From his humble beginnings to his league debut as the Los. The game was played at a gym inside Fort McNair, and reporters covering the president were not allowed to enter. [162] In 2022, the NBA began awarding MVPs for the conference finals; the Western Conference Finals MVP trophy is named in Johnson's honor, while the Eastern Conference trophy is named after Bird. [37], Although Johnson was recruited by several top-ranked colleges such as Indiana and UCLA, he decided to play close to home. 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. [114] The Dream Team, which along with Johnson included fellow Hall of Famers such as Bird, Michael Jordan, and Charles Barkley, was considered unbeatable. [87] The game-winning shot, which Johnson dubbed his "junior, junior, junior sky-hook",[87] helped Los Angeles defeat Boston in six games. "Earvin Johnson" redirects here. 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. May 3, 2021 Old Navy teamed up with NBA Hall-of-Fame superstar, Olympian, entrepreneur and philanthropistMagic Johnsonto share the success stories of three inspiring graduates from the This Way ONward (TWO) program through a video miniseries launched today. Still a commanding presence in popular culture, Johnson made history in 2012 when he became co-owner of MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers. At the age of 42, Johnson played with the All-Stars against his alma mater, Michigan State. [43] After two years in college, during which he averaged 17.1points, 7.6rebounds, and 7.9assists per game, Johnson entered the 1979 NBA draft. In Episode 7 of "Binge Sesh," hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox draw inspiration from Nike cofounder Phil Knight's pursuit of Magic Johnson in "Winning Time.". He is known to have owned 105 Starbucks outlets and a 4.5% stake in . [191], Johnson began thinking of life after basketball while still playing with the Lakers. [186] 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. Cedric Ceballos, upset over a reduction in his playing time after Johnson's arrival, left the team for several days. [197][198], 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.[199] Johnson became a minority owner of the Lakers in 1994, having reportedly paid more than $10million for part ownership. Magic Johnson might be a legendary basketball player, but to his three kids, his most important role is dad. [94] Despite not being named MVP, Johnson had a strong championship series, averaging 21.1points on .550shooting, 13.0assists, and 5.7rebounds per game. [177][178], 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. The Pixel 6 offers the capability to eliminate photobomb fans quickly with the touch of a finger -- even Magic Johnson thinks it's absolute magic. [154], For his feats, Johnson was voted as one of the 50 Greatest Players of All Time by the NBA in 1996,[156] and selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. He also missed several games due to a calf injury. [13][169] The couple adopted a daughter, Elisa, in 1995. Johnson learned everything he could about business, often meeting with corporate executives during road trips. Larry was kicked off the basketball team after a confrontation during practice, prompting him to beg his brother not to play. 17 in their "50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century"[159] 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. [215] The temporary name was Los Angeles Football Club,[216] which later became permanent in 2015. [229], HIV had been associated with intravenous drug users and homosexuals,[226] but Johnson's campaigns sought to show that the risk of infection was not limited to those groups. [153] He is the only player to average 12 assists in an NBA Finals series, achieving it six times. Magic Johnson Investments He has had partnerships previously with Starbucks, 24-Hour Fitness, T.G.I Fridays, and AMC Theatres. "A Midsummer Night's Magic" eventually came under the umbrella of the Magic Johnson Foundation, which he founded in 1991. LOS ANGELES, CA Magic Johnson and health insurance giant Cigna have teamed up to fight health disparities in POC communities within Los Angeles. 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. [113], Several journalists hypothesized that the JohnsonBird 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. [129] Playing power forward, he averaged 14.6points, 6.9assists, and 5.7rebounds per game in 32games, and finished tied for 12th place with Charles Barkley in voting for the MVP Award. Magic's son EJ Johnson, 29, wore a fabulous silver sequined gown paired thigh-high black boots for the big moment, accessorizing with diamond necklaces and a black clutch. The series started poorly for the Lakers when they allowed an NBA Finals record 148points to the Celtics in a 34-point loss in Game 1. He wondered why so many athletes had failed at business, and sought advice. "I've . After leaving the NBA in 1991, Johnson formed the Magic Johnson All-Stars, a barnstorming team that traveled around the world playing exhibition games. 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). [148][149] Johnson appeared at Bird's retirement ceremony in 1992, and described Bird as a "friend forever";[113] during Johnson's Hall of Fame ceremony, Bird formally inducted his old rival. [16], Johnson initially said that he did not know how he contracted the disease,[16] but later acknowledged that it was through having numerous sexual partners during his playing career. Advertisement NBA legend Magic Johnson 's son, EJ Johnson, is on his way of becoming a fashion icon as well as a voice for the transgender community. [227] Johnson was later criticized by the AIDS community for his decreased involvement in publicizing the spread of the disease. This is the untold truth of Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. . [19][218], Johnson is a supporter of the Democratic Party. [80] After the Lakers defeated the Celtics in six games, Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson, who averaged 18.3points on .494shooting, 14.0assists, and 6.8rebounds per game in the championship series,[81][82] said the Finals win was the highlight of their careers. They also toured the United States, playing five games against teams from the CBA. [44] Johnson shares the single-game playoff record for assists (24),[152] holds the Finals record for assists in a game (21),[152] and has the most playoff assists (2,346). The pair launched an initiative to support minority and female-owned businesses, by providing customized health care plans for issues that disproportionately affect people of color. They're Midwesterners, they were bigger players who handled the ball skillfully and they thought about their teammates' success. The first Magic Johnson Theater located in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, closed in 2010 and re-opened in 2011 as Rave Cinema 15. [138][139] On November 1, 2002, Johnson returned to play a second exhibition game against Michigan State. [28] His career 138triple-double games places him third all-time behind Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook. Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson has seen a different D'Angelo Russell from the one who started his career in purple and gold. [205], He is an investor for aXiomatic eSports, the ownership company of Team Liquid. [75] 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. The basketball game was part of festivities organized to celebrate Obama's 49th birthday. 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". [44] He also joined Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only NBA players to tally at least 700points, 700rebounds, and 700assists in the same season. We exercise a proven expertise in business strategy, urban planning and developing creative business solutions to drive unparalleled results for our clients and partners. [98], Playing without Abdul-Jabbar for the first time, Johnson won his third MVP award[99] after a strong 198990 NBA season in which he averaged 22.3points, 11.5assists, and 6.6rebounds per game. [28] The Spartans reached the Elite Eight, but lost narrowly to eventual national champion Kentucky. [28], At the age of 36, Johnson attempted another comeback as a player when he re-joined the Lakers during the 199596 NBA season. [44] The Lakers again reached the Finals, and for a third time faced the Sixers, who featured center Moses Malone as well as Erving. [140], In 1999, Johnson joined the Swedish squad M7 Bors (now known as 'Bors Basket'), and was undefeated in five games with the team. "[119] 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. [157] The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted him in 2002. He had become a dominant junior high player, once scoring 48 points in a game. What Is Magic Johnson's Net Worth? 4.05. [7][8] He also holds the record for most career assists in the playoffs. 5, Magic Johnson combined dazzling playmaking with charisma to lead the Showtime Lakers to five titles", "Magic Johnson vs. Stephen Curry: Does Warriors star have stats case to surpass Lakers legend as GOAT point guard? Double your traffic. [174], In 2010, Johnson and 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. 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. [19] During Johnson's ownership of these teams, the Sparks won the 2016 WNBA championship, the Dodgers won the 2020 World Series, and LAFC won the 2022 MLS Cup. [141][142] Johnson also became a co-owner of the club;[143] however, the project failed after one season and the club was forced into reconstruction. 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. Magic Johnson: AIDS is still prevalent video 1991: Magic Johnson's HIV announcement On a recent March night in Los Angeles, Johnson again hugged Hydeia, his 6-foot-9 frame dwarfing her. [168] 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. The label, initially called Magic 32 Records, was renamed Magic Johnson Music when Johnson signed a joint venture with MCA in 2000. [48] Johnson became the only rookie to win the NBA Finals MVP award,[48] and his clutch performance is still regarded as one of the finest in NBA history. Basketball legends Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson visited the "Late Show With David Letterman" Wednesday to discuss their friendship - which began in . Random House. "Very European," says EJ Johnson, the son of Magic Johnson, as he recalls when he came out as gay to his father. 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. Playing with the Canberra Cannons of Australia's National Basketball League instead of his usual group of players, Johnson's team defeated the Spartans 10485, as he scored 12 points, with 10 assists and 10 rebounds. [221] In 2012, he endorsed Barack Obama for president. After protests from his fellow players, he retired again for four years, but returned in 1996, at age 36, to play 32games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time. They became friends . [62], In 1981, after the 198081 season, Johnson signed a 25-year, $25million contract with the Lakers (equivalent to $75,000,000 in 2021), which was the highest-paying contract in sports history up to that point. 8. [175], Johnson had an extremely close relationship with Lakers owner Jerry Buss, whom he saw as a mentor and a father figure. The NBA-centered drama series follows the rise of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s. 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. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson shot the first part of the Converse commercial, and when it was time for lunch; Larry made a nice gesture towards his nemesis. According to the Los Angeles Times, Magic Johnson's earliest and arguably most vocal champion was a childhood friend named Reggie Chastine.A fellow playground baller in Lansing, Michigan, Chastine was teammates with Johnson at Everett High School and got the future star thinking about being a future star, that achievements like all-state and All-American selections were possible, if not probable. Personal Birth date: August 14, 1959 Birth place: Lansing, Michigan Birth name: Earvin. He missed 45games,[44] and said that his rehabilitation was the "most down" he had ever felt. 1,006 ratings37 reviews. 10. [129], After the Lakers lost to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs,[136] Johnson initially expressed a desire to return to the team for the 199697 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. In the final game of the CBA series, Johnson had 30 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists, leading the All-Stars to a 126121 victory over the Oklahoma City Cavalry. [106], After a physical before the 199192 NBA season, Johnson discovered that he had tested positive for HIV. [190] 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. [33] The Lakers advanced through the 1982 playoffs and faced Philadelphia for the second time in three years in the 1982 NBA Finals. Johnson asserted that for him, the 82-game regular season was composed of 80 normal games, and two LakersCeltics games. And the first few months, I was miserable at Everett. [193][194] He has also made investments in urban real estate through the Canyon-Johnson and Yucaipa-Johnson funds. 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 Lakers played poorly in a Game 1 loss, prompting Johnson to express frustration with his role in coach Del Harris' offense. Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson has become a living testament to advances in medicine that have turned human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from a . [39], Johnson did not initially aspire to play professionally, focusing instead on his communication studies major and his desire to become a television commentator. [101] Under Dunleavy, the offense used more half-court sets, and the team had a renewed emphasis on defense. "[177] Buss acquired the team from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979, shortly before he drafted Johnson with the #1 pick in the 1979 NBA draft. [209] The Dodgers won the 2020 World Series, giving Johnson a Major League Baseball title to his credit. Visit California TV Spot, 'Living the Dream' Feat. After winning a national championship with Michigan State in 1979, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, leading the team to five NBA championships during their Showtime era. [3][55][56] He also became one of four players to win NCAA and NBA championships in consecutive years. 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. The majority of NBA fans consider Jordan to be the best ever, with Magic being the best point guard ever. [113], 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. [9] 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. In the past 30 days, commercials featuring Magic Johnson have had 27,434 airings. "Obviously, my family's always been in the spotlight," EJ told Out in 2014. According to sports journalist Larry Schwartz of ESPN, Johnson and Bird saved the NBA from bankruptcy. "[108], 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,[110] and several NBA players, including Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone, argued that they would be at risk of contamination if Johnson suffered an open wound while on court. He led all scorers with 39 points. According to the Basketball Network, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird came together in 1986 to film a commercial for Converse. [73], Prior to Johnson's fifth season, Westwho had become the Lakers general managertraded Nixon to free Johnson from sharing the ball-handling responsibilities. He's faced challenges all of his life, but now Magic Johnson faces the biggest challenge of all, his own brave battle with HIV. [58] 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". [135] 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. Bird was adamant that he would not appear in the Converse advert if it was filmed in LA. Earvin "Magic" Johnson 's fame skyrockets on and off the court in HBO's new trailer for Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty . [57], Early in the 198081 season, Johnson was sidelined after he suffered torn cartilage in his left knee. Magic Johnson, who has spearheaded developments in underserved urban communities in the decades since his ending his legendary NBA career, is pushing for more investments from commercial real estate into initiatives that benefit minority areas. [128] Despite these difficulties, the Lakers finished with a record of 5329 and fourth seed in the NBA Playoffs. With so many ways to love the NBA, Google says the Pixel 6 is built for all fans. In a press conference held on November 7, 1991, Johnson made a public announcement that he would retire immediately. [158] ESPN's SportsCentury ranked Johnson No. 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. "[36] Johnson and Chastine were almost always together, playing basketball or riding around in Chastine's car. [48] Coach Paul Westhead, who had replaced McKinney early in the season after he had a near-fatal bicycle accident,[49][54] decided to start Johnson at center in Game 6; Johnson recorded 42points, 15rebounds, 7assists, and 3 steals in a 123107 win, while playing guard, forward, and center at different times during the game. [15] His public announcement of his HIV-positive status helped dispel the stereotype, still widely held at the time, that HIV was a "gay disease" that heterosexuals need not worry about; his bravery in making this announcement was widely commended. 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. Earvin (Magic) Johnson, became one of the best NBA players for 13 years playing with the Lakers. The clip starts off with Lakers owner, Jerry Buss, played by John C. Reilly, waking up one morning and . By the time he had reached the eighth grade, Johnson had begun to think about a future in basketball. [16] Named by Ebony magazine as one of America's most influential black businessmen in 2009,[17] Johnson has numerous business interests, and was a part-owner of the Lakers for several years, as well as being the team's president of basketball operations from 2017 to 2019. After leaving the NBA in 1991, Johnson formed the Magic Johnson All-Stars, a barnstorming team that traveled around the world playing exhibition games.[10]. "[125] Amid speculation from general manager Jerry West that he may only coach until the end of the season,[125] Johnson took over a team that had a 2838 record, and won his first game as head coach, a 110101 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. [107] 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". Charles Barkley said Larry Bird and Magic Johnson are the most important people in NBA history Tuesday was Larry Bird's 65th birthday, and Barkley didn't mince words when he spoke about the former Boston Celtics star.
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