grade Johnson had begun to think about a future in basketball He had become a dominant junior high player once scoring 48 points in a game 21 Johnson looked forward to playing at Sexton High School a school with a very successful basketball team and history that also happened to be only five blocks from his home His plans underwent a dramatic change when he learned that he would be bused to the predominantly white Everett High School instead of going to Sexton 26 30 which was predominantly black 21 31 Johnson s sister Pearl and brother Larry had bused to Everett the previous year and did not have a pleasant experience There were incidents of racism with rocks being thrown at buses carrying black students and white parents refusing to send their children to school Larry was kicked off the basketball team after a confrontation during practice prompting him to beg his brother not to play Johnson did join the basketball team but became angry after several days when his new teammates ignored him during practice not even passing the ball to him He nearly got into a fight with another player before head coach George Fox intervened Eventually Johnson accepted his situation and the small group of black students looked to him as their leader 21 When recalling the events in his autobiography My Life he talked about how his time at Everett had changed him As I look back on it today I see the whole picture very differently It s true that I hated missing out on Sexton And the first few months I was miserable at Everett But being bused to Everett turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me It got me out of my own little world and taught me how to understand white people how to communicate and deal with them 21 High school careerJohnson was first dubbed Magic at 15 when he recorded a triple double of 36 points 18 rebounds and 16 assists as a sophomore at Everett 28 After the game Fred Stabley Jr a sports writer for the Lansing State Journal gave him the moniker 32 despite the belief of Johnson s mother a devout Christian that the name was sacrilegious 28 In his final high school season Johnson led Everett to a 27 1 win loss record while averaging 28 8 points and 16 8 rebounds per game 28 and took his team to an overtime victory in the state championship game 33 Johnson dedicated the championship victory to his best friend Reggie Chastine who was killed in a car accident the previous summer 34 He gave Chastine much of the credit for his development as a basketball player and as a person 35 saying years later I doubted myself back then 36 Johnson and Chastine were almost always together playing basketball or riding around in Chastine s car 23 Upon learning of Chastine s death Magic ran from his home crying uncontrollably 36 Johnson who finished his high school career with two All State selections was considered at the time to be the best high school player ever to come out of Michigan 34 He was also named to the inaugural McDonald s All American team which played in the 1977 Capital Classic 37 38 College careerAlthough Johnson was recruited by several top ranked colleges such as Indiana and UCLA he decided to play close to home 39 His college decision came down to Michigan and Michigan State in East Lansing He ultimately decided to attend Michigan State when coach Jud Heathcote told him he could play the point guard position The talent already on Michigan State s roster also drew him to the program 40 Johnson did not initially aspire to play professionally focusing instead on his communication studies major and desire to become a television commentator 41 Playing with future NBA draftees Greg Kelser Jay Vincent and Mike Brkovich Johnson averaged 17 0 points 7 9 rebounds and 7 4 assists per game as a freshman and led the Spartans to a 25 5 record the Big Ten Conference title and a berth in the 1978 NCAA tournament 28 The Spartans reached the Elite Eight but lost narrowly to eventual national champion Kentucky 42 During the 1978 79 season Michigan State again qualified for the NCAA tournament where they advanced to the championship game and faced Indiana State which was led by senior Larry Bird In what was the most watched college basketball game ever 43 Michigan State defeated Indiana State 75 64 and Johnson was voted Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four 33 He was selected to the 1978 79 All American team for his performance that season 44 After two years in college during which he averaged 17 1 points 7 6 rebounds and 7 9 assists per game Johnson entered the 1979 NBA draft 45 Jud Heathcote stepped down as coach of the Spartans after the 1994 95 season and on June 8 1995 Johnson returned to the Breslin Center to play in the Jud Heathcote All Star Tribute Game He led all scorers with 39 points 46 Professional careerRookie season in the NBA 1979 1980 Johnson was drafted first overall in 1979 by the Los Angeles Lakers Johnson said that what was most amazing about joining the Lakers was the chance to play alongside Kareem Abdul Jabbar 47 the team s 7 ft 2 in 2 18 m center who became the leading scorer in NBA history 48 Despite Abdul Jabbar s dominance he had failed to win a championship with the Lakers and Johnson was expected to help them achieve that goal 49 Lakers coach Jack McKinney had the 6 foot 9 inch 2 06 m rookie Johnson who some analysts thought should play forward be a point guard even though incumbent Norm Nixon was already one of the best in the league 50 51 Johnson averaged 18 0 points 7 7 rebounds and 7 3 assists per game for the season was selected to the NBA All Rookie Team and was named an NBA All Star Game starter 52 The Lakers compiled a 60 22 record in the regular season and reached the 1980 NBA Finals 53 where they faced the Philadelphia 76ers who were led by forward Julius Erving The Lakers took a 3 2 lead in the series but Abdul Jabbar who averaged 33 points a game in the series 54 sprained his ankle in Game 5 and could not play in Game 6 49 Coach Paul Westhead who had replaced McKinney early in the season after he had a near fatal bicycle accident 50 55 decided to start Johnson at center in Game 6 Johnson recorded 42 points 15 rebounds 7 assists and 3 steals in a 123 107 win while playing guard forward and center at different times during the game 49 Johnson became the only rookie to win the NBA Finals MVP award 49 and his clutch performance is still regarded as one of the finest in NBA history 3 56 57 He also became one of four players to win NCAA and NBA championships in consecutive years 58 Ups and downs 1980 1983 Early in the 1980 81 season Johnson was sidelined after he suffered torn cartilage in his left knee He missed 45 games 45 and said that his rehabilitation was the most down he had ever felt 59 Johnson returned before the start of the 1981 playoffs but the Lakers then assistant and future head coach Pat Riley later said Johnson s much anticipated return made the Lakers a divided team 60 The 54 win Lakers faced the 40 42 Houston Rockets in the first round of playoffs 61 62 where Houston upset the Lakers 2 1 after Johnson airballed a last second shot in Game 3 63 In 1981 after the 1980 81 season Johnson signed a 25 year 25 million contract with the Lakers equivalent to 80 000 000 in 2022 which was the highest paying contract in sports history up to that point 64 65 Early in the 1981 82 season Johnson had a heated dispute with Westhead who Johnson said made the Lakers slow and predictable 66 After Johnson demanded to be traded Lakers owner Jerry Buss fired Westhead and replaced him with Riley Although Johnson denied responsibility for Westhead s firing 67 he was booed across the league even by Laker fans 28 Buss was also unhappy with the Lakers offense and had intended on firing Westhead days before the Westhead Johnson altercation but assistant GM Jerry West and GM Bill Sharman had convinced Buss to delay his decision 68 Despite his off court troubles Johnson averaged 18 6 points 9 6 rebounds 9 5 assists and a league high 2 7 steals per game and was voted a member of the All NBA Second Team 45 He also joined Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only NBA players to tally at least 700 points 700 rebounds and 700 assists in the same season 33 The Lakers advanced through the 1982 playoffs and faced Philadelphia for the second time in three years in the 1982 NBA Finals After a triple double from Johnson in Game 6 the Lakers defeated the Sixers 4 2 as Johnson won his second NBA Finals MVP award 69 During the championship series against the Sixers Johnson averaged 16 2 points on 533 shooting 10 8 rebounds 8 0 assists and 2 5 steals per game 70 Johnson later said that his third season was when the Lakers first became a great team 71 and he credited their success to Riley 72 During the 1982 83 NBA season Johnson s first of nine consecutive double double seasons he averaged 16 8 points 10 5 assists and 8 6 rebounds per game and earned his first All NBA First Team nomination 45 The Lakers again reached the Finals and for a third time faced the Sixers who featured center Moses Malone as well as Erving 73 With Johnson s teammates Nixon James Worthy and Bob McAdoo all hobbled by injuries the Lakers were swept by the Sixers and Malone was crowned the Finals MVP 73 In a losing effort against Philadelphia Johnson averaged 19 0 points on 403 shooting 12 5 assists and 7 8 rebounds per game 74 Battles against the Celtics 1983 1987 nbsp Johnson with the Lakers c 1987Prior to Johnson s fifth season West who had become the Lakers general manager traded Nixon to free Johnson from sharing the ball handling responsibilities 75 Johnson averaged another double double season with 17 6 points 13 1 assists and 7 3 rebounds per game 45 The Lakers reached the Finals for the third year in a row where Johnson s Lakers and Bird s Celtics met for the first time in the postseason 76 The Lakers won the first game and led by two points in Game 2 with 18 seconds to go but after a layup by Gerald Henderson Johnson failed to get a shot off before the final buzzer sounded and the Lakers lost 124 121 in overtime 76 In Game 3 Johnson responded with 21 assists in a 137 104 win but he made several crucial errors late in the contest during Game 4 In the final minute of the game Johnson had the ball stolen by Celtics center Robert Parish and then missed two free throws that could have won the game The Celtics won Game 4 in overtime and the teams split the next two games In the decisive Game 7 in Boston as the Lakers trailed by three points in the final minute opposing point guard Dennis Johnson stole the ball from Johnson a play that effectively ended the series 76 Friends Isiah Thomas and Mark Aguirre consoled him that night talking until the morning in his Boston hotel room amidst fan celebrations on the street 77 78 During the Finals Johnson averaged 18 0 points on 560 shooting 13 6 assists and 7 7 rebounds per game 79 Johnson later described the series as the one championship we should have had but didn t get 80 In the 1984 85 regular season Johnson averaged 18 3 points 12 6 assists and 6 2 rebounds per game and led the Lakers into the 1985 NBA Finals where they faced the Celtics again The series started poorly for the Lakers when they allowed an NBA Finals record 148 points to the Celtics in a 34 point loss in Game 1 81 However Abdul Jabbar who was now 38 years old scored 30 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in Game 2 and his 36 points in a Game 5 win were instrumental in establishing a 3 2 lead for Los Angeles 81 After the Lakers defeated the Celtics in six games Abdul Jabbar and Johnson who averaged 18 3 points on 494 shooting 14 0 assists and 6 8 rebounds per game in the championship series 82 83 said the Finals win was the highlight of their careers 84 Johnson again averaged a double double in the 1985 86 NBA season with 18 8 points 12 6 assists and 5 9 rebounds per game 45 The Lakers advanced to the Western Conference Finals but were unable to defeat the Houston Rockets who advanced to the Finals in five games 85 In the next season Johnson averaged a career high of 23 9 points as well as 12 2 assists and 6 3 rebounds per game 45 and earned his first regular season MVP award 86 87 The Lakers met the Celtics for the third time in the NBA Finals and in Game 4 Johnson hit a last second hook shot over Celtics big men Parish and Kevin McHale to win the game 107 106 88 The game winning shot which Johnson dubbed his junior junior junior sky hook 88 helped Los Angeles defeat Boston in six games Johnson was awarded his third Finals MVP title after averaging 26 2 points on 541 shooting 13 0 assists 8 0 rebounds and 2 33 steals per game 88 89 Repeat and falling short 1987 1991 nbsp Johnson with Lakers head coach Pat Riley left Before the 1987 88 NBA season Lakers coach Pat Riley publicly promised that they would defend the NBA title even though no team had won consecutive titles since the Celtics did so in the 1969 NBA Finals 90 Johnson had another productive season with averages of 19 6 points 11 9 assists and 6 2 rebounds per game despite missing 10 games with a groin injury 45 In the 1988 playoffs the Lakers swept the San Antonio Spurs in 3 games then survived two 4 3 series against the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks to reach the Finals and face Thomas and the Detroit Pistons 91 who with players such as Bill Laimbeer John Salley Vinnie Johnson and Dennis Rodman were known as the Bad Boys for their physical style of play 92 Johnson and Thomas greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek before the opening tip of Game 1 which they called a display of brotherly love 78 93 94 After the teams split the first six games Lakers forward and Finals MVP James Worthy had his first career triple double of 36 points 16 rebounds and 10 assists and led his team to a 108 105 win 95 Despite not being named MVP Johnson had a strong championship series averaging 21 1 points on 550 shooting 13 assists and 5 7 rebounds per game 96 It was the fifth and final NBA championship of his career 97 In the 1988 89 NBA season Johnson s 22 5 points 12 8 assists and 7 9 rebounds per game 45 earned him his second MVP award 98 and the Lakers reached the 1989 NBA Finals in which they again faced the Pistons However after Johnson went down with a hamstring injury in Game 2 the Lakers were no match for the Pistons who swept them 4 0 99 Playing without Abdul Jabbar for the first time Johnson won his third MVP award 100 after a strong 1989 90 NBA season in which he averaged 22 3 points 11 5 assists and 6 6 rebounds per game 45 However the Lakers bowed out to the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals which was the Lakers earliest playoffs elimination in nine years 101 Mike Dunleavy became the Lakers head coach in 1990 91 when Johnson had grown to be the league s third oldest point guard He had become more powerful and stronger than in his earlier years but was also slower and less nimble 102 Under Dunleavy the offense used more half court sets and the team had a renewed emphasis on defense 103 Johnson performed well during the season with averages of 19 4 points 12 5 assists and 7 rebounds per game and the Lakers reached the 1991 NBA Finals There they faced the Chicago Bulls led by shooting guard Michael Jordan a five time scoring champion regarded as the finest player of his era 104 105 Although the series was portrayed as a matchup between Johnson and Jordan 106 Bulls forward Scottie Pippen defended effectively against Johnson Despite two triple doubles from Johnson during the series Finals MVP Jordan led his team to a 4 1 win 28 In the last championship series of his career Johnson averaged 18 6 points on 431 shooting 12 4 assists and 8 rebounds per game 107 HIV announcement and Olympics 1991 1992 After a physical examination before the 1991 92 NBA season Johnson discovered that he had tested positive for HIV In a press conference held on November 7 1991 Johnson made a public announcement that he would retire immediately 108 He stated that his wife Cookie and their unborn child did not have HIV and that he would dedicate his life to battle this deadly disease 108 Johnson initially said that he did not know how he contracted the disease 108 but later acknowledged that it was through having numerous sexual partners during his playing career 109 He admitted to having harems of women and talked openly about his sexual activities because he was convinced that heterosexuals needed to know that they too were at risk 109 At the time only a small percentage of HIV positive American men had contracted it from heterosexual sex 93 110 and it was initially rumored that Johnson was gay or bisexual although he denied both 93 Johnson later accused Isiah Thomas of spreading the rumors a claim Thomas denied 78 111 Johnson s HIV announcement became a major news story in the United States 110 and in 2004 was named as ESPN s seventh most memorable moment of the previous 25 years 108 Many articles praised Johnson as a hero and the then U S President George H W Bush said For me Magic is a hero a hero for anyone who loves sports 110 Despite his retirement Johnson was voted by fans as a starter for the 1992 NBA All Star Game at Orlando Arena although his former teammates Byron Scott and A C Green said that Johnson should not play 112 and several NBA players including Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone argued that they would be at risk of contamination if Johnson sustained an open wound while on court 113 Johnson led the West to a 153 113 win and was crowned All Star MVP after recording 25 points 9 assists and 5 rebounds 114 The game ended after he made a last minute three pointer and players from both teams ran onto the court to congratulate Johnson 115 Johnson was chosen to compete in the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics for the U S national team dubbed the Dream Team because of the NBA stars on the roster 116 The Dream Team which along with Johnson included fellow Hall of Famers such as Bird Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley was considered unbeatable 117 After qualifying for the Olympics with a gold medal at the 1992 Tournament of the Americas 118 the Dream Team dominated in Olympic competition winning the gold medal with an 8 0 record beating their opponents by an average of 43 8 points per game Johnson averaged 8 0 points per game during the Olympics and his 5 5 assists per game was second on the team 117 119 Johnson played infrequently because of knee problems 120 but he received standing ovations from the crowd and used the opportunity to inspire HIV positive people 41 Post Olympics and later life Before the 1992 93 NBA season Johnson announced his intention to stage an NBA comeback After practicing and playing in several pre season games he retired again before the start of the regular season citing controversy over his return sparked by opposition from several active players 33 In an August 2011 interview Johnson said that in retrospect he wished that he had never retired after being diagnosed with HIV saying If I knew what I know now I wouldn t have retired 121 Johnson said that despite the physical highly competitive practices and scrimmages leading up to the 1992 Olympics some of those same teammates still expressed concerns about his return to the NBA He said that he retired because he didn t want to hurt the game 121 During his retirement Johnson has written a book on safe sex run several businesses worked for NBC as a commentator and toured Asia Australia and New Zealand with a basketball team of former college and NBA players 28 In 1985 Johnson created A Midsummer Night s Magic a yearly charity event which included a celebrity basketball game and a black tie dinner The proceeds went to the United Negro College Fund and Johnson held this event for twenty years ending in 2005 A Midsummer Night s Magic eventually came under the umbrella of the Magic Johnson Foundation which he founded in 1991 122 The 1992 event which was the first one held after Johnson s appearance in the 1992 Olympics raised over 1 3 million for UNCF Johnson joined Shaquille O Neal and celebrity coach Spike Lee to lead the blue team to a 147 132 victory over the white team which was coached by Arsenio Hall 123 124 Return to the Lakers as coach and player 1994 1996 Johnson returned to the NBA as coach for the Lakers near the end of the 1993 94 NBA season replacing Randy Pfund and Bill Bertka who served as an interim coach for two games 125 126 Johnson who took the job at the urging of owner Jerry Buss admitted I ve always had the desire to coach in the back of my mind He insisted that his health was not an issue while downplaying questions about returning as a player saying I m retired Let s leave it at that 127 Amid speculation from general manager Jerry West that he may only coach until the end of the season 127 Johnson took over a team that had a 28 38 record and won his first game as head coach a 110 101 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks 128 He was coaching a team that had five of his former teammates on the roster Vlade Divac Elden Campbell Tony Smith Kurt Rambis James Worthy and Michael Cooper who was brought in as an assistant coach 127 129 Johnson who still had a guaranteed player contract that would pay him 14 6 million during the 1994 95 NBA season signed a separate contract to coach the team that had no compensation 127 The Lakers played well initially winning five of their first six games under Johnson but after losing the next five games Johnson announced that he was resigning as coach after the season The Lakers finished the season on a ten game losing streak and Johnson s final record as a head coach was 5 11 126 Stating that it was never his dream to coach he chose instead to purchase a 5 share of the team in June 1994 28 At the age of 36 Johnson attempted another comeback as a player when he rejoined the Lakers during the 1995 96 NBA season During his retirement Johnson began intense workouts to help his fight against HIV raising his bench press from 135 to 300 pounds and increasing his weight to 255 pounds 36 He officially returned to the team on January 29 1996 130 and played his first game the following day against the Golden State Warriors Coming off the bench Johnson had 19 points 8 rebounds and 10 assists to help the Lakers to a 128 118 victory 131 On February 14 Johnson recorded the final triple double of his career when he scored 15 points along with 10 rebounds and 13 assists in a victory against the Atlanta Hawks 131 Playing power forward he averaged 14 6 points 6 9 assists and 5 7 rebounds per game in 32 games and finished tied for 12th place with Charles Barkley in voting for the MVP Award 45 132 The Lakers had a record of 22 10 in the games Johnson played and he considered his final comeback a success 130 While Johnson played well in 1996 there were struggles both on and off the court Cedric Ceballos upset over a reduction in his playing time after Johnson s arrival left the team for several days 133 134 He missed two games and was stripped of his title as team captain 135 Nick Van Exel received a seven game suspension for bumping referee Ron Garretson during a game on April 9 Johnson was publicly critical of Van Exel saying his actions were inexcusable 136 Johnson was himself suspended five days later when he bumped referee Scott Foster missing three games He also missed several games due to a calf injury 130 Despite these difficulties the Lakers finished with a record of 53 29 and fourth seed in the NBA Playoffs Although they were facing the defending NBA champion Houston Rockets the Lakers had home court advantage in the five game series The Lakers played poorly in a Game 1 loss prompting Johnson to express frustration with his role in coach Del Harris offense 137 Johnson led the way to a Game 2 victory with 26 points but averaged only 7 5 points per game for the remainder of the series which the Rockets won three games to one 131 After the Lakers lost to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs 138 Johnson initially expressed a desire to return to the team for the 1996 97 NBA season but he also talked about joining another team as a free agent hoping to see more playing time at point guard instead of power forward 130 A few days later Johnson changed his mind and retired permanently saying I am going out on my terms something I couldn t say when I aborted a comeback in 1992 33 130 Magic Johnson All Stars nbsp Johnson greeting a local player during his tour with the All Stars to Argentina in January 1994Determined to play competitive basketball despite being out of the NBA Johnson formed the Magic Johnson All Stars a barnstorming team composed of former NBA and college players In 1994 Johnson joined with former pros Mark Aguirre Reggie Theus John Long Earl Cureton Jim Farmer and Lester Conner as his team played games in Australia Israel South America Europe New Zealand and Japan They also toured the United States playing five games against teams from the CBA In the final game of the CBA series Johnson had 30 points 17 rebounds and 13 assists leading the All Stars to a 126 121 victory over the Oklahoma City Cavalry 139 By the time he returned to the Lakers in 1996 the Magic Johnson All Stars had amassed a record of 55 0 and Johnson was earning as much as 365 000 per game 36 Johnson played with the team frequently over the next several years with possibly the most memorable game occurring in November 2001 At the age of 42 Johnson played with the All Stars against his alma mater Michigan State Although he played in a celebrity game to honor coach Jud Heathcoate in 1995 46 this was Johnson s first meaningful game played in his hometown of Lansing in 22 years Playing in front of a sold out arena Johnson had a triple double and played the entire game but his all star team lost to the Spartans by two points Johnson s half court shot at the buzzer would have won the game but it fell short 140 141 On November 1 2002 Johnson returned to play a second exhibition game against Michigan State Playing with the Canberra Cannons of Australia s National Basketball League instead of his usual group of players Johnson s team defeated the Spartans 104 85 as he scored 12 points and had 10 assists and 10 rebounds 142 Brief period in Scandinavia In 1999 Johnson joined the Swedish squad M7 Boras now known as Boras Basket and was undefeated in five games with the team 143 144 Johnson also became a co owner of the club 145 however the project failed after one season and the club was forced into reconstruction 145 He later joined the Danish team The Great Danes 145 Rivalry with Larry BirdSee also Celtics Lakers rivalry nbsp Johnson against the Celtics during the 1987 NBA FinalsJohnson and Bird were first linked as rivals after Johnson s Michigan State Spartans squad defeated Bird s Indiana State Sycamores team in the 1979 NCAA finals The rivalry continued in the NBA and reached its climax when Boston and Los Angeles met in three out of four NBA Finals from 1984 to 1987 with the Lakers winning two out of three Finals Johnson asserted that for him the 82 game regular season was composed of 80 normal games and two Lakers Celtics games Similarly Bird admitted that Johnson s daily box score was the first thing he checked in the morning 115 Several journalists hypothesized that the Johnson Bird rivalry was so appealing because it represented many other contrasts such as the clash between the Lakers and Celtics between Hollywood flashiness Showtime and Boston Indiana blue collar grit Celtic Pride and between blacks and whites 146 147 The rivalry was also significant because it drew national attention to the faltering NBA Prior to Johnson and Bird s arrival the NBA had gone through a decade of declining interest and low TV ratings 148 With the two future Hall of Famers the league won a whole generation of new fans 149 drawing both traditionalist adherents of Bird s dirt court Indiana game and those appreciative of Johnson s public park flair According to sports journalist Larry Schwartz of ESPN Johnson and Bird saved the NBA from bankruptcy 33 Despite their on court rivalry Johnson and Bird became close friends during the filming of a 1984 Converse shoe advertisement that depicted them as enemies 150 151 Johnson appeared at Bird s retirement ceremony in 1992 and described Bird as a friend forever 115 during Johnson s Hall of Fame ceremony Bird formally inducted his old rival 149 In 2009 Johnson and Bird collaborated with journalist Jackie MacMullan on a non fiction book titled When the Game Was Ours The book detailed their on court rivalry and friendship with one another 152 The following year HBO developed a documentary about their rivalry titled Magic amp Bird A Courtship of Rivals which was directed by Ezra Edelman 153 LegacyIn 905 NBA games Johnson tallied 17 707 points 6 559 rebounds and 10 141 assists translating to career averages of 19 5 points 7 2 rebounds and 11 2 assists per game the highest assists per game average in NBA history 45 Johnson shares the single game playoff record for assists 24 154 holds the Finals record for assists in a game 21 154 and has the most playoff assists 2 346 155 He is the only player to average 12 assists in an NBA Finals series achieving it six times 156 He holds the All Star Game single game record for assists 22 and the All Star Game record for career assists 127 154 Magic is head and shoulders above everybody else I ve never seen anybody as good as him Larry Bird 157 Johnson introduced a fast paced style of basketball called Showtime described as a mix of no look passes off the fast break pin point alley oops from halfcourt spinning feeds and overhand bullets under the basket through triple teams 28 Fellow Lakers guard Michael Cooper said There have been times when Johnson has thrown passes and I wasn t sure where he was going Then one of our guys catches the ball and scores and I run back up the floor convinced that he must ve thrown it through somebody 28 33 Johnson could dominate a game without scoring running the offense and distributing the ball with flair 156 In the 1982 NBA Finals he was named the Finals MVP averaging just 16 2 points the lowest average of any Finals MVP award recipient in the three point shot era 156 Johnson was exceptional because he played point guard despite being 6 ft 9 in 2 06 m a size reserved normally for frontcourt players 28 His career 138 triple double games places him third all time behind Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook 158 Johnson is the only player in NBA Finals history to have triple doubles in multiple series clinching games 156 For his feats Johnson was voted as one of the 50 Greatest Players of All Time by the NBA in 1996 159 and selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021 160 The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted him in 2002 161 ESPN s SportsCentury ranked Johnson No 17 in their 50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century 162 In 2006 ESPN com rated Johnson the greatest point guard of all time stating It could be argued that he s the one player in NBA history who was better than Michael Jordan 3 Bleacher Report also listed Johnson first in its all time NBA point guard rankings 4 In 2022 to commemorate the NBA s 75th anniversary The Athletic ranked their top 75 players of all time and named Johnson as the 5th greatest player in NBA history and the highest ranked point guard 6 Several of his achievements in individual games have also been named among the top moments in the NBA 57 163 164 At the 2019 NBA Awards Johnson received the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award shared with Bird 165 In 2022 the NBA began awarding MVPs for the conference finals the Western Conference Finals MVP trophy is named after Johnson while the Eastern Conference trophy is named after Bird 166 NBA career statisticsLegend GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game FG Field goal percentage 3P 3 point field goal percentage FT Free throw percentage RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high Won an NBA championship Led the league NBA recordRegular season Year Team GP GS MPG FG 3P FT RPG APG SPG BPG PPG1979 80 L A Lakers 77 72 36 3 530 226 810 7 7 7 3 2 4 0 5 18 01980 81 L A Lakers 37 35 37 1 532 176 760 8 6 8 6 3 4 0 7 21 61981 82 L A Lakers 78 77 38 3 537 207 760 9 6 9 5 2 7 0 4 18 61982 83 L A Lakers 79 79 36 8 548 000 800 8 6 10 5 2 2 0 6 16 81983 84 L A Lakers 67 66 38 3 565 207 810 7 3 13 1 2 2 0 7 17 61984 85 L A Lakers 77 77 36 1 561 189 843 6 2 12 6 1 5 0 3 18 31985 86 L A Lakers 72 70 35 8 526 233 871 5 9 12 6 1 6 0 2 18 81986 87 L A Lakers 80 80 36 3 522 205 848 6 3 12 2 1 7 0 4 23 91987 88 L A Lakers 72 70 36 6 492 196 853 6 2 11 9 1 6 0 2 19 61988 89 L A Lakers 77 77 37 5 509 314 911 7 9 12 8 1 8 0 3 22 51989 90 L A Lakers 79 79 37 2 480 384 890 6 6 11 5 1 7 0 4 22 31990 91 L A Lakers 79 79 37 1 477 320 906 7 0 12 5 1 3 0 2 19 41995 96 L A Lakers 32 9 29 9 466 379 856 5 7 6 9 0 8 0 4 14 6Career 45 906 870 36 7 520 303 848 7 2 11 2 1 9 0 4 19 5All Star 45 11 10 30 1 489 476 905 5 2 11 5 1 9 0 6 16 0Playoffs Year Team GP GS MPG FG 3P FT RPG APG SPG BPG PPG1980 L A Lakers 16 16 41 1 518 250 802 10 5 9 4 3 1 0 4 18 31981 L A Lakers 3 3 42 3 388 000 650 13 7 7 0 2 7 1 0 17 01982 L A Lakers 14 14 40 1 529 000 828 11 3 9 3 2 9 0 2 17 41983 L A Lakers 15 15 42 9 485 000 840 8 5 12 8 2 3 0 8 17 91984 L A Lakers 21 21 39 9 551 000 800 6 6 13 5 2 0 1 0 18 21985 L A Lakers 19 19 36 2 513 143 847 7 1 15 2 1 7 0 2 17 51986 L A Lakers 14 14 38 6 537 000 766 7 1 15 1 1 9 0 1 21 61987 L A Lakers 18 18 37 0 539 200 831 7 7 12 2 1 7 0 4 21 81988 L A Lakers 24 24 40 2 514 500 852 5 4 12 6 1 4 0 2 19 91989 L A Lakers 14 14 37 0 489 286 907 5 9 11 8 1 9 0 2 18 41990 L A Lakers 9 9 41 8 490 200 886 6 3 12 8 1 2 0 1 25 21991 L A Lakers 19 19 43 3 440 296 882 8 1 12 6 1 2 0 0 21 81996 L A Lakers 4 0 33 8 385 333 848 8 5 6 5 0 0 0 0 15 3Career 45 190 186 39 7 506 241 838 7 7 12 3 1 9 0 3 19 5Head coaching recordLegend Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W L Win loss Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW L Playoff win loss Team Year G W L W L Finish PG PW PL PW L ResultL A Lakers 1993 94 16 5 11 313 resigned Career 167 16 5 11 313 Awards and honorsSee also List of career achievements by Magic Johnson nbsp Johnson s Hollywood Walk of Fame star nbsp Johnson s number 32 jersey was retired by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1992 NBAFive time NBA champion 1980 1982 1985 1987 1988 18 Three time NBA Most Valuable Player 1987 1989 1990 45 Three time NBA Finals MVP 1980 1982 1987 45 Nine time All NBA First Team 1983 1991 45 One time All NBA Second Team 1982 45 12 time NBA All Star 1980 1982 1992 45 Two time NBA All Star Game MVP 1990 1992 45 J Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award 1992 45 Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 157 Selected on the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021 160 No 32 retired by the Los Angeles Lakers 168 Statue in front of Crypto com Arena 169 NBA Lifetime Achievement Award 2019 Trophy named in Johnson s honor Earvin Magic Johnson Trophy awarded to Western Conference Finals MVP established in 2022 170 USA BasketballOlympic gold medal winner 1992 171 Tournament of the Americas gold medal winner 1992 172 NCAANCAA national championship 1979 33 NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player 1979 33 No 33 retired by Michigan State 168 Statue at Michigan State 173 High school1977 Michigan high school state champion Lansing Everett High School 168 Halls of FameTwo time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee 2002 individual 2010 member of The Dream Team 171 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2006 174 FIBA Hall of Fame class of 2017 as a member of The Dream Team 175 U S Olympic Hall of Fame class of 2009 as a member of The Dream Team 176 Sports ownershipFive time NBA champion 2000 2001 2002 2009 2010 as part owner executive of the Los Angeles Lakers 18 WNBA champion 2016 as part owner of the Los Angeles Sparks 18 World Series champion 2020 as part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers 18 MLS Cup champion 2022 as part owner of Los Angeles FC 177 Media and entertainmentNAACP Image Awards 1992 Jackie Robinson Sports Award 178 1993 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word or Non Musical Album 179 Marca Leyenda 2001 180 Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame 2001 181 182 Executive careerOn February 21 2017 Johnson replaced Jim Buss as the president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers 183 Under Johnson the Lakers sought to acquire multiple star players and cleared existing players including future All Star D Angelo Russell off of their roster in an attempt to free up room under the league s salary cap The franchise reached an agreement with free agent LeBron James on a four year contract in 2018 but efforts to trade for Anthony Davis during the 2018 19 season proved unsuccessful The Lakers did not reach the playoffs during Johnson s executive tenure 184 In an impromptu news conference on April 9 2019 Johnson resigned from the Lakers citing his desire to return to his role as an NBA ambassador 184 185 186 Off the courtPersonal life nbsp Johnson with his wife Cookie in 2014Johnson first fathered a son in 1981 when Andre Johnson was born to Melissa Mitchell Although Andre was raised by his mother he visited Johnson each summer and later worked for Magic Johnson Enterprises as a marketing director 15 In 1991 Johnson married Earlitha Cookie Kelly in a small wedding in Lansing which included guests Thomas Aguirre and Herb Williams 187 Johnson and Cookie have one son Earvin III EJ who is openly gay and a star on the reality show Rich Kids of Beverly Hills 15 188 The couple adopted a daughter Elisa in 1995 189 Johnson resides in Beverly Hills and has a vacation home in Dana Point California 190 191 Johnson is a Christian 192 and has said his faith is the most important thing in his life 193 In 2010 Johnson and then current and former NBA players such as LeBron James Dwyane Wade and Bill Russell as well as Maya Moore from the WNBA played a basketball game with President Barack Obama as an exhibition for a group of military troops who had been injured in action The game was played at a gym inside Fort McNair and reporters covering the president were not allowed to enter The basketball game was a part of other festivities organized to celebrate Obama s 49th birthday 194 Relationship with Jerry Buss Johnson had an extremely close relationship with Lakers owner Jerry Buss whom he saw as a mentor and father figure 195 Calling Buss his second father and one of his best friends Johnson spent five hours visiting Buss at the hospital just a few months before his 2013 death from cancer Speaking to media just hours after Buss had died Johnson was emotional saying Without Dr Jerry Buss there is no Magic 196 Buss acquired the team from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979 shortly before he drafted Johnson with the 1 pick in the 1979 NBA draft Buss took a special interest in Johnson introducing him to important Los Angeles business contacts and showing him how the Lakers organization was run before eventually selling Johnson a stake in the team in 1994 196 Johnson credits Buss with giving him the business knowledge that enabled him to become part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers 196 197 Buss supported Johnson as he revealed his diagnosis of HIV in 1991 and he never hesitated to keep Johnson close to the organization bringing him in as part owner and even as a coach Johnson had never seriously considered coaching but he agreed to take the head coaching position with the Lakers in 1994 at Buss request In 1992 Buss had given Johnson a contract that paid him 14 million a year as payback for all the years he was not the league s highest paid player Although Johnson s retirement prior to the 1992 93 NBA season voided this contract Buss insisted that he still be paid 196 It was this arrangement that allowed Johnson to coach the team without receiving any additional salary 127 195 After Johnson ended his coaching stint Buss sold him a 4 stake in the Lakers for 10 million and Johnson served as a team executive 196 Media figure and business interests nbsp Johnson giving a speech at the George R Brown Convention Center in 2013In 1997 his production company Magic Johnson Entertainment signed a deal with Fox 198 In 1998 Johnson hosted a late night talk show on the Fox network called The Magic Hour but the show was canceled after two months because of low ratings 199 Shortly after the cancellation of his talk show Johnson started a record label The label initially called Magic 32 Records was renamed Magic Johnson Music when Johnson signed a joint venture with MCA in 2000 Magic Johnson Music signed R amp B artist Avant as its first act 200 201 Johnson also co promoted Janet Jackson s Velvet Rope Tour through his company Magicworks 202 He has also worked as a motivational speaker 17 and was an NBA commentator for Turner Network Television for seven years 203 before becoming a studio analyst for ESPN s NBA Countdown in 2008 204 Johnson runs Magic Johnson Enterprises a conglomerate company that has a net worth of 700 million 15 its subsidiaries include Magic Johnson Productions a promotional company Magic Johnson Theaters a nationwide chain of movie theaters and Magic Johnson Entertainment a film studio 205 In addition to these business ventures Johnson has also created the Magic Card a pre paid MasterCard aimed at helping low income people save money and participate in electronic commerce 206 In 2006 Johnson created a contract food service with Sodexo USA called Sodexo Magic 207 208 In 2004 Johnson and his partner Ken Lombard sold Magic Johnson Theaters to Loews Cineplex Entertainment The first Magic Johnson Theater located in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza closed in 2010 and re opened in 2011 as Rave Cinema 15 209 In 2012 Johnson launched a cable TV network called Aspire featuring programming targeted at black audiences similar to networks such as Black Entertainment Television BET and TV One 210 Johnson began thinking of life after basketball while still playing for the Lakers He wondered why so many athletes had failed at business and sought advice During his seventh season in the NBA he had a meeting with Michael Ovitz CEO of Creative Artists Agency Ovitz encouraged him to start reading business magazines and to use every connection available to him Johnson learned everything he could about business often meeting with corporate executives during road trips 211 Johnson s first foray into business a high end sporting goods store named Magic 32 211 failed after only one year costing him 200 000 212 The experience taught him to listen to his customers and find out what products they wanted Johnson has become a leading voice on how to invest in urban communities creating redevelopment opportunities in underserved areas most notably through his movie theaters and his partnership with Starbucks He went to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz with the idea that he could successfully open the coffee shops in urban areas After showing Schultz the tremendous buying power of minorities Johnson was able to purchase 125 Starbucks stores which reported higher than average per capita sales 212 The partnership called Urban Coffee Opportunities placed Starbucks in locations such as Detroit Washington D C Harlem and the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles Johnson sold his remaining interest in the stores back to the company in 2010 ending a successful twelve year partnership 213 214 He has also made investments in urban real estate through the Canyon Johnson and Yucaipa Johnson funds 215 Another major project is with insurance services company Aon Corp 216 In 2005 2007 Johnson was a part of a syndicate that bought the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower then the tallest building in Brooklyn for 71 million and converted the 512 foot high landmark structure from an office building into luxury condominiums 217 218 According to Forbes Johnson became a billionaire in 2023 219 In 1990 Johnson and Earl Graves Sr obtained a large interest in the Washington D C PepsiCo bottling operation making it the company s largest minority owned facility in the U S 220 Johnson became a minority owner of the Lakers in 1994 having reportedly paid more than 10 million for part ownership He also held the title of team vice president 221 Johnson sold his ownership stake in the Lakers in October 2010 to Patrick Soon Shiong a Los Angeles surgeon and professor at UCLA 222 but continued as an unpaid vice president of the team 223 In February 2017 Johnson returned to the Lakers as an advisor to Jeanie Buss 224 In the wake of the Donald Sterling controversy limited media reports indicated that Johnson had expressed an interest in purchasing the Los Angeles Clippers franchise 225 In 2015 Johnson completed his planned acquisition for a majority controlling interest in EquiTrust Life Insurance Company which manages 14 5 billion in annuities life insurance and other financial products 226 He is an investor for aXiomatic eSports the ownership company of Team Liquid 227 Sports team ownership In January 2012 Johnson joined with Guggenheim Partners and Stan Kasten in a bid for ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team 228 In March 2012 Johnson s ownership group was announced as the winner of the proceedings to buy the Dodgers 229 The Johnson led group which also includes movie executive Peter Guber paid 2 billion for the Dodgers Johnson is considered the face of the ownership group while the controlling owner is Mark Walter 230 The Dodgers won the 2020 World Series 231 Johnson and Guber were also partners in the Dayton Dragons 230 a Class A minor league baseball team based in Dayton Ohio that sold out more than 1 000 consecutive games a record for professional sports 232 Johnson and Guber sold their stake in the Dragons in 2014 233 Together with Guggenheim Johnson was also involved in buying the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA in 2014 234 As such in 2014 Johnson was named one of ESPNW s Impact 25 235 He won the WNBA championship as the owner in 2016 236 Johnson announced co ownership of a Major League Soccer MLS expansion franchise Los Angeles FC which began play in 2018 and won the MLS Cup in 2022 237 238 239 177 In 2023 Johnson invested 240 million in a group headed by Josh Harris that purchased the Washington Commanders of the National Football League NFL for 6 05 billion the highest price ever paid for a sports team 240 241 A lifelong fan of the NFL he considered it a dream and the greatest achievement of his business career 240 242 Johnson had previously held talks with other groups interested in buying the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders before meeting and joining Harris on an unsuccessful bid on the Denver Broncos in 2022 240 243 Politics nbsp In 2003 Johnson met with Nancy Pelosi to discuss federal assistance for those with AIDS Johnson is a supporter of the Democratic Party In 2006 he publicly endorsed Phil Angelides for Governor of California 244 He supported Hillary Clinton during her 2008 presidential campaign 245 and in 2010 he endorsed Barbara Boxer in her race for re election to the U S Senate 246 In 2012 he endorsed Barack Obama for president 247 He endorsed and appeared in campaign ads for unsuccessful Los Angeles mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel in 2013 248 In 2015 he once again endorsed Hillary Clinton in her second presidential campaign 249 He hosted a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton s presidential campaign on August 22 2016 250 HIV activism I think sometimes we think Well only gay people can get it it s not going to happen to me and here I am saying that it can happen to anybody Magic Johnson November 7 1991 251 Johnson was one of the first sports stars to go public about having HIV 252 AIDS activist Elizabeth Glaser to whom Johnson had been introduced by a friend 253 convinced Johnson to go public about his diagnosis 253 254 She made me promise before she died that I would become the face of the disease and really go out and help people and educate people about it Johnson recalled in a 2011 interview with Frontline 253 After announcing his infection in November 1991 Johnson created the Magic Johnson Foundation to help combat HIV 255 although he later diversified the foundation to include other charitable goals 256 In 1992 he joined the National Commission on AIDS a committee appointed by members of Congress and the Bush Administration Johnson left after eight months saying that the White House had utterly ignored the work of the panel and had opposed the commission s recommendations which included universal healthcare and the expansion of Medicaid to cover all low income people with AIDS 255 257 He was also the main speaker for the United Nations UN World AIDS Day Conference in 1999 256 and has served as a United Nations Messenger of Peace 258 HIV had been associated with intravenous drug users and homosexuals 255 but Johnson s campaigns sought to show that the risk of infection was not limited to those groups Johnson stated that his aim was to help educate all people about what HIV is about and teach others not to discriminate against people who have HIV and AIDS 256 Johnson was later criticized by the AIDS community for his decreased involvement in publicizing the spread of the disease 255 256 A number of research papers have been written on the Magic Johnson effect the effect Johnson s HIV announcement had on various populations particularly those outside the stereotypes of who got infected with HIV that is heterosexuals 259 Johnson s announcement was a public health catalyst according to a West Virginia University paper 260 rapidly correcting the public s understanding of who was at risk of infection 261 The paper argues there was a large but temporary increase in the number of AIDS diagnoses for heterosexual men following the announcement and suggests that for some of those people Johnson s announcement prolonged patients lifespans as a result of earlier access to medical care 261 A paper published in AIDS Education and Prevention based on interviews with clients of a Philadelphia sexually transmitted disease clinic found that the announcement by Magic Johnson that he had been infected with HIV was associated with increased concern about HIV and with attitude and behavior changes that would lead to reduced risk 262 To prevent his HIV infection from progressing to AIDS Johnson takes a daily combination of drugs also called a drug cocktail 263 He has advertised GlaxoSmithKline s drugs 264 and partnered with Abbott Laboratories to publicize the fight against AIDS in African American communities 263 See alsoList of athletes who came out of retirement List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders List of National Basketball Association career triple double leaders List of National Basketball Association career playoff scoring leaders List of National Basketball Association career playoff rebounding leaders List of National Basketball Association career playoff assists leaders List of National Basketball Association career playoff steals leaders List of National Basketball Association career playoff triple double leaders List of National Basketball Association career playoff turnovers leaders List of National Basketball Association career playoff free throw scoring leaders List of National Basketball Association players with most assists in a game List of National Basketball Association players with most steals in a gameNotes Magic was the fourth of seven children Earvin Sr and Christine had together 22 References Povtak Tim February 7 1992 Magic weekend is on tap as Johnson set for NBA encore The Baltimore Sun Archived from the original on May 9 2021 Retrieved March 2 2021 2021 22 Big Ten Men s Basketball Media Guide PDF Big Ten Conference 2021 p 88 Archived PDF from the original on October 9 2022 Retrieved October 9 2022 a b c Daily Dime Special Edition The 10 Greatest Point Guards Ever ESPN May 11 2006 Archived from the original on February 16 2012 Retrieved September 13 2007 a b Bailey Andy NBA All Time Player Rankings Top 10 Point Guards Bleacher Report Archived from the original on January 18 2022 Retrieved August 10 2020 The Athletic NBA Staff February 23 2022 NBA 75 Top 75 NBA players of all time from MJ and LeBron to Lenny Wilkens The Athletic Archived from the original on April 7 2022 Retrieved August 17 2022 a b Oram Bill February 14 2022 NBA 75 At No 5 Magic Johnson combined dazzling playmaking with charisma to lead the Showtime Lakers to five titles The Athletic Archived from the original on August 17 2022 Retrieved August 17 2022 Greer Jordan September 16 2022 Magic Johnson vs Stephen Curry Does Warriors star have stats case to surpass Lakers legend as GOAT point guard Sporting News Archived from the original on November 28 2022 Retrieved November 28 2022 NBA amp ABA Career Leaders and Records for Assists Per Game Basketball Reference Archived from the original on March 28 2013 Retrieved July 10 2022 NBA amp ABA Career Playoff Leaders and Records for Assists Per Game Basketball Reference Archived from the original on September 13 2019 Retrieved July 10 2022 NBA amp ABA Career Playoff Leaders and Records for Assists Basketball Reference Archived from the original on April 24 2015 Retrieved August 17 2022 NBA amp ABA Career Playoff Leaders and Records for Triple Doubles Basketball Reference Archived from the original on February 10 2024 Retrieved February 10 2024 Magic Johnson Archived July 23 2015 at the Wayback Machine How Stuff Works Retrieved June 4 2022 Rohlin Melissa April 4 2020 Magic Johnson Says It Breaks His Heart That Kobe Bryant Won t Be At Hall Of Fame Ceremony Sports Illustrated Archived from the original on May 9 2021 Retrieved December 27 2020 Jaslow Ryan November 29 2013 Magic Johnson s HIV activism hasn t slowed 22 years after historic announcement CBS News Archived from the original on April 5 2022 Retrieved December 27 2020 a b c d Rovell Darren October 8 2005 Passing on the Magic ESPN Archived from the original on November 25 2005 Retrieved May 8 2008 Haire Thomas May 1 2003 Do You Believe in Magic Response Magazine Archived from the original on October 26 2006 Retrieved May 27 2008 a b Springer Steve November 7 2001 Magic s Announcement 10 years later a real survivor Los Angeles Times p D1 a b c d e Magic Johnson now has championship rings in the NBA MLB and WNBA Bardown October 28 2020 Archived from the original on November 16 2021 Retrieved December 21 2020 Eldridge Earle November 8 2004 Rebounding from basketball court to boardroom USA Today Archived from the original on February 10 2012 Retrieved February 23 2009 Johnson Earvin Magic and William Novak My Life p 4 ISBN 0 449 22254 3 a b c d e Johnson Earvin Magic 2009 My Life Random House ISBN 978 0 307 55817 6 Archived from the original on October 31 2023 Retrieved January 30 2023 Roselius J Chris 2011 Magic Johnson Basketball Star amp Entrepreneur Basketball Star amp Entrepreneur ABDO ISBN 978 1 61714 945 0 Archived from the original on April 11 2023 Retrieved January 30 2023 a b The Meaning of Magic CoachGeorgeRaveling com August 20 2012 Archived from the original on June 28 2013 Retrieved January 3 2023 Hyman Ramona McChesney Andrew May 18 2016 Magic Johnson Shows Gratitude to Adventists With 550 000 Donation Adventist Review Archived from the original on July 3 2023 Retrieved July 3 2023 Katz Jesse October 1 2003 Master of Illusion Los Angeles Magazine Archived from the original on April 13 2019 Retrieved July 3 2023 a b c Roselius Chris J 2011 Magic Johnson Basketball Star amp Entrepreneur ABDO ISBN 978 1 61714 945 0 Archived from the original on January 11 2024 Retrieved January 30 2023 Johnson Earvin Magic William 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Mike Dunleavy Los Angeles found out that new weapons and new emphasis on defense could take it to the same place as Showtime did during the 1980s subscription required Michael Jordan Bio NBA Archived from the original on September 2 2006 Retrieved March 22 2020 Praise from his peers Sports Illustrated February 1 1999 Archived from the original on January 21 2009 Retrieved February 27 2009 Bulls Finally Get That Championship Feeling NBA Archived from the original on February 22 2012 Retrieved June 11 2022 1991 NBA Finals Composite Box Score Basketball Reference Archived from the original on December 1 2008 Retrieved November 3 2008 a b c d Weinberg Rick September 1 2004 7 Magic Johnson announces he s HIV positive ESPN Archived from the original on September 14 2011 Retrieved December 27 2021 a b Friend Tom November 7 2001 Still stunning the world 10 years later ESPN Archived from the original on March 13 2022 Retrieved December 27 2021 a b c Dworkin Sharon Lee Wachs Faye Linda 2000 The 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Lazenby p 281 Earvin Johnson III Magic Johnson s Gay Son Goes Public With Boyfriend Parents Very Proud Video The Huffington Post April 3 2013 Archived from the original on April 4 2013 Retrieved December 28 2019 Brozan Nadine January 26 1995 Chronicle The New York Times Archived from the original on April 17 2022 Retrieved May 8 2008 Haldeman Peter December 2009 Magic Johnson s House in Southern California Architectural Digest Archived from the original on August 4 2021 Retrieved January 31 2020 Ryon Ruth November 21 2007 Hot property For Magic Johnson Dana Point vacation home s a slam dunk The Mercury News Archived from the original on May 16 2021 Retrieved February 6 2020 Magic Johnson on Jeremy Lin God is Good February 20 2012 Archived from the original on May 17 2021 Retrieved May 11 2014 Magic Johnson Testifies His Christian Faith in God at Connecticut Huskies vs Michigan State Spartans NCAA s March Madness 2014 Game Archived from the original on May 18 2021 Retrieved May 11 2014 Magic Johnson NBA all stars join Obama play hoops for troops The Christian Science Monitor Archived from the original on January 3 2023 Retrieved January 3 2023 a b Report Johnson to became part owner of Lakers Ocala Star Banner June 27 1994 Retrieved June 27 2023 permanent dead link a b c d e Plaschke Bill February 19 2013 To Magic Johnson Jerry Buss was friend mentor and second father Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on April 11 2023 Retrieved January 3 2023 Magic says Buss made him the man he is today Associated Press February 20 2013 Archived from the original on April 11 2023 Retrieved January 3 2023 Fleming Michael February 12 1997 Fox hopes to create pix Magic Variety Archived from the original on October 4 2021 Retrieved November 22 2020 Magic Hour Canceled The New York Times August 8 1998 Archived from the original on March 8 2021 Retrieved May 8 2008 Hochman Steve February 13 2000 Magic Johnson Gives His Label an Assist Los Angeles Times Archived from the original 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foodservice business nrn com Archived from the original on February 10 2012 Retrieved May 9 2017 Vincent Roger June 28 2011 Former Magic Johnson Theaters reopens as Rave Cinemas Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on January 3 2023 Retrieved January 3 2023 Braxton Greg James Meg February 21 2012 Laker legend to launch a TV network Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on April 16 2022 Retrieved January 22 2021 a b Magic Touch Magic Johnson s Fast Break Into Business Success Archived from the original on October 4 2012 Retrieved January 3 2023 a b Magic Johnson Offers Business Wisdom Precinct Reporter Archived from the original on August 4 2010 Retrieved January 3 2023 Starbucks Acquires Remaining Interest in Magic Johnson Enterprises Urban Coffee Opportunities UCO Starbucks October 21 2010 Archived from the original on December 23 2022 Retrieved January 3 2023 Turner Brad October 19 2010 Magic Johnson sells his 105 Starbucks franchises Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on February 12 2013 Retrieved January 3 2023 Llovio Louis September 27 2012 Magic Johnson wows the crowd and talks minority owned businesses Richmond Times Dispatch Archived from the original on March 8 2021 Retrieved February 22 2019 Rothbard Barry July 20 2010 Magic Johnson Says He Wouldn t Have Joined Bird After LeBron James s Move Bloomberg Archived from the original on July 23 2010 Retrieved May 9 2017 Son Hugh May 18 2005 Bank On Condos NBA Great In 71M Tower Deal New York Daily News Archived from the original on March 27 2022 Retrieved December 23 2017 Greenberg Andy October 29 2007 Manhattan style condos come to Fort Greene The Real Deal Archived from the original on May 14 2021 Retrieved December 23 2017 Gonzalez Isabel October 30 2023 Magic Johnson becomes fourth athlete billionaire Lakers icon joins Michael Jordan LeBron James Tiger Woods CBS Sports Archived from the original on November 9 2023 Retrieved November 25 2023 Gray Kathy July 25 1990 Magic Johnson buys into D C area Pepsi bottling operation United Press International Archived from the original on March 8 2021 Retrieved June 12 2020 Magic Johnson Becomes Part Owner of Lakers Jet Magazine July 18 1994 p 46 Archived from the original on April 11 2023 Retrieved April 24 2022 Magic Johnson sells Lakers shares ESPN October 18 2010 Archived from the original on May 17 2022 Retrieved May 17 2022 Bresnahan Mike April 28 2014 Magic Johnson would be interested in buying Clippers source says Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on May 8 2014 Retrieved December 11 2019 Magic Johnson to Advise Team Ownership NBA February 2 2017 Archived from the original on May 7 2021 Retrieved February 2 2017 The Los Angeles Lakers today announced that Earvin Magic Johnson will return to the Lakers to assist Jeanie Buss in all areas of basketball and business as an advisor Botte Peter April 28 2014 Magic Johnson reportedly interested in buying Clippers NBA plans Tuesday press conference on Donald Sterling investigation New York Daily News New York Archived from the original on April 13 2021 Retrieved May 1 2014 Magic Johnson buys life insurance company USA Today June 23 2015 Archived from the original on March 8 2021 Retrieved June 23 2015 Wizards Warriors and Magic A Strategic Partnership TLnet Archived from the original on January 3 2023 Retrieved January 3 2023 Plaschke Bill December 2 2011 Magic Johnson leads dream team bidding for Dodgers Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on May 17 2022 Retrieved May 17 2022 Dodgers sold to Magic Johnson group ESPN March 28 2012 Archived from the original on May 17 2022 Retrieved May 17 2022 a b Shaikin Bill Wharton David March 27 2012 Magic Johnson led group is picked as Dodgers next owner Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on May 17 2022 Retrieved May 17 2022 Shaikin Bill October 30 2020 From bankruptcy to a World Series title Dodgers ascension is Magic Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on November 16 2020 Retrieved November 16 2020 Fisher Mark July 2 2014 New Dragons owners say they won t mess with success Dayton Daily News Archived from the original on January 3 2023 Retrieved January 3 2023 Heath Thomas July 13 2014 Capital Buzz D C businessman buying Dayton baseball team The Washington Post Archived from the original on August 21 2020 Retrieved January 3 2023 Rohlin Melissa February 4 2014 Magic Johnson and other Dodgers owners purchase the Sparks Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on January 18 2022 Retrieved December 11 2019 Magic Johnson 55 Los Angeles Sparks Co Owner ESPN Archived from the original on December 18 2014 Retrieved December 18 2014 Dougherty Jesse October 20 2016 Sparks defeat Lynx for first WNBA championship since 2002 Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on August 3 2020 Retrieved December 11 2019 Magic Johnson Mia Hamm among owners of new L A pro soccer team Los Angeles Times October 30 2014 Archived from the original on October 31 2014 Retrieved 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January 20 2024 Finnegan Michael Magic Johnson backs Angelides for Governor Angelides November 29 2005 Archived from the original on December 22 2007 Retrieved September 13 2007 Magic Johnson Bill Clinton team up for Hillary USA Today December 20 2007 Archived from the original on February 10 2012 Retrieved May 10 2008 Magic Johnson Backing Barbara Boxer for US Senate Third Age August 11 2010 Archived from the original on August 18 2010 Retrieved January 3 2023 Magic Johnson Endorses President Barack Obama WAMJ November 5 2012 Archived from the original on January 3 2023 Retrieved January 3 2023 Mehta Seema March 28 2013 Magic Johnson endorses Wendy Greuel for L A mayor Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on April 11 2023 Retrieved January 3 2023 magicjohnson April 12 2015 I feel HillaryClinton will be a great President for the American people and she will make sure that everyone has a voice Tweet Retrieved June 20 2016 via Twitter Hillary Clinton Fundraisers Coming to Beverly Hills The Beverly Hills Courier August 3 2016 Archived from the original on February 25 2022 Retrieved August 9 2023 Magic Johnson November 7 1991 Magic Johnson HIV announcement Press conference video Los Angeles CNN Event occurs at 4 22ff Archived from the original on July 30 2023 Retrieved July 30 2023 Magic Johnson announces he is HIV positive History Archived from the original on July 30 2023 Retrieved July 30 2023 a b c Moughty Sarah November 7 2011 20 Years After HIV Announcement Magic Johnson Emphasizes I Am Not Cured Frontline PBS Archived from the original on July 30 2023 Retrieved July 30 2023 Genet Danielle September 20 2016 Cookie Johnson I Fell to My Knees When Magic Revealed His HIV Diagnosis ABC News Archived from the original on July 30 2023 Retrieved July 30 2023 a b c d McCallum Jack August 20 2001 Life After Death Sports Illustrated Archived from the original on March 15 2021 Retrieved April 28 2019 a b c d Farrey Tom November 7 2001 AIDS community misses old Magic act ESPN Archived from the original on April 19 2012 Retrieved May 15 2008 Disappointed Magic Johnson quits AIDS commission The Baltimore Sun Los Angeles Times September 26 1992 Archived from the original on January 3 2023 Retrieved January 3 2023 Rhoden William C September 16 1998 The Greatest Is Honored by The Diplomat The New York Times Archived from the original on February 10 2012 Retrieved May 17 2022 Brennan Matt May 2 2022 How Magic Johnson s HIV diagnosis changed the conversation about AIDS in America Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on July 30 2023 Retrieved July 30 2023 Hadhazy Adam Gordon Jonathan August 24 2022 How has Magic Johnson survived with HIV livescience com Archived from the original on July 30 2023 Retrieved July 30 2023 a b Cardazzi Alexander Martin Joshua C Rodriguez Zachary 2021 Information Avoidance and Celebrity Exposure The Effect of Magic Johnson on AIDS Diagnoses and Mortality in the U S Economics Faculty Working Papers Series 57 Archived from the original on July 30 2023 Retrieved July 30 2023 Langer LM Zimmerman RS Hendershot EF Singh M 1992 Effect of Magic Johnson s HIV status on HIV related attitudes and behaviors of an STD clinic population AIDS Education and Prevention 4 4 295 307 PMID 1472415 a b Sternberg Steve November 30 2006 Magic Johnson combats AIDS misperceptions USA Today Archived from the original on July 22 2009 Retrieved November 11 2023 Magic Johnson assists drugmaker to advertise HIV treatment USA Today January 20 2003 Archived from the original on February 10 2012 Retrieved February 17 2009 SourcesLazenby Roland 2006 The Show The Inside Story of the Spectacular Los Angeles Lakers in the Words of Those Who Lived It New York McGraw Hill Professional ISBN 978 0 07 143034 0 Riley Pat 1993 The Winner Within G P Putnam s Son ISBN 978 0 425 14175 5 Further readingBiographies Johnson s autobiography is Johnson Earvin 1992 Magic Johnson My Life Random House ISBN 0 449 22254 3 Other biographies include Haskins James 1981 Magic A Biography of Earvin Johnson Hillside New Jersey Enslow Publishers ISBN 0 89490 044 7 Gutman Bill 1991 Magic More Than a Legend New York Harper Paperbacks ISBN 0 06 100542 8 Morgan Bill 1991 The Magic Earvin Johnson Scholastic ISBN 0 606 01895 6 Gutman Bill 1992 Magic Johnson Hero On and Off the Court Brookfield Connecticut Millbrook Press ISBN 1 56294 287 5 Johnson Rick L 1992 Magic Johnson Basketball s Smiling Superstar New York Dillon Press ISBN 0 87518 553 3 Rozakis Laurie 1993 Magic Johnson Basketball Immortal Vero Beach Florida Rourke Enterprises ISBN 0 86592 025 7 Schwabacher Martin 1993 Magic Johnson Junior World Biographies New York Chelsea Juniors ISBN 0 7910 2038 X Bork Gunter 1994 Die grossen Basketball Stars Copress Verl ISBN 3 7679 0369 5 German Frank Steven 1994 Magic Johnson Basketball Legends New York Chelsea House Publishers ISBN 0 7910 2430 X Bork Gunter 1995 Basketball Sternstunden Copress Verl ISBN 3 7679 0456 X German Blatt Howard 1996 Magic Against The Odds New York Pocket Books ISBN 0 671 00301 1 Rosner Mark 1999 Michael MacCambridge ed Earvin Magic Johnson The Star of Showtime New York Hyperion ESPN Books pp 251 52 In ESPN SportsCentury Gottfried Ted 2001 Earvin Magic Johnson Champion and Crusader New York F Watts ISBN 0 531 11675 1 Instructional Johnson Earvin Magic 1992 Magic s Touch From Fundamentals to Fast Break With One of Basketball s All Time Greats Reading Massachusetts Addison Wesley Pub Co ISBN 0 201 63222 5 Johnson Earvin Magic 1996 What You Can Do to Avoid AIDS New York Times Books ISBN 0 8129 2844 X Updated version of Johnson Earvin Magic 1992 Unsafe Sex in the Age of AIDS New York Times Books ISBN 0 8129 2063 5 External links nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Magic Johnson nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Magic Johnson Magic Johnson at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Magic Johnson on Twitter Magic Johnson profile NBA Encyclopedia Playoff Edition Basketball Reference com Magic Johnson as a coach Portals nbsp Basketball nbsp Biography nbsp Sports Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Magic Johnson amp oldid 1206952032, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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