Magic Johnson Bio (Biography)
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Biography
Earvin Johnson, better known as Magic Johnson, is a former basketball player who won many different awards and championships. In addition to his amazing basketball skills, Johnson is also known for being one of the very first sports figures to openly discuss his HIV positive status, and after his retirement, he continued to work with HIV foundations to raise awareness of the disease.
Johnson began playing basketball at a young age at Everett High School in Lansing, Michigan. He was one of the tallest players to play point guard rather than center; in fact, he still holds the record for tallest dedicated point guard in the NBA. At 15, Johnson was given the nickname "Magic" when he scored an amazing number of points in a single game.
After high school, Johnson attended Michigan State University, where he led the school to their first Big Ten title in almost twenty years. In his second year at MSU, Johnson and his teammates defeated Indiana State University to win the NCAA national title in what is still one of the most watched title games ever.
Johnson left college after his second year when he was the first overall pick in the 1979 NBA draft. He joined the Los Angeles Lakers, but he would only play for a year before a knee injury would keep him out of most of the 1980-81 season. Controversy follwed the next year when Johnson and then head coach Paul Westhead bumped heads over game strategy. After one particularly bad argument, Johnson demanded to be traded. In a shocking move, the Lakers owner instead fired Westhead. While this led to Johnson being publicly booed several times, winning the 1982 NBA title vanquished any scorn his fans might have had.
Johnson would remain with the Lakers for his entire NBA career and would win 3 NBA MVP awards, 5 championships, be named to the All-Star team 12 times, and would win Olympic gold as part of the US men's basketball team in 1992. He also returned briefly in 1996.
In 1991, Johnson announced that he was HIV positive and that he was retiring from the NBA, although he would make a many appearances after that, including playing in the Olympics and in charity games.
Since his retirement, Johnson has opened a chain of movie theaters, owned several Starbucks franchises, and even hosted a short-lived television talk show. He also founded the Magic Johnson Foundation, an HIV/AIDS foundation that helps inner-city communities deal with the disease. Johnson is also very involved in politics and publicly supports the Democratic party.
Johnson began playing basketball at a young age at Everett High School in Lansing, Michigan. He was one of the tallest players to play point guard rather than center; in fact, he still holds the record for tallest dedicated point guard in the NBA. At 15, Johnson was given the nickname "Magic" when he scored an amazing number of points in a single game.
After high school, Johnson attended Michigan State University, where he led the school to their first Big Ten title in almost twenty years. In his second year at MSU, Johnson and his teammates defeated Indiana State University to win the NCAA national title in what is still one of the most watched title games ever.
Johnson left college after his second year when he was the first overall pick in the 1979 NBA draft. He joined the Los Angeles Lakers, but he would only play for a year before a knee injury would keep him out of most of the 1980-81 season. Controversy follwed the next year when Johnson and then head coach Paul Westhead bumped heads over game strategy. After one particularly bad argument, Johnson demanded to be traded. In a shocking move, the Lakers owner instead fired Westhead. While this led to Johnson being publicly booed several times, winning the 1982 NBA title vanquished any scorn his fans might have had.
Johnson would remain with the Lakers for his entire NBA career and would win 3 NBA MVP awards, 5 championships, be named to the All-Star team 12 times, and would win Olympic gold as part of the US men's basketball team in 1992. He also returned briefly in 1996.
In 1991, Johnson announced that he was HIV positive and that he was retiring from the NBA, although he would make a many appearances after that, including playing in the Olympics and in charity games.
Since his retirement, Johnson has opened a chain of movie theaters, owned several Starbucks franchises, and even hosted a short-lived television talk show. He also founded the Magic Johnson Foundation, an HIV/AIDS foundation that helps inner-city communities deal with the disease. Johnson is also very involved in politics and publicly supports the Democratic party.