Magic Johnson
After growing up in Lansing, Michigan, Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. took his basketball talent to Michigan State University. He reached the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight and the championship game in his two respective years with the Spartans and then declared for the 1979 NBA Draft.
The Los Angeles Lakers took Johnson with the first overall pick, setting into motion 13 seasons with the franchise. Considered one of the best point guards of all time, Magic won five championships and an NBA Finals MVP with the Showtime Lakers. Following an HIV diagnosis in 1991, he retired from the NBA to address his health. Johnson did represent the United States at the 1992 Olympics, winning a gold medal with the Dream Team. After returning to the Lakers for one season, he retired for the final time in 1996.
In 2002, Johnson entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as both an NBA player and member of the Olympic Dream Team. He served as the Lakers' President of Basketball Operations from 2017 to 2019. The now-62-year-old continues to advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention and safety.
- Former teams: Los Angeles Lakers
- Position: Point guard, shooting guard, and power forward
- Height: 6'9″
- Accomplishments: Five-time NBA champion, three-time Finals MVP, 12-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, and 2002 Hall of Fame induction
- Drafted: No. 1 overall in 1979 by the Los Angeles Lakers
- Shoots: Right
- Nicknames: Magic, The Magic Man, Tragic, E.J. the Deejay
Visit Magic Johnson's Basketball Reference page.
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Magic Johnson's focus shifted quickly away from basketball following his HIV diagnosis in 1991.
Imagine Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan playing on the same Chicago Bulls team? Jordan was the first superstar to put the Bulls on the basketball map, but things could have been a little different. The Bulls might've had a different look in the early 1980s had a coin flip gone their way. Magic Johnson's basketball […]
Magic Johnson competing at the 1992 All-Star Game in Orlando is one of the most emotional moments in NBA history.
Magic Johnson will always be remembered as an all-time great on the court, but how long did his Lakers career continue off the court?
A look at the five players with the most triple-doubles in NBA history.
A string of injuries and the strain of rehabilitating motivated Andrew Luck to quit the NFL while in his prime. He wasn't alone in exiting the sports world too soon.
Michael Jordan produced plenty of iconic NBA moments. His “shrug game,” however, was apparently inspired by a card game with Magic Johnson.
