Magic Johnson

2.1. Childhood and Family Background

Earvin Johnson Jr. was born in Lansing, Michigan, on August 14, 1959, to Earvin Sr., a General Motors assembly worker, and Christine, a school janitor. He was the fourth of seven children in his parents' marriage, and his father had three half-siblings from a previous marriage, making for a large family. Johnson's parents instilled a strong work ethic in him; his mother diligently cleaned their home and prepared meals after work, while his father juggled his job at General Motors with janitorial work and garbage collection, never missing a day. Johnson often helped his father on the garbage route, which led to neighborhood children playfully calling him "Garbage Man." His mother raised him within the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

From a young age, Johnson developed a deep love for basketball, practicing "all day." He admired Bill Russell more for his numerous championships than for his athletic prowess and also idolized players such as Earl Monroe and Marques Haynes. He learned the intricacies of the game from his father, who had played high school basketball in Mississippi. His mother, originally from North Carolina, also played basketball as a child and grew up watching her brothers play. By the eighth grade, Johnson's talent was evident, once scoring 48 points in a single game, and he began to envision a future in basketball.

Johnson initially hoped to attend Sexton High School, a school near his home known for its successful basketball team, which was predominantly Black. However, his plans changed dramatically when he was subjected to busing to the predominantly white Everett High School as part of an integration effort. His older sister Pearl and brother Larry had already experienced the difficulties of busing to Everett, including incidents of racism and rocks being thrown at buses. Larry had even quit the basketball team after a confrontation, urging Magic not to play. Despite this, Johnson joined the team but grew frustrated when teammates initially ignored him in practice. Head coach George Fox intervened, and Johnson eventually adapted, becoming a leader for the small group of Black students. He later reflected in his autobiography, My Life, that being bused to Everett was "one of the best things that ever happened to me" as it taught him to "understand white people, how to communicate and deal with them."

2.2. High School Career: "Magic" Nickname

Johnson earned his famous nickname "Magic" at the age of 15 during his sophomore year at Everett High School. He recorded an extraordinary triple-double with 36 points, 18 rebounds, and 16 assists in a single game. After this impressive performance, Fred Stabley Jr., a sportswriter for the Lansing State Journal, bestowed the moniker upon him. Johnson's mother, a devout Christian, initially found the name sacrilegious.

In his final high school season, Johnson led Everett to an impressive 27-1 win-loss record, averaging 28.8 points and 16.8 rebounds per game. He guided his team to an overtime victory in the state championship game, a win he dedicated to his best friend, Reggie Chastine, who had tragically died in a car accident the previous summer. Johnson credited Chastine significantly for his personal and basketball development, stating, "I doubted myself back then." He and Chastine were inseparable, constantly playing basketball or driving around together. Upon learning of Chastine's death, Johnson ran from his home, crying uncontrollably. Johnson concluded his high school career with two All-State selections and was widely considered the finest high school player to emerge from Michigan. He was also selected to the inaugural McDonald's All-American team, participating in the 1977 Capital Classic.

2.3. College Career and NCAA Championship

Despite being recruited by several top-ranked colleges like Indiana and UCLA, Johnson chose to stay close to home. His decision came down to Michigan and Michigan State in East Lansing. He ultimately decided on Michigan State after coach Jud Heathcote assured him he could play the point guard position, a crucial factor given Johnson's preference to play as a guard despite his height. The existing talent on Michigan State's roster also attracted him to the program.

Initially, Johnson did not aspire to play professionally, instead focusing on his communication studies major with an ambition to become a television commentator. As a freshman, playing alongside future NBA draftees Greg Kelser, Jay Vincent, and Mike Brkovich, Johnson averaged 17.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. He led the Spartans to a 25-5 record, securing the Big Ten Conference title and a berth in the 1978 NCAA tournament. The Spartans advanced to the Elite Eight but were narrowly defeated by the eventual national champions, Kentucky.

During the 1978-79 season, Michigan State once again qualified for the NCAA tournament. They reached the championship game, where they faced Indiana State, led by senior Larry Bird. This matchup, which became the most-watched college basketball game ever, saw Michigan State triumph over Indiana State with a score of 75-64. Johnson was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. He was also selected to the 1978-79 All-American team. After two years in college, where he averaged 17.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game, Johnson declared for the 1979 NBA draft. On June 8, 1995, Johnson returned to the Breslin Center to play in the Jud Heathcote All-Star Tribute Game, where he led all scorers with 39 points, honoring his former coach who stepped down after the 1994-95 season.

3.1. Rookie Season (1979-1980)

Johnson was drafted first overall in 1979 by the Los Angeles Lakers. He expressed immense excitement at the opportunity to play alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the team's 7 ft 2 in (7.2 ft ^{(2.18 m)}) center and future leading scorer in NBA history. Abdul-Jabbar had not yet won a championship with the Lakers, and Johnson was expected to help them achieve this goal. Lakers coach Jack McKinney made the strategic decision to play the 20 ft ^{(6 m)} rookie Johnson, who some analysts believed should play forward, as a point guard, despite the presence of the league's top point guard, Norm Nixon.

Johnson averaged 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game during the season, earning a selection to the NBA All-Rookie Team and a starting spot in the NBA All-Star Game. The Lakers achieved a 60-22 record in the regular season and advanced to the 1980 NBA Finals. There, they faced the Philadelphia 76ers, led by forward Julius Erving. The Lakers took a 3-2 lead in the series, but Abdul-Jabbar, who was averaging 33 points per game, sprained his ankle in Game 5 and could not play in Game 6.

Coach Paul Westhead, who had replaced McKinney early in the season after McKinney suffered a near-fatal bicycle accident, made the bold decision to start Johnson at center in Game 6. Johnson delivered a historic performance, tallying 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals in a 123-107 victory, while playing various positions including guard, forward, and center throughout the game. Johnson became the only rookie in NBA history to win the NBA Finals MVP award, with his clutch performance widely recognized as one of the greatest in NBA history. He also became one of only four players to win NCAA and NBA championships in consecutive years.

3.2. Ups and Downs (1980-1983)

Early in the 1980-81 season, Johnson suffered a torn cartilage in his left knee, which sidelined him for 45 games. He later described his rehabilitation as the "most down" he had ever felt. Although Johnson returned before the start of the 1981 playoffs, Lakers' future head coach Pat Riley noted that Johnson's highly anticipated return made the team "divided." The 54-win Lakers were upset by the 40-42 Houston Rockets in the first round, losing 2-1 after Johnson airballed a last-second shot in Game 3.

In 1981, following the 1980-81 season, Johnson signed an unprecedented 25-year, 25.00 M USD contract with the Lakers, the highest-paying contract in sports history at the time. Early in the 1981-82 season, Johnson had a heated dispute with Westhead, criticizing the coach for making the Lakers' offense "slow" and "predictable." After Johnson publicly requested a trade, Lakers owner Jerry Buss fired Westhead and replaced him with Riley. Although Johnson denied responsibility, he was widely booed across the league, even by Laker fans, who perceived him as a "coach-killer." Buss, however, had already intended to fire Westhead days before the public altercation, a decision he had delayed at the urging of assistant GM Jerry West and GM Bill Sharman.

Despite the off-court controversies, Johnson had a stellar season, averaging 18.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and a league-leading 2.7 steals per game, earning a spot on the All-NBA Second Team. He joined Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only NBA players to record at least 700 points, 700 rebounds, and 700 assists in a single season. The Lakers advanced through the 1982 playoffs and faced the Philadelphia 76ers again in the 1982 NBA Finals. Johnson's triple-double in Game 6 secured a 4-2 victory for the Lakers, earning him his second NBA Finals MVP award. He later credited Riley for the team's transformation into a great team.

During the 1982-83 NBA season, Johnson began a streak of nine consecutive double-double seasons, averaging 16.8 points, 10.5 assists, and 8.6 rebounds per game, which earned him his first All-NBA First Team nomination. The Lakers reached the Finals for a third time, again facing the Sixers, this time featuring center Moses Malone alongside Erving. With key Lakers players Norm Nixon, James Worthy, and Bob McAdoo hampered by injuries, the Lakers were swept 4-0 by the Sixers, and Malone was named Finals MVP. In the losing effort, Johnson still averaged 19.0 points, 12.5 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game.

3.3. Battles against the Celtics (1983-1987)

Before Johnson's fifth season, Jerry West-who had become the Lakers' general manager-traded Norm Nixon. This move was intended to give Johnson full control over the ball-handling responsibilities, allowing him to orchestrate the "Showtime" offense without needing to share the role. Johnson continued his impressive performance, averaging another double-double season with 17.6 points, 13.1 assists, and 7.3 rebounds per game. The Lakers reached the Finals for the third consecutive year, setting up their first postseason encounter with Johnson's college rival, Larry Bird and his Celtics.

The series began favorably for the Lakers, who won Game 1. In Game 2, the Lakers held a two-point lead with 18 seconds remaining, but after a layup by Gerald Henderson, Johnson failed to get a shot off before the buzzer, resulting in a 124-121 overtime loss for the Lakers. Johnson responded with 21 assists in a dominant 137-104 win in Game 3. However, he made several critical errors late in Game 4; Robert Parish stole the ball from him in the final minute, and Johnson then missed two crucial free throws that could have secured the win. The Celtics won Game 4 in overtime, and the teams split the next two games. In the decisive Game 7 in Boston, with the Lakers trailing by three in the final minute, opposing point guard Dennis Johnson stole the ball from Magic, effectively sealing the series for the Celtics. Friends Isiah Thomas and Mark Aguirre consoled him that night, talking until morning in his Boston hotel room amidst the Celtics' fan celebrations. Johnson later described the series as "the one championship we should have had but didn't get," considering it the worst period of his playing career. He used this painful experience to mentally strengthen himself for future encounters.

In the 1984-85 regular season, Johnson averaged 18.3 points, 12.6 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game, leading the Lakers back to the 1985 NBA Finals for another clash with the Celtics. The series started disastrously for the Lakers, who allowed an NBA Finals record 148 points in a 34-point loss in Game 1. However, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then 38 years old, rallied with 30 points and 17 rebounds in Game 2, and his 36 points in Game 5 helped the Lakers establish a 3-2 lead. The Lakers went on to defeat the Celtics in six games, marking the first time in history the Lakers had beaten the Celtics in the Finals, and the first time the Celtics had lost a championship at home. Johnson averaged 18.3 points, 14.0 assists, and 6.8 rebounds per game in the series. Both Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson considered this Finals victory a career highlight.

Johnson once again averaged a double-double in the 1985-86 NBA season, with 18.8 points, 12.6 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game. The Lakers reached the Western Conference Finals but were unexpectedly defeated by the Houston Rockets in five games. This loss highlighted the need for a shift in the Lakers' offense, which had become too predictable, relying heavily on Abdul-Jabbar.

In the next season, Johnson made a significant adjustment to his game at the urging of coach Pat Riley, who pushed him to take on a more prominent scoring role as the team's primary leader. Johnson responded by averaging a career-high 23.9 points, along with 12.2 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game, earning him his first regular season MVP award. The Lakers met the Celtics for the third time in the 1987 NBA Finals. In Game 4, Johnson hit a last-second hook shot over Celtics big men Robert Parish and Kevin McHale to win the game 107-106. This game-winning shot, which Johnson famously called his "junior, junior, junior sky-hook," helped Los Angeles defeat Boston in six games. Johnson was awarded his third Finals MVP title after averaging 26.2 points, 13.0 assists, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.33 steals per game. This series marked a turning point as Johnson fully embraced his role as the team's undisputed leader.

3.4. Repeat and Falling Short (1987-1991)

Before the 1987-88 NBA season, Lakers coach Pat Riley publicly declared that the team would defend their NBA title, a bold promise as no team had won consecutive championships since the Celtics achieved it in the 1969 NBA Finals. Johnson had another productive season, averaging 19.6 points, 11.9 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game, despite missing 10 games due to a groin injury. In the 1988 playoffs, the Lakers swept the San Antonio Spurs in three games, then survived two grueling 4-3 series against the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks to reach the 1988 NBA Finals. There, they faced Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons, known as the "Bad Boys" for their physical style of play, featuring players like Bill Laimbeer, John Salley, Vinnie Johnson, and Dennis Rodman. Before Game 1, Johnson and Thomas shared a kiss on the cheek, a public display of their brotherly friendship. The teams split the first six games, leading to a decisive Game 7. Lakers forward and Finals MVP James Worthy delivered his first career triple-double with 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists, leading his team to a 108-105 win. Although not named MVP, Johnson had a strong Finals performance, averaging 21.1 points, 13 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game. This marked the fifth and final NBA championship of his career.

In the 1988-89 NBA season, Johnson's averages of 22.5 points, 12.8 assists, and 7.9 rebounds per game earned him his second MVP award. The Lakers reached the 1989 NBA Finals, where they again faced the Pistons. However, Johnson sustained a hamstring injury in Game 2, which severely hampered the Lakers, leading to a 4-0 sweep by the Pistons.

Playing without Abdul-Jabbar for the first time, Johnson won his third MVP award after a strong 1989-90 NBA season in which he averaged 22.3 points, 11.5 assists, and 6.6 rebounds per game. However, the Lakers were eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals, their earliest playoff exit in nine years. Mike Dunleavy took over as the Lakers' head coach in 1990-91. By this point, Johnson was the league's third-oldest point guard; he had become stronger and more powerful but also slower. Under Dunleavy, the offense shifted towards more half-court sets with a renewed emphasis on defense. Johnson still performed exceptionally, averaging 19.4 points, 12.5 assists, and 7 rebounds per game, leading the Lakers to the 1991 NBA Finals. They faced the Chicago Bulls, led by shooting guard Michael Jordan, who was widely considered the finest player of his era. Although the series was heavily promoted as a direct matchup between Johnson and Jordan, Bulls forward Scottie Pippen effectively defended against Johnson. Despite two triple-doubles from Johnson during the series, Finals MVP Jordan led his team to a 4-1 victory. In the final championship series of his career, Johnson averaged 18.6 points, 12.4 assists, and 8 rebounds per game.

4.1. Public Announcement and Initial Retirement

Johnson played with the Lakers in the McDonald's Open in Paris, France, in October 1991, earning the tournament MVP award after helping the Lakers win gold. However, a routine physical examination before the 1991-92 NBA season revealed that Johnson had tested positive for HIV. On November 7, 1991, Johnson held a press conference to publicly announce his immediate retirement from the NBA. He stated that his wife, Cookie, and their unborn child did not have HIV, and that he would devote his life to "battle this deadly disease."

Initially, Johnson said he did not know how he contracted the disease, but he later openly acknowledged that it was through having numerous sexual partners during his playing career. He admitted to having "harems of women" and spoke candidly about his sexual activities because he was convinced that heterosexual individuals needed to understand they were also at risk. At the time, only a small percentage of HIV-positive American men had contracted it from heterosexual sex, leading to initial rumors that Johnson was gay or bisexual, both of which he denied. Johnson later accused Isiah Thomas of spreading these rumors, a claim Thomas denied.

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

4.2. 1992 NBA All-Star Game and "Dream Team" Olympics

Despite his retirement, fans voted Johnson as a starter for the 1992 NBA All-Star Game at Orlando Arena. This decision caused some controversy, with former teammates Byron Scott and A.C. Green suggesting Johnson should not play, and several NBA players, including Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone, expressing concerns about the risk of contamination if Johnson sustained an open wound on the court. Johnson, however, played a spectacular game, leading the West to a 153-113 victory and earning the All-Star MVP Award with 25 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds. The game concluded after he made a last-minute three-pointer, prompting players from both teams to rush onto the court to congratulate him in a moment of sportsmanship.

Johnson was then selected to compete in the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics as a member of the U.S. national team, famously dubbed the "Dream Team" due to its roster of NBA superstars. This team, which included fellow Hall of Famers such as Bird, Michael Jordan, and Charles Barkley, was considered unbeatable. After qualifying for the Olympics with a gold medal at the 1992 Tournament of the Americas, the Dream Team dominated the Olympic competition, winning the gold medal with an 8-0 record and beating 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 ranked second on the team. He played infrequently due to knee problems, but he consistently received standing ovations from the crowd and used the platform to inspire HIV-positive individuals worldwide.

5.1. Return to the Lakers as Coach (1994)

Johnson made a brief return to the NBA as head coach for the Lakers near the end of the 1993-94 NBA season, replacing Randy Pfund and interim coach Bill Bertka. Johnson, who took the job at the urging of owner Jerry Buss, admitted that coaching had always been "in the back of my mind." He emphasized that his health was not an issue and downplayed questions about returning as a player, stating, "I'm retired. Let's leave it at that."

General manager Jerry West speculated that Johnson might only coach until the end of the season. Johnson took over a team with a 28-38 record and won his first game as head coach, a 110-101 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. The roster included five of his former teammates: Vlade Divac, Elden Campbell, Tony Smith, Kurt Rambis, James Worthy, and Michael Cooper, who joined as an assistant coach. Johnson, who still had a guaranteed player contract worth 14.60 M USD during the 1994-95 NBA season, signed a separate, unpaid contract to coach the team.

The Lakers initially performed well under Johnson, winning five of their first six games. However, after losing the next five games, Johnson announced he would resign 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. He stated that coaching was never his dream and instead chose to purchase a 5% share of the team in June 1994.

5.2. NBA Comeback as Player (1996)

At the age of 36, Johnson attempted another comeback as a player, rejoining the Lakers during the 1995-96 NBA season. During his retirement, he had engaged in intense workouts to combat HIV, increasing his bench press from 135 to 300 pounds and gaining weight to 255 pounds. He officially returned on January 29, 1996, and played his first game the following day against the Golden State Warriors. Coming off the bench, Johnson contributed 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists to a 128-118 Lakers victory. On February 14, he recorded the final triple-double of his career with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists against the Atlanta Hawks.

Playing primarily as a power forward, he averaged 14.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game in 32 games, finishing tied for 12th place in MVP voting with Charles Barkley. The Lakers achieved a 22-10 record in the games Johnson played, and he considered his final comeback a "success."

However, there were challenges both on and off the court. Cedric Ceballos, upset over reduced playing time after Johnson's arrival, left the team for several days, missed two games, and was stripped of his team captain title. Nick Van Exel received a seven-game suspension for bumping referee Ron Garretson on April 9, prompting Johnson to publicly criticize his actions as "inexcusable." Johnson himself was suspended five days later for bumping referee Scott Foster, missing three games. He also dealt with a calf injury during this period.

Despite these difficulties, the Lakers finished with a 53-29 record and the fourth seed in the NBA Playoffs. They faced the defending NBA champion Houston Rockets, holding home-court advantage in the five-game series. The Lakers played poorly in a Game 1 loss, leading Johnson to express frustration with his role in coach Del Harris's offense. Johnson led the team 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.

After the playoff loss, Johnson initially expressed a desire to return for the 1996-97 NBA season and considered joining another team as a free agent to play more at point guard. However, a few days later, he changed his mind and announced his permanent retirement, stating, "I am going out on my terms, something I couldn't say when I aborted a comeback in 1992."

5.3. International Exhibition Games

Determined to continue playing 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 teamed up with former pros like Mark Aguirre, Reggie Theus, John Long, Earl Cureton, Jim Farmer, and Lester Conner. 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 delivered an impressive performance with 30 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists, leading the All-Stars to a 126-121 victory over the Oklahoma City Cavalry. 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 reportedly earning as much as 365.00 K USD per game.

Johnson continued to play with the team frequently for several years. One of the most memorable games occurred in November 2001, when a 42-year-old Johnson played with the All-Stars against his alma mater, Michigan State. Although he had played in a celebrity game to honor coach Jud Heathcoate in 1995, this was Johnson's first significant game in his hometown of Lansing in 22 years. Playing before a sold-out arena, Johnson recorded a triple-double and played the entire game, but his all-star team lost to the Spartans by two points, with Johnson's half-court buzzer-beater attempt falling short. On November 1, 2002, Johnson returned for a second exhibition game against Michigan State. This time, playing with the Canberra Cannons of Australia's National Basketball League instead of his usual All-Stars, Johnson's team defeated the Spartans 104-85, as he scored 12 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds.

In 1999, Johnson joined the Swedish squad M7 Borås (now known as 'Borås Basket'), achieving an undefeated record in five games with the team. Johnson also became a co-owner of the club; however, the project failed after one season, forcing the club into reconstruction. He later briefly joined the Danish team The Great Danes in 2000.

6.1. Early Business Endeavors and Major Successes

Johnson began thinking about life after basketball while still playing for the Lakers, seeking advice from business leaders due to a concern that many athletes failed in business. During his seventh NBA season, he met with Michael Ovitz, CEO of Creative Artists Agency. Ovitz encouraged him to read business magazines and leverage his connections. Johnson immersed himself in learning about business, often meeting with corporate executives during road trips.

His first business foray, a high-end sporting goods store named Magic 32, failed after only one year, costing him 200.00 K USD. This experience taught him the importance of listening to customers and understanding their product desires. Johnson became a leading advocate for investing in urban communities, creating redevelopment opportunities in underserved areas, most notably through his movie theaters and partnership with Starbucks. He approached Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz with the idea of successfully opening coffee shops in urban areas. By demonstrating the significant buying power of minority communities, Johnson was able to acquire 125 Starbucks stores, which reported higher than average per capita sales. This partnership, known as Urban Coffee Opportunities, strategically placed Starbucks locations in areas such as Detroit, Washington, D.C., Harlem, and the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles. Johnson sold his remaining interest in these stores back to Starbucks in 2010, concluding a successful twelve-year collaboration.

Johnson founded Magic Johnson Enterprises in 1993, a conglomerate that has grown to a net worth of 700.00 M USD. Its subsidiaries have included Magic Johnson Productions, a promotional company, Magic Johnson Theaters, a nationwide chain of movie theaters, and Magic Johnson Entertainment, a film studio. In 2006, Johnson established a contract food service company, Sodexo-Magic, with Sodexo USA. In 2004, Johnson and his partner Ken Lombard sold Magic Johnson Theaters to Loews Cineplex Entertainment. The original Magic Johnson Theater in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza closed in 2010 and reopened in 2011 as Rave Cinema 15. In 2012, Johnson launched Aspire, a cable TV network featuring programming targeted at black audiences, similar to Black Entertainment Television (BET) and TV One.

6.2. Media and Entertainment

In 1997, Johnson's production company, Magic Johnson Entertainment, signed a deal with Fox. 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 due to low ratings. Shortly after the show's cancellation, Johnson started a record label, initially named Magic 32 Records. It was renamed Magic Johnson Music when Johnson signed a joint venture with MCA in 2000. Magic Johnson Music's first signed act was R&B artist Avant. Johnson also co-promoted Janet Jackson's Velvet Rope Tour through his company, Magicworks. He has also worked as a motivational speaker and served as an NBA commentator for Turner Network Television for seven years, before becoming a studio analyst for ESPN's NBA Countdown in 2008. In 1991, he appeared in the music video for Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time", set in ancient Egypt, alongside Eddie Murphy.

6.3. Real Estate and Investments

Johnson has made significant investments in urban real estate through the Canyon-Johnson and Yucaipa-Johnson funds, demonstrating his commitment to community impact. These funds focus on redevelopment opportunities in underserved areas. Another major project involves his partnership with the insurance services company Aon Corp. Between 2005 and 2007, Johnson was part of a syndicate that purchased the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower, then the tallest building in Brooklyn, for 71.00 M USD. They converted the 512-foot landmark structure from an office building into luxury condominiums.

In 2015, Johnson completed the acquisition of a "majority, controlling interest" in EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, which manages 14.50 B USD in annuities, life insurance, and other financial products. He is also an investor for aXiomatic eSports, the ownership company of Team Liquid. According to Forbes, Johnson became a billionaire in 2023, making him one of the richest celebrities.

In 1990, Johnson and Earl Graves Sr. acquired a large interest in the Washington, D.C. PepsiCo bottling operation, making it the company's largest minority-owned facility in the U.S. Johnson became a minority owner of the Lakers in 1994, reportedly paying more than 10.00 M USD for his stake, and also held the title of team vice president. He sold his ownership stake in the Lakers in October 2010 to Patrick Soon-Shiong, a Los Angeles surgeon and professor at UCLA, but continued as an unpaid vice president of the team. In February 2017, Johnson returned to the Lakers as an advisor to Jeanie Buss. Following the Donald Sterling controversy, media reports indicated Johnson's interest in purchasing the Los Angeles Clippers franchise.

7.1. Los Angeles Lakers Front Office

On February 21, 2017, Johnson replaced Jim Buss as the President of Basketball Operations for the Los Angeles Lakers. Under Johnson's leadership, the Lakers pursued the acquisition of multiple star players and cleared existing players, including future All-Star D'Angelo Russell, from their roster to free up space under the NBA salary cap. The franchise successfully reached an agreement with free agent LeBron James on a four-year contract in 2018. However, 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. In an impromptu news conference on April 9, 2019, Johnson abruptly resigned from the Lakers, citing his desire to return to his role as an NBA ambassador.

7.2. Multi-sport Team Ownership

In January 2012, Johnson partnered with Guggenheim Partners and Stan Kasten in a bid for ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. In March 2012, Johnson's ownership group was announced as the successful bidder to buy the Dodgers. The group, which also includes movie executive Peter Guber, paid 2.00 B USD for the Dodgers. Johnson is considered the public face of the ownership group, while Mark Walter is the controlling owner. The Dodgers went on to win the 2020 and 2024 World Series.

Johnson and Guber were also partners in the Dayton Dragons, a Class-A minor league baseball team based in Dayton, Ohio, which holds a professional sports record for selling out over 1,000 consecutive games. Johnson and Guber sold their stake in the Dragons in 2014.

In 2014, Johnson, along with Guggenheim, was involved in buying the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. For this involvement, Johnson was named one of ESPNW's Impact 25. He achieved a WNBA championship as an owner in the 2016 season.

Johnson announced his 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.

In 2023, Johnson invested 240.00 M USD in a group led by Josh Harris that purchased the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL) for 6.05 B USD, setting a record for the highest price ever paid for a sports team. A lifelong NFL fan, Johnson described this acquisition as a "dream" and the greatest achievement of his business career. He had previously engaged in discussions with other groups interested in buying the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders, and joined Harris in an unsuccessful bid for the Denver Broncos in 2022. In September 2024, Johnson further expanded his sports portfolio by joining the investment group for the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

8.1. Family and Relationships

Johnson first became a father in 1981 with the birth of his son, Andre Johnson, to Melissa Mitchell. Although Andre was raised by his mother, he spent summers visiting Johnson and later worked as a marketing director for Magic Johnson Enterprises.

In 1991, Johnson married Earlitha "Cookie" Kelly in a small wedding ceremony in Lansing, attended by close friends including Isiah Thomas, Mark Aguirre, and Herb Williams. Johnson and Cookie have one son, Earvin III ("EJ"), who is openly gay and a public figure, known for his appearances on the reality show Rich Kids of Beverly Hills. The couple adopted a daughter, Elisa, in 1995. Johnson resides in Beverly Hills and maintains a vacation home in Dana Point, California.

8.2. Faith and Public Engagements

Johnson is a Christian and has stated that his faith is "the most important thing" in his life. In 2010, Johnson, along with 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. This exhibition game was held at a gym inside Fort McNair for a group of military troops who had been injured in action and was part of the festivities celebrating Obama's 49th birthday.

8.3. Relationship with Jerry Buss

Johnson maintained a particularly close relationship with Lakers owner Jerry Buss, whom he regarded as a mentor and father figure. Johnson called Buss his "second father" and "one of [his] best friends," visiting him for five hours in the hospital just months before Buss's death from cancer in 2013. Speaking emotionally to the media hours after Buss passed, Johnson declared, "Without Dr. Jerry Buss, there is no Magic." Buss acquired the Lakers in 1979, shortly before drafting Johnson as the first overall pick. Buss took a special interest in Johnson, introducing him to influential Los Angeles business contacts and teaching him about the Lakers organization's operations before eventually selling Johnson a stake in the team in 1994. Johnson credits Buss with providing him the business knowledge that enabled him to become a part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Buss consistently supported Johnson following his HIV diagnosis in 1991 and never hesitated to keep him closely involved with the organization, bringing him in as a part-owner and even as a coach. Although Johnson had not seriously considered coaching, he agreed to take the head coaching position with the Lakers in 1994 at Buss's request. In 1992, Buss had given Johnson a contract that would have paid him 14.00 M USD a year, to compensate him for years when he was not the league's highest-paid player. Although Johnson's retirement before the 1992-93 NBA season voided this contract, Buss insisted on continuing to pay him. This arrangement allowed Johnson to coach the team without receiving an additional salary. After Johnson concluded his coaching stint, Buss sold him a 4% stake in the Lakers for 10.00 M USD, and Johnson served as a team executive.

10.1. Foundation and Advocacy Work

Johnson was one of the first sports stars to publicly disclose his HIV status. AIDS activist Elizabeth Glaser, whom Johnson met through a friend, convinced him to go public with his diagnosis. Johnson recalled in a 2011 interview with Frontline, "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."

After announcing his infection in November 1991, Johnson established the Magic Johnson Foundation to help combat HIV. While initially focused on HIV/AIDS, he later diversified the foundation to include other charitable goals. In 1992, he joined the National Commission on AIDS, a committee appointed by members of Congress and the Bush Administration. However, Johnson resigned after eight months, stating that the White House had "utterly ignored" the panel's work and opposed its recommendations, which included universal healthcare and expanding Medicaid coverage for low-income individuals with AIDS. He also served as the main speaker for the United Nations (UN) World AIDS Day Conference in 1999 and has been a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

Historically, HIV had been largely associated with intravenous drug users and homosexual individuals. Johnson's campaigns aimed to demonstrate that the risk of infection was not limited to these groups. He articulated his goal as wanting to "help educate all people about what [HIV] is about" and to teach others not to "discriminatxe against people who have HIV and AIDS." Johnson was later criticized by some within the AIDS community for his perceived decrease in publicizing the disease's spread.

10.2. Public Health Impact

A number of research papers have analyzed the "Magic Johnson effect," referring to the impact Johnson's HIV announcement had on various populations, particularly those outside the traditional stereotypes of HIV infection, such as heterosexual individuals. A paper from West Virginia University described Johnson's announcement as a "public-health catalyst" that "rapidly correct[ed] the public's understanding of who was at risk of infection." The paper suggests a "large but temporary increase in the number of AIDS diagnoses for heterosexual men following the announcement," implying that, for some, Johnson's disclosure "prolonged patients' lifespans as a result of earlier access to medical care." Another paper published in AIDS Education and Prevention 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."

To prevent his HIV infection from progressing to AIDS, Johnson takes a daily combination of antiretroviral drugs, which effectively block and contain the virus. He has actively partnered with pharmaceutical companies like GlaxoSmithKline to advertise HIV treatments and with Abbott Laboratories to publicize the fight against AIDS in African American communities.

11.1. Playing Style and Impact

In 905 NBA games, Johnson accumulated 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. His career assists per game average remains the highest in NBA history. Johnson shares the single-game playoff record for assists (24) and holds the NBA Finals record for assists in a game (21). He is also the all-time leader in playoff assists with 2,346. Notably, he is the only player to average 12 assists in an NBA Finals series, achieving this feat six times. He holds the All-Star Game single-game record for assists (22) and the All-Star Game record for career assists (127). Johnson is one of only eight players in basketball history to achieve the Triple Crown-winning an NCAA championship, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal.

Johnson introduced a fast-paced, electrifying style of basketball known as "Showtime," characterized by "no-look passes off the fast break, pin-point alley-oops from halfcourt, spinning feeds and overhand bullets under the basket through triple teams." Fellow Lakers guard Michael Cooper once remarked, "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." Johnson possessed the remarkable ability to dominate a game without needing to score, primarily by orchestrating the offense and distributing the ball with flair. In the 1982 NBA Finals, he was named Finals MVP despite averaging just 16.2 points, the lowest average for any Finals MVP in the three-point shot era, highlighting his multifaceted impact.

Johnson's height was also exceptional for his position; at 20 ft ^{(6 m)}, he played point guard, a role typically reserved for much shorter players, challenging traditional positional conventions. This unusual size, combined with his high basketball IQ and exceptional ball-handling, allowed him to see over defenses and make passes others couldn't. His career total of 138 triple-double games places him fourth all-time behind Nikola Jokić, Oscar Robertson, and Russell Westbrook. Johnson is also the only player in NBA Finals history to record triple-doubles in multiple series-clinching games.

11.2. Awards and Accolades

For his extraordinary feats, Johnson was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History by the NBA in 1996 and selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted him in 2002 for his individual career and again in 2010 as a member of the "Dream Team." ESPN's SportsCentury ranked Johnson 17th in their "50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century." In 2006, ESPN.com named Johnson the greatest point guard of all time, asserting that "It could be argued that he's the one player in NBA history who was better than Michael Jordan." Bleacher Report also ranked Johnson first in its all-time NBA point guard rankings. In 2022, The Athletic ranked Johnson as the 5th greatest player in NBA history, the highest-ranked point guard. Many of his individual game achievements are considered among the top moments in NBA history. At the 2019 NBA Awards, Johnson received the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award, shared with Larry Bird. In 2022, the NBA introduced new conference finals MVP trophies, with the Western Conference Finals MVP trophy named the Earvin "Magic" Johnson Trophy.

Johnson's major honors include:

• Five-time NBA champion (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)
• Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player (1987, 1989, 1990)
• Three-time NBA Finals MVP (1980, 1982, 1987)
• Nine-time All-NBA First Team (1982-1990)
• One-time All-NBA Second Team (1981)
• 12-time NBA All-Star (1980, 1982-1992)
• Two-time NBA All-Star Game MVP (1990, 1992)
• J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (1991)
• Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996)
• Selected for the NBA 75th Anniversary Team (2021)
• No. 32 retired by the Los Angeles Lakers
• Statue in front of Crypto.com Arena
• NBA Lifetime Achievement Award (2019)
• Earvin "Magic" Johnson Trophy awarded to Western Conference Finals MVP (established in 2022)
• McDonald's Open winner and MVP (1991)

In terms of USA Basketball, he won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 as part of the "Dream Team" and a gold medal at the 1992 Tournament of the Americas.

His NCAA honors include the 1979 NCAA national championship and NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1979. His No. 33 jersey was retired by Michigan State, and a statue of him stands at Michigan State. In high school, he won the 1977 Michigan high school state championship with Lansing Everett High School.

Johnson's Hall of Fame inductions include a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2001), two-time induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2002 as individual, 2010 as Dream Team member), the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (2006), the FIBA Hall of Fame (2017 as Dream Team member), and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame (2009 as Dream Team member). He is also a member of the California Hall of Fame (2011).

In his sports ownership capacity, he has won five NBA championships (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010) as a part-owner/executive of the Los Angeles Lakers, a WNBA championship (2016) as a part-owner of the Los Angeles Sparks, two World Series championships (2020, 2024) as a part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and an MLS Cup (2022) as a part-owner of Los Angeles FC.

For his media and entertainment achievements, Johnson received the 1992 Jackie Robinson Sports Award and a 1993 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Album. He was also honored with the Marca Leyenda in 2001. On January 4, 2025, Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States.

13.1. Regular Season

13.2. Playoffs