Magic Johnson

Born Earvin Johnson, Jr. on August 14, 1959, in Lansing, Michigan. Earvin was from a large family, he grew up with nine brothers and sisters. Both of his parents worked, his father worked for general Motors plant in the town and his mother was a school custodian. Johnson would start practicing at his high school at 7:30 a.m. Johnson got his nickname, "Magic" after a sportswriter saw him score 36 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists in a single game.



Johnson continued to play basketball in college for Michigan State University. Standing at 6 feet 9 inches tall, he made for an impressive point guard. Johnson helped the Spartans, clinch the Big Ten Conference title in his freshman year. The following year, he played an important role in taking the Spartans all the way to the NCAA Finals. There they faced off against the Indiana State Sycamores. Johnson went head-to-head with Indiana's star forward, Larry Bird. The Spartans proved victorious, and the Johnson-Bird rivalry would follow the players to their days with the NBA. Leaving college after two years, Johnson was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979.

Johnson's career achievements include three NBA MVP Awards, nine NBA Finals appearances, twelve All-Star games, and ten All-NBA First and Second Team nominations. He led the league in regular-season assists four times, and is the NBA's all-time leader in assists per game, with an average of 11.2. Johnson was a member of the "Dream Team", the U.S. basketball team that won the Olympic gold medal in 1992. During his career, Johnson scored 17,707 points and made 10,141 assists, 6,559 rebounds, and 1,824 steals. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.

In November 1991, Johnson retired from the Lakers after revealing that he had the AIDS virus. Which he believed he contracted through unprotected sexual activity. At the time he learned he had the disease, his wife Cookie was pregnant with their first child. Both his wife and son, Earvin III, turned out to not have HIV.

At the time, many people thought the virus mostly affected homosexuals or intravenous drug users. So Johnson's decision to go public with his medical condition helped raise awareness about the disease. That year he established the Magic Johnson Foundation to support HIV/AIDS research efforts and awareness program. In 1992, he wrote the educational guide What You Can Do to Avoid AIDS.

Johnson played in the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. Along with Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, he was part of the American "Dream Team" that won the gold medal. Magic had hoped to play professional basketball for the next season, but he dropped that plan after players protested because of concerns about competing against an AIDS-infected competitor.

Just as he had dominated the courts, Johnson became a powerful force in business. He created Magic Johnson Enterprises, which has a variety of holdings. Much of his efforts have focused on developing urban areas, bringing Starbucks coffee franchises and movie theaters into undeserved communities. In 2008, he shared his secrets for success with the book 32 Ways to be a Champion in Business.