Fantasy owner Saul Zaentz would further embark upon a career as a film . [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. [75] The Lakers won the first game, and led by two points in Game 2 with 18seconds to go, but after a layup by Gerald Henderson, Johnson failed to get a shot off before the final buzzer sounded, and the Lakers lost 124121 in overtime. [59] The 54-win Lakers faced the 4042 Houston Rockets in the first round of playoffs,[60][61] where Houston upset the Lakers 21 after Johnson airballed a last-second shot in Game 3. [44] The Lakers advanced to the Western Conference Finals, but were unable to defeat the Houston Rockets, who advanced to the Finals in five games. 10. By the time he had reached the eighth grade, Johnson had begun to think about a future in basketball. He said that he retired because he "didn't want to hurt the game. [11] His friendship and rivalry with Boston Celtics star Larry Bird, whom he faced in the 1979 NCAA finals and three NBA championship series, are well documented. [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. [212], Together with Guggenheim, Johnson was also involved in the February 2014 purchase of the Los Angeles Sparks team in the WNBA. [206], In January 2012, Johnson joined with Guggenheim Partners and Stan Kasten in a bid for ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. [202] In February 2017, Johnson returned to the Lakers as an advisor to Jeanie Buss. [69] Johnson later said that his third season was when the Lakers first became a great team,[70] and he credited their success to Riley. [187] In 2006, Johnson created a contract food service with Sodexo USA called Sodexo-Magic. The 1986 commercial shows Magic rolling up in a limo and Larry was waiting in knee-high socks, short shorts, and new . 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. Senate. [221] In 2012, he endorsed Barack Obama for president. Johnson is 6'9" tall. [144][145] The rivalry was also significant because it drew national attention to the faltering NBA. The 29-year-old reality TV personality came out to the basketball great, 62, in 2010, and at first, the latter wasn't too. 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. [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. 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]. Despite two triple-doubles from Johnson during the series, Finals MVP Jordan led his team to a 41win. Eventually, Johnson accepted his situation and the small group of black students looked to him as their leader. He had become more powerful and stronger than in his earlier years, but was also slower and less nimble. [19][218], Johnson is a supporter of the Democratic Party. However, after Johnson went down with a hamstring injury in Game 2, the Lakers were no match for the Pistons, who swept them 40. [16] He stated that his wife Cookie and their unborn child did not have HIV, and that he would dedicate his life to "battle this deadly disease". [92] Johnson later accused Isiah Thomas of spreading the rumors, a claim Thomas denied. 8. After leaving the NBA in 1991, Johnson formed the Magic Johnson All-Stars, a barnstorming team that traveled around the world playing exhibition games. The basketball game was part of festivities organized to celebrate Obama's 49th birthday. [170] Johnson resides in Beverly Hills and has a vacation home in Dana Point, California. [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. Taking a look at his Instagram we can see how clothes are one of his biggest passions. [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. [180] Shortly after the cancellation of his talk show, Magic Johnson started a record label. [80] However, Abdul-Jabbar, who was now 38years old, scored 30points and grabbed 17rebounds in Game 2, and his 36points in a Game 5 win were instrumental in establishing a 32 lead for Los Angeles. "[134] Johnson was himself suspended five days later, when he bumped referee Scott Foster, missing three games. 1979 NCAA Championship Game. According to sports journalist Larry Schwartz of ESPN, Johnson and Bird saved the NBA from bankruptcy. "[28][33] Johnson could dominate a game without scoring, running the offense and distributing the ball with flair. [25], Johnson came to love basketball as a young man. Published March 15, 2021 Advertiser July 16, 2021 Ecolab, a provider of water, food safety and infection prevention solutions, is teaming up with Magic Johnson to launch the #TakeBackYourSocialLife campaign as part of a larger initiative to support the return of business across the foodservice industry. [205], He is an investor for aXiomatic eSports, the ownership company of Team Liquid. "[119], During his retirement, Johnson has written a book on safe sex, run several businesses, worked for NBC as a commentator, and toured Asia, Australia and New Zealand with a basketball team of former college and NBA players. Charles Barkley, Samuel L. Jackson, Magic Johnson, Sue Bird, National Basketball Association TV Spot, 'NBA Voices' Song by Andra Day, Capital One QuickSilver TV Spot, 'Fortune Teller' Ft. Charles Barkley, Samuel L. Jackson, Spike Lee, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention TV Spot, 'COVID-19: NBA: Protect Yourself', Magic Card TV Spot Featuring Magic Johnson, Google Pixel 6 TV Spot, 'Magic Johnson Meets Magic Eraser', NBA TV Spot, 'Unbelievable is Big' Featuring Magic Johnson. "We had. [13][169] The couple adopted a daughter, Elisa, in 1995. Johnson's son Earvin III was born in 1992. He went to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz with the idea that he could successfully open the coffee shops in urban areas. 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. This site uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Magic Johnson 's 20-year-old son hit the Sunset Strip, hand in hand with his boyfriend . For the NBA center, see, Two moments of Johnson during his tour with the All-Stars to Argentina in January 1994: (left) greeting a local player; (right) hugging soccer superstar, HIV announcement and Olympics (19911992), Return to the Lakers as coach and player (1994, 1996). [213] He won the WNBA championship as the owner in 2016. [225], After announcing his infection in November 1991, Johnson created the Magic Johnson Foundation to help combat HIV,[226] although he later diversified the foundation to include other charitable goals. 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. [57], Early in the 198081 season, Johnson was sidelined after he suffered torn cartilage in his left knee. [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. In the past 30 days, commercials featuring Magic Johnson have had 27,434 airings. During his seventh season in the NBA, he had a meeting with Michael Ovitz, CEO of Creative Artists Agency. ", "Hillary Clinton Fundraisers Coming to Beverly Hills", "The Greatest Is Honored by The Diplomat", "Magic Johnson combats AIDS misperceptions", "Magic Johnson assists drugmaker to advertise HIV treatment", "Iconic Staples Center changing its name to Crypto.com Arena in reflection of changing times", "NBA unveils new trophies, awards honoring Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson", "2017 Class of FIBA Hall of Fame: Dream Team", "1992 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team", "Magic Johnson and Natalie Cole Honored at NAACP Awards Show", Basketball-Reference.com: Magic Johnson (as a coach), NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player, 1979 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans, NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Award, Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording, Citizen Kane (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Movie on Record, The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography, Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook), America Again: Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't, Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth, Wayland Baptist Women's Teams (19481982), Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs, The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, NAACP Image Award Jackie Robinson Sports Award, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Magic_Johnson&oldid=1142219451, African-American sports executives and administrators, African-American television talk show hosts, All-American college men's basketball players, American chief executives of food industry companies, American expatriate basketball people in Denmark, American expatriate basketball people in Sweden, American sports executives and administrators, Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics, Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, National Basketball Association All-Stars, National Basketball Association broadcasters, National Basketball Association players with retired numbers, Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball, Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball), United States men's national basketball team players, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected biographies of living people, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 10-time NBA champion (five as a player, five as owner/executive), Trophy named in Johnson's honor (Earvin "Magic" Johnson Trophy) awarded to, 1992 Olympic gold medal (U.S. national team), 1977 Michigan high school state champion (Lansing Everett High School). Johnson was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 and selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021, and became a two-time inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famebeing enshrined in 2002 for his individual career, and again in 2010 as a member of the "Dream Team". [28] In his final high school season, Johnson led Everett to a 271 winloss record while averaging 28.8points and16.8 rebounds per game,[28] and took his team to an overtime victory in the state championship game. [33], Despite their on-court rivalry, Johnson and Bird became close friends during the filming of a 1984 Converse shoe advertisement that depicted them as enemies. "[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. 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. Read also Don Johnson Left Barbra Streisand to Remarry Melanie Griffith Following Her Pregnancy [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. [192] The partnership, called Urban Coffee Opportunities, placed Starbucks in locations such as Detroit, Washington, D.C., Harlem, and the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles. [193][194] He has also made investments in urban real estate through the Canyon-Johnson and Yucaipa-Johnson funds. Magic Johnson is a top business keynote speaker, former NBA great, and Chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises. 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. Learn more at www.magicjohnsonenterprises.com. Here's a look at the life of entrepreneur, philanthropist and NBA Hall of Fame point guard Magic Johnson. It took a 1987 commercial shoot in French Lick, Indiana, to bridge that gap. Other biographies include: On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [133] Nick Van Exel received a seven-game suspension for bumping referee Ron Garretson during a game on April 9. [138][139] On November 1, 2002, Johnson returned to play a second exhibition game against Michigan State. Coming off the bench, Johnson had 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists to help the Lakers to a 128118 victory. [192] The experience taught him to listen to his customers and find out what products they wanted. Larry was kicked off the basketball team after a confrontation during practice, prompting him to beg his brother not to play. "Earvin Johnson" redirects here. [106], After a physical before the 199192 NBA season, Johnson discovered that he had tested positive for HIV. [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. Random House. [131][132] He missed two games and was stripped of his title as team captain. Cedric Ceballos, upset over a reduction in his playing time after Johnson's arrival, left the team for several days. Although he played in a celebrity game to honor coach Jud Heathcoate in 1995,[45] this was Johnson's first meaningful game played in his hometown of Lansing in 22 years. "[33][128], Determined to play competitive basketball despite being out of the NBA, Johnson formed the Magic Johnson All-Stars, a barnstorming team composed of former NBA and college players. 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].

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