[143], Johnson and Bird were first linked as rivals after Johnson's Michigan State squad defeated Bird's Indiana State team in the 1979 NCAA finals. Education: Attended Michigan State University, 1977-1979. Cedric Ceballos, upset over a reduction in his playing time after Johnson's arrival, left the team for several days. [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. [4] Several of his achievements in individual games have also been named among the top moments in the NBA. 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. He also missed several games due to a calf injury. Magic Johnson Music signed R&B artist Avant as its first act. [111] Johnson led the West to a 153113win and was crowned All-Star MVP after recording 25points, 9assists, and 5rebounds. "A Midsummer Night's Magic" eventually came under the umbrella of the Magic Johnson Foundation, which he founded in 1991. ", "NBA & ABA Career Leaders and Records for Assists Per Game", "NBA & ABA Career Playoff Leaders and Records for Assists Per Game", "NBA & ABA Career Playoff Leaders and Records for Assists", "Magic Johnson Says It Breaks His Heart That Kobe Bryant Won't Be At Hall Of Fame Ceremony", "Magic Johnson's HIV activism hasn't slowed 22 years after historic announcement", "7: Magic Johnson announces he's HIV-positive", "Magic Touch: Magic Johnson's Fast Break Into Business", "Magic Johnson and other Dodgers owners purchase the Sparks", "Magic Johnson now has championship rings in the NBA, MLB and WNBA", "Rebounding from basketball court to boardroom", "Detroit Board's Busing Decision Termed 'Unwise', "State Basketball Championships Are Now History", "Everett High School - Archives Yearbook (Lansing, MI), Class of 1977", "Consensus All-America Teams (196970 to 197879)", "Magic Johnson Returns To The Breslin Center", "Rookie Makes the Lakers Believe in Magic", "The Extra Pass: Talking "Showtime" Lakers with author Jeff Pearlman", "NBA's Greatest Moments: Magic Fills in at Center", "Sports of The Times; Magic Johnson's Legacy", "Johnson rubs LA's Magic lantern for 25 million bucks", "Seven Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount 1790 to Present", "Moses Helps Dr. J, Sixers Reach Promised Land", "Ticker: Jerry West still fielding Magic Johnson-Norm Nixon questions", "Celtics Win First BirdMagic Finals Showdown", "Isiah blasts Magic Johnson over criticisms in forthcoming book", "Kareem, Lakers Conquer the Celtic Mystique", "Waiting Game Ends for Impatient Pistons", "Johnson Not Ready To Pass Mantle; For 9th Time, Lakers Show Magic Touch", "Bulls Finally Get That Championship Feeling", "Still stunning the world 10 years later", "Knee injury knocks Magic out of Dream Team lineup against Germany", "Magic Johnson wishes he hadn't retired so early (Video)", "Magic Johnson's Gala Midsummer Night Magic Gets $1.3 Mil for UNCF", "Game worn Shaquille O'Neal jersey from "A Midsummer Night's Magic" charity game", "Pro Basketball; Los Angeles Lakers Hire Magic Johnson To Be Head Coach", "199394 Los Angeles Lakers Schedule and Results", "Johnson gets win in first game as coach", "199394 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats", "Pro Basketball; Leaving on His Terms, Johnson Retires Again", "Hitting Referee Costs Van Exel $187,000", "Magic Raises Questions About Laker Confusion", "Outside the Lines: Magic 10 Years Later, and Limits of Loyalty", "Men's Basketball Opens Exhibition Season Against Magic Johnson All-Stars", "Memory Lane: Magic records triple-double in exhibition win vs. Mich. St", "Historias nrdicas: Magic Johnson, el vikingo", "Book review: When the Game Was Ours by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson", "HBO Documentary Revisits Magic JohnsonLarry Bird Rivalry That Saved Basketball", "All-Time Playoffs Individual Career Leaders", "Top N. American athletes of the century", "Jordan to Bird: Top 10 moments in NBA All-Star history", "Larry Bird and Magic Johnson Receive NBA Lifetime Achievement Award", "Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, exec Jim Buss relieved of duties as Magic Johnson takes over basketball operations", "Magic Johnson abruptly resigns as Lakers' president", "Magic Johnson steps down as Lakers' president of basketball operations", "Magic Johnson: Los Angeles Lakers legend resigns", "Earvin Johnson III, Magic Johnson's Gay Son, Goes Public With Boyfriend, Parents Very Proud (Video)", "Magic Johnson's House in Southern California", "Hot property: For Magic Johnson, Dana Point vacation home's a slam dunk", "Magic Johnson on Jeremy Lin: 'God is Good', "Magic Johnson Testifies His Christian Faith in God at Connecticut Huskies vs. Michigan State Spartans NCAA's March Madness 2014 Game", "Magic Johnson, NBA all-stars join Obama, play hoops for troops", "Report: Johnson to became part owner of Lakers", "To Magic Johnson, Jerry Buss was friend, mentor and 'second father', "Magic says Buss made him the man he is today", "Magic Johnson Gives His Label an Assist", "Sports Briefing Pro Basketball; Magic Johnson Signs With ESPN", "Magic Johnson joins ESPN, ABC as NBA studio analyst", "Magic Johnson on his growing foodservice business", "Former Magic Johnson Theaters reopens as Rave Cinemas", "Starbucks Acquires Remaining Interest in Magic Johnson Enterprises' Urban Coffee Opportunities (UCO)", "Magic Johnson sells his 105 Starbucks franchises", "Magic Johnson wows the crowd and talks minority-owned businesses", "Magic Johnson Says He Wouldn't Have Joined Bird After LeBron James's Move", "Bank On Condos: NBA Great In $71M Tower Deal", "Manhattan-style condos come to Fort Greene", "Magic Johnson buys into D.C.-area Pepsi bottling operation", "Magic Johnson Becomes Part Owner of Lakers", "Magic Johnson would be interested in buying Clippers, source says", "Magic Johnson reportedly interested in buying Clippers, NBA plans Tuesday press conference on Donald Sterling investigation", "Magic Johnson buys life insurance company", "Wizards, Warriors, and Magic: A Strategic Partnership", "Magic Johnson leads dream team bidding for Dodgers", "Magic Johnson-led group is picked as Dodgers' next owner", "From bankruptcy to a World Series title: Dodgers' ascension is Magic", "New Dragons owners say they won't mess with success", "Capital Buzz: D.C. businessman buying Dayton baseball team", "Magic Johnson, 55, Los Angeles Sparks Co-Owner", "Sparks defeat Lynx for first WNBA championship since 2002", "Magic Johnson, Mia Hamm among owners of new L.A. pro soccer team", "MLS Wants Fans' Help To Pick Team Name, Logo For New 'LA Football Club', "LA's MLS expansion team announces official club name: Los Angeles Football Club", "Justin Bieber, Magic Johnson, Will Ferrell among many stars at MLS Cup 2022", "Magic Johnson backs Angelides for Governor", "Magic Johnson, Bill Clinton team up for Hillary", "Magic Johnson Backing Barbara Boxer for US Senate", "Magic Johnson Endorses President Barack Obama", "Magic Johnson endorses Wendy Greuel for L.A. mayor", "I feel @HillaryClinton will be a great President for the American people and she will make sure that everyone has a voice! It got me out of my own little world and taught me how to understand white people, how to communicate and deal with them. "[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. With so many ways to love the NBA, Google says the Pixel 6 is built for all fans. Magic Johnson Enterprises serves as a catalyst for fostering community and economic empowerment by providing access to high-quality entertainment, products and services that answer the demands of multicultural communities. 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. [28] Buss was also unhappy with the Lakers' offense and had intended on firing Westhead days before the WestheadJohnson altercation, but assistant GM Jerry West and GM Bill Sharman had convinced Buss to delay his decision. [19][218], Johnson is a supporter of the Democratic Party. [164] 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. [91] 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. Although Johnson denied responsibility for Westhead's firing,[66] he was booed across the league, even by Laker fans. In a press conference held on November 7, 1991, Johnson made a public announcement that he would retire immediately. "[3] Bleacher Report also listed Johnson first in its all-time NBA point guard rankings. Magic Johnson might be a legendary basketball player, but to his three kids, his most important role is dad. The book detailed their on-court rivalry and friendship with one another. 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. Learn more at www.magicjohnsonenterprises.com. [13][169] The couple adopted a daughter, Elisa, in 1995. [56][160][161] At the 2019 NBA Awards, Johnson received the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award (shared with Bird). [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. 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). Other biographies include: On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [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. "[28][33] Johnson could dominate a game without scoring, running the offense and distributing the ball with flair. [143] He later joined the Danish team The Great Danes. [83], Johnson again averaged a double-double in the 198586 NBA season, with 18.8points, 12.6assists, and 5.9rebounds per game. [212], Together with Guggenheim, Johnson was also involved in the February 2014 purchase of the Los Angeles Sparks team in the WNBA. [44] In the 1988 playoffs, the Lakers swept the San Antonio Spurs in 3 games, then survived two 43series against the Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks to reach the Finals and face Thomas and the Detroit Pistons,[90] 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. Although Johnson's retirement prior to the 199293 NBA season voided this contract, Buss insisted that he still be paid. It's true that I hated missing out on Sexton. [103][104] Although the series was portrayed as a matchup between Johnson and Jordan,[105] Bulls forward Scottie Pippen defended effectively against Johnson. [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. [125][176] 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. [188][189] In 2004, Johnson and his partner Ken Lombard sold Magic Johnson Theaters to Loews Cineplex Entertainment. The 1986 commercial shows Magic rolling up in a limo and Larry was waiting in knee-high socks, short shorts, and new . He was 20 years old and the year was 1980. [121][122], Johnson returned to the NBA as coach of the Lakers near the end of the 199394 NBA season, replacing Randy Pfund, and Bill Bertka, who served as an interim coach for two games. [151], In 905NBA games, Johnson tallied 17,707points, 6,559rebounds, and 10,141assists, translating to career averages of 19.5points, 7.2rebounds, and 11.2assists per game, the highest assists per game average in NBA history. [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. [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. [210] Johnson and Guber were also partners in the Dayton Dragons,[209] a Class-A minor league baseball team in Dayton, Ohio, that sold out more than 1,000 consecutive games, a record for professional sports. [23] 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. Johnson had never seriously considered coaching, but he agreed to take the head coaching position with the Lakers in 1994 at Buss' request. Magic Johnson joined Shaquille O'Neal and celebrity coach Spike Lee to lead the blue team to a 147132 victory over the white team, which was coached by Arsenio Hall. Combining his playing career and sports ownership career, Johnson has 10 NBA championships, five each as a player and later as a minority owner of the Lakers. [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". [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". That initial battle was an appetizer for the decade that followed as the pair became two of the greatest basketball players in NBA history who developed a fierce personal rivalry during the 1980s that included three meetings in the NBA Finals. [226][227], To prevent his HIV infection from progressing to AIDS, Johnson takes a daily combination of drugs, also called a drug cocktail. [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. [129] 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. Earvin (Magic) Johnson, became one of the best NBA players for 13 years playing with the Lakers. He nearly got into a fight with another player before head coach George Fox intervened. Suddenly, Earvin Johnson himself emerges out of a puff of smoke, and quickly makes it clear that they don't call him Magic for nothing. Magic Johnson Development Corporation, which develops commercial property in long neglected . In this dramatic, exciting, and inspirational autobiography, Magic Johnson allows readers into his life, into his tirumphs and tragedies on and off . Following release of their self-titled, debut album in 1968, CCR would go on to sell more than 50 million albums worldwide. . [25] Upon learning of Chastine's death, Magic ran from his home, crying uncontrollably. Magic Johnson is a top business keynote speaker, former NBA great, and Chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises. 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. [101] Under Dunleavy, the offense used more half-court sets, and the team had a renewed emphasis on defense. 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. Other Facts: 9. 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. [183] He has also worked as a motivational speaker,[15] and was an NBA commentator for Turner Network Television for seven years,[184] before becoming a studio analyst for ESPN's NBA Countdown in 2008. [23], Johnson was first dubbed "Magic" as a 15-year-old sophomore playing for Everett High School, when he recorded a triple-double of 36points, 18rebounds, and 16assists. [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. 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]. He went to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz with the idea that he could successfully open the coffee shops in urban areas. Johnson would often help his father on the garbage route, and he was teased by neighborhood children who called him "Garbage Man". The majority of NBA fans consider Jordan to be the best ever, with Magic being the best point guard ever. [87][88], Before the 198788 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. About Starbucks Corporation [128] 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. [133] Nick Van Exel received a seven-game suspension for bumping referee Ron Garretson during a game on April 9. And the first few months, I was miserable at Everett. [227] In 1992, he joined the National Commission on AIDS, a committee appointed by members of Congress and the Bush Administration. Earvin "Magic" Johnson is the only NBA rookie to date to receive the Finals MVP Award. [221] In 2012, he endorsed Barack Obama for president. He had become more powerful and stronger than in his earlier years, but was also slower and less nimble. Two-time Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame inductee: College Basketball Hall of Fame (class of 2006), 2016 WNBA champion (as part owner of the Sparks), 2020 World Series champion (as part owner of the Dodgers), This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 04:30. The superstars' fiery relationship cooled after filming a 1985 Converse commercial filmed in French Lick, Ind., Bird's hometown. 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. [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. "I always said Larry Bird and Magic Johnson are the two most important people in NBA history," Barkley said. Ten of the 12 players on the team were named on the NBA's list of, Principal owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise, Brooklyn Atlantics/Grays/Bridegrooms/Grooms/, Michigan State Spartans men's basketball 197879 NCAA champions, 1992 Tournament of the Americas Gold medal, 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, List of career achievements by Magic Johnson, List 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 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 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 game, "Magic weekend is on tap as Johnson set for NBA encore", "202122 Big Ten Men's Basketball Media Guide", "Daily Dime: Special Edition The 10 Greatest Point Guards Ever", "NBA All-Time Player Rankings: Top 10 Point Guards", "NBA 75: Top 75 NBA players of all time, from MJ and LeBron to Lenny Wilkens", "NBA 75: At No.

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