Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson, born Earvin Johnson, Jr. on August 14, 1959, in Lansing, Michigan, is a retired professional basketball player and significant cultural figure. Known for his extraordinary skills on the court, he gained fame during his high school career at Everett High School, where he led his team to a state championship. Johnson continued his success at Michigan State University, winning an NCAA championship and earning accolades as an All-American. He was the first overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft, joining the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won five NBA championships and became a two-time NBA Finals MVP.
Johnson's career was notably marked by his rivalry with Boston Celtics star Larry Bird, which sparked renewed interest in the NBA. In 1991, he made headlines for publicly announcing his HIV-positive status, which played a vital role in changing perceptions about the disease and resulted in significant advocacy efforts. Beyond basketball, Johnson has made his mark as a successful entrepreneur and investor, contributing to urban development and community initiatives. His legacy encompasses not only his achievements in sports but also his impact on health awareness and economic empowerment in African American communities.
Magic Johnson
Basketball Player
- Born: August 14, 1959
- Birthplace: Lansing, Michigan
Best known for his basketball prowess during many championship seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, Johnson later became an important spokesperson for HIV/AIDS prevention and an entrepreneur.
Early Life
On August 14, 1959, Earvin Johnson, Jr., was born into a large working-class African American family in Lansing, Michigan. Johnson was the sixth of ten children born to Earvin Johnson, Sr., a General Motors employee who held several other jobs to make ends meet, and Christine Johnson, a school janitor and homemaker. Both of Johnson’s parents enjoyed basketball, and Johnson credited them for his early and intense devotion to the sport. His father especially fostered Johnson’s growth, practicing with him, discussing plays and moves, and teaching him the value of hard work.
As a child, Johnson played street ball with neighborhood children, but with a passion that impressed peers and adults alike. By the time he entered Dwight Rich Junior High School, he was already 6 feet tall and clearly talented. As a preteen, Johnson caught the attention of the Lansing high school coaches. Although there was some question about which high school Johnson would attend because of segregation and busing issues, he eventually enrolled at the mostly white Everett High School. There, Johnson played basketball under coach George Fox and led his team to winning seasons, including a state championship in 1976, his senior year.
Johnson acquired his famous nickname when he was a sophomore in high school. A Lansing sportswriter referred to him as “Magic” in a series of articles, and the moniker stuck. Johnson’s high school career brought him nationwide recognition when United Press International named him prep player of the year.
Major colleges across the United States heavily recruited Johnson. His top choices were the two major in-state colleges, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Michigan State University in East Lansing. Many fans thought he might choose the University of Michigan because of its superior reputation as a basketball school, but Johnson chose Michigan State on the urging of his family, who wanted him to stay close to home. Michigan State and its coach, Jud Heathcote, were happy to add a superstar recruit to a team that had struggled for several seasons.
Johnson quickly helped to turn the program around, taking the Spartans to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament’s Elite Eight, or quarterfinal, round. He also was selected as an All-American his freshman year. At the end of the year, Johnson considered entering the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft, but his parents dissuaded him because they thought it was important for him to earn a college degree.
Nevertheless, the 1978–1979 season was Johnson’s last as a college athlete. As a sophomore, Johnson led Michigan State to an NCAA championship. In the final game, Johnson’s Spartans faced against the Indiana State Sycamores, a team led by Larry Bird. The Sycamores came into the championship game undefeated at 33–0 to the Spartans’ 26–6. The final score was 75–64, with Johnson scoring 24 points. He was named the tournament’s most outstanding player.
Life’s Work
Johnson entered the NBA draft in 1979 and was the first player picked. The Los Angeles Lakers, coached by Paul Westhead, initially offered him a $400,000 contract, but Johnson held out for $500,000. That sum made him the highest-paid rookie in NBA history at the time.
In his first season in the NBA, Johnson earned his high salary by leading the Lakers to an NBA championship and posting tremendous statistics, scoring 42 points in the final game, in which he replaced an ailing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the center position, instead of playing his usual point guard position. The Lakers, who had not won a title since 1972, bested the Philadelphia 76ers in six games. During Johnson’s rookie season, he averaged 18 points, 7.3 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Injuries sidelined Johnson for forty-five games in his second season. After surgery to remove torn cartilage in his left knee, Johnson returned for his third season at full strength. The Lakers were so determined to keep Johnson in Los Angeles that they gave him a twenty-five-year contract worth one million dollars per year. At the time, the contract was the richest in sports history.
In 1982, the Lakers faced the 76ers in an NBA Finals rematch. The Lakers won the sixth and final game 114-104, with Johnson tallying 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists. Despite his own prowess, Johnson often gave teammates credit for the team’s success, earning him the respect of fellow players and coaches throughout the league. However, his relationship with his own coach, Westhead, was strained. When Westhead was fired during the 1981-1982 season, rumors that Johnson had been involved hurt the star player’s popularity. Westhead was replaced by Pat Riley, who coached Johnson until the end of the 1990 season. Mike Dunleavy and Del Harris were Johnson’s other coaches in his career as a Laker.
The Lakers went on to win three more world championships with Johnson as their point guard. They defeated the Boston Celtics in 1985 and 1987 and the Detroit Pistons in 1988. The competition between the Celtics and the Lakers gave rise to a legendary rivalry between Johnson and Celtics star Larry Bird. Their competitive relationship eventually developed into a famous friendship. They even cowrote a book, called When the Game Was Ours, in 2009.
Johnson’s career took a surprising turn in 1991, when he abruptly announced that he had contracted human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and would be retiring from the NBA. At the time, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was most commonly associated with gay men or drug abusers. Johnson said that he thought he had contracted the disease through promiscuous heterosexual sex. He assured fans that his wife, Cookie, and their unborn child had tested negative for the virus. Johnson displayed a positive attitude and became active in HIV/AIDS-awareness campaigns. Although he had made his big announcement before voting began for the 1992 NBA All-Star Game, fans voted him onto the team. Despite some concern by other All-Star players, Johnson took part in the game and was voted most valuable player (MVP) after scoring 25 points, handing out 9 assists and grabbing 5 rebounds.
In 1992, an Olympic rule change allowed professional basketball players to compete on national teams for the first time. The United States put together a group dubbed the “Dream Team,” which included stars such as Johnson, Bird, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, and John Stockton. Although Johnson played sparingly, the Americans won easily and he became an Olympic gold medalist.
As Johnson’s basketball career came to a close, he attempted a couple of comebacks in the NBA. He also briefly coached the Lakers during the 1993–1994 season. He worked as a sportscaster for NBC, played on exhibition teams (including his own Magic Johnson All-Stars), started businesses and charitable organizations, and wrote books. His health remained relatively stable as drug treatments for HIV/AIDS improved. He remained involved with the Lakers through part ownership of the team from 1994 to 2010. In 2012, Johnson joined a group of investors that succeeded in purchasing the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team for $2 billion, setting a record for a sports team sale price. He then went on to be involved in buying the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBA) and a new Los Angeles-based expansion team in Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2014.
In 2017, Johnson became the Lakers' president of basketball operations. During his tenure, Johnson was investigated by the NBA for tampering several times after he made comments about basketball and other teams' players. In 2019, Johnson announced his resignation from the team in order to return to his role as an NBA ambassador.
Johnson finished his NBA career with impressive statistics. He played in 905 NBA games, scored 17,707 points, grabbed 6,559 rebounds, and made 10,141 assists. As of 2019, his career average of 11.2 assists per game remained unmatched. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. Johnson won five NBA championships, three NBA Finals MVP awards, and three NBA regular-season MVP awards. He was named to the All-NBA first team nine times and the All-Star team twelve times, and in 1996 he was selected as one of the fifty greatest players in NBA history.
Significance
Johnson was one of the top basketball players of all time. His statistical success and multiple championships, together with his upbeat attitude and reputation as a team player, made him a popular public figure throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. his intense and closely followed rivalry with Celtics star and fellow eventual Hall of Fame player Larry Bird is often credited with reinvigorating public interest in the NBA and basketball in general. Beyond his playing abilities, Johnson's announcement that he had HIV dramatically changed the way people viewed the disease, and his subsequent advocacy further helped educate people and reduce the stigma surrounding the condition. His work as an entrepreneur, investor, and public speaker maintained his profile as an important cultural figure and role model. In particular, his efforts in urban development had lasting effects on African American communities throughout the United States.
Bibliography
Bird, Larry, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and Jackie MacMullan. When the Game Was Ours. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. Print.
D'Hippolito, Joseph. "Magic Johnson Steps In to Rescue Los Angeles Sparks." New York Times. New York Times, 5 Feb. 2014. Web. 22. Sept. 2015.
"Dodgers Sold to Magic Johnson Group." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 28 Mar. 2012. Web. 22 Sept. 2015.
Greenburg, Keith Elliot. Magic Johnson: Champion with a Cause. Minneapolis, Minn.: Lerner, 1992. Print.
Johnson, Earvin “Magic,” and William Novak. My Life. New York: Random House, 1992. Print.
Labrecque, Ellen. Magic Johnson. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Cherry Lake, 2008. Print.
"Magic Johnson." Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference, 2015. Web. 22 Sept. 2015.
"Magic Johnson Steps Down as Lakers' President of Basketball Operations." NBA, 10 Apr. 2019, www.nba.com/article/2019/04/09/magic-johnson-steps-down-lakers-president. Accessed 21 May. 2019.