103 Facts About Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award.

Magic Johnson led the league in regular season assists four times, and is the NBA's all-time leader in average assists per game in both the regular season and the playoffs.

Magic Johnson holds the records for most career playoff assists and most career playoff triple-doubles.

Magic Johnson was the co-captain of the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team, which won the Olympic gold medal in Barcelona; Magic Johnson hence became one of eight players to achieve the basketball Triple Crown.

Magic Johnson is a former part-owner of the Lakers and was the team's president of basketball operations in the late 2010s.

Magic Johnson is a founding member of Guggenheim Baseball Management, managing entity of MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers, and is additionally part of ownership groups of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, MLS' Los Angeles FC, the NFL's Washington Commanders, and the NWSL's Washington Spirit.

Magic Johnson has won 15 total championships during his career; one in college, five as an NBA player, and nine as an owner.

Magic Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States, in 2025.

Magic Johnson, who had six siblings and three half-siblings by his father's previous marriage, was influenced by his parents' strong work ethic.

Magic Johnson's mother spent many hours after work each night cleaning their home and preparing the next day's meals, while his father did janitorial work at a used car lot and collected garbage, all while never missing a day at General Motors.

Magic Johnson's mother raised him in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Magic Johnson idolized players such as Earl Monroe and Marques Haynes, and practiced "all day".

Magic Johnson's father played high school basketball in his home state of Mississippi, and Johnson learned the finer points about the game from him.

Magic Johnson had become a dominant junior high player, once scoring 48 points in a game.

Magic Johnson did join the basketball team but became angry after several days when his new teammates ignored him during practice, not even passing the ball to him.

Magic Johnson nearly got into a fight with another player before head coach George Fox intervened.

Magic Johnson dedicated the championship victory to his best friend Reggie Chastine, who was killed in a car accident the previous summer.

Magic Johnson, who finished his high school career with two All-State selections, was considered at the time to be the best high school player ever to come out of Michigan.

Magic Johnson was named to the inaugural McDonald's All-American team, which played in the 1977 Capital Classic.

Magic Johnson ultimately decided to attend Michigan State when coach Jud Heathcote told him he could play the point guard position.

Magic Johnson did not initially aspire to play professionally, focusing instead on his communication studies major and desire to become a television commentator.

Magic Johnson was drafted first overall in 1979 by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Magic Johnson became the only rookie to win the NBA Finals MVP award, with his performance in the clutch regarded among the best in NBA history.

Magic Johnson became one of four players to win NCAA and NBA championships in consecutive years.

Magic Johnson returned before the start of the 1981 playoffs, but the Lakers' then-assistant and future head coach Pat Riley later said Magic Johnson's much-anticipated return made the Lakers a "divided team".

Magic Johnson later said that his third season was when the Lakers first became a great team, and he credited their success to Riley.

Magic Johnson later described the series as "the one championship we should have had but didn't get".

The game-winning shot, which Magic Johnson dubbed his "junior, junior, junior sky-hook", helped Los Angeles defeat Boston in six games.

Magic Johnson had become more powerful and stronger than in his earlier years, but was slower and less nimble.

Magic Johnson played with the Lakers in the McDonald's Open in Paris, France, in October 1991, and was named the tournament MVP after helping the Lakers win gold.

Magic Johnson 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".

Magic Johnson later accused Isiah Thomas of spreading the rumors, a claim Thomas denied.

Magic Johnson was chosen to compete in the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics for the US national team, dubbed the "Dream Team" because of the NBA stars on the roster.

The Dream Team, which along with Magic Johnson included fellow Hall of Famers such as Bird, Michael Jordan, and Charles Barkley, was considered unbeatable.

Magic Johnson averaged 8.0 points per game during the Olympics, and his 5.5 assists per game was second on the team.

Magic Johnson played infrequently because of knee problems, but he received standing ovations from the crowd, and used the opportunity to inspire HIV-positive people.

In 1985, Johnson created "A Midsummer Night's Magic", a yearly charity event which included a celebrity basketball game and a black tie dinner.

The proceeds went to the United Negro College Fund, and Magic Johnson held this event for twenty years, ending in 2005.

Magic Johnson was coaching a team that had five of his former teammates on the roster: Vlade Divac, Elden Campbell, Tony Smith, Kurt Rambis, James Worthy, and Michael Cooper, who was brought in as an assistant coach.

Magic Johnson officially returned to the team on January 29,1996, and played his first game the following day against the Golden State Warriors.

Cedric Ceballos, upset over a reduction in his playing time after Magic Johnson's arrival, left the team for several days.

Magic Johnson missed two games and was stripped of his title as team captain.

Magic Johnson missed several games due to a calf injury.

The Lakers played poorly in a Game 1 loss, prompting Magic Johnson to express frustration with his role in coach Del Harris' offense.

Magic Johnson led the way to a Game 2 victory with 26 points, but averaged only 7.5 points per game for the remainder of the series, which the Rockets won three games to one.

In 1994, Magic Johnson joined with former pros Mark Aguirre, Reggie Theus, John Long, Earl Cureton, Jim Farmer, and Lester Conner, as his team played games in Australia, Israel, South America, Europe, New Zealand, and Japan.

Magic Johnson played with the team frequently over the next several years, with possibly the most memorable game occurring in November 2001.

At the age of 42, Magic Johnson played with the All-Stars against his alma mater, Michigan State.

Magic Johnson's half-court shot at the buzzer would have won the game, but it fell short.

On November 1,2002, Magic Johnson returned to play a second exhibition game against Michigan State.

In 1999, Magic Johnson joined the Swedish squad M7 Boras, and was undefeated in five games with the team.

Magic Johnson became a co-owner of the club; however, the project failed after one season and the club was forced into reconstruction.

Magic Johnson later joined the Danish team The Great Danes.

Magic Johnson appeared at Bird's retirement ceremony in 1992, and described Bird as a "friend forever"; during Magic Johnson's Hall of Fame ceremony, Bird formally inducted his old rival.

Magic Johnson is the only player to average 12 assists in an NBA Finals series, achieving it six times.

Magic Johnson holds the All-Star Game single-game record for assists, and the All-Star Game record for career assists.

Magic Johnson is the only player in NBA Finals history to have triple-doubles in multiple series-clinching games.

At the 2019 NBA Awards, Magic Johnson received the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award.

On February 21,2017, Magic Johnson replaced Jim Buss as the president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers.

In January 2012, Magic Johnson joined with Guggenheim Partners and Stan Kasten in a bid for ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

Magic Johnson is considered the face of the ownership group while the controlling owner is Mark Walter.

Together with Guggenheim, Magic Johnson was involved in buying the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA in 2014.

Magic Johnson won the WNBA championship as the owner in 2016.

Magic Johnson announced co-ownership of a Major League Soccer expansion franchise, Los Angeles FC, which began play in 2018 and won the MLS Cup in 2022.

In 2023, Magic Johnson invested $240million in a group headed by Josh Harris that purchased the Washington Commanders of the National Football League for $6.05billion.

Magic Johnson had previously held talks with other groups interested in buying the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders before meeting and joining Harris on an unsuccessful bid on the Denver Broncos in 2022.

In September 2024, Magic Johnson joined the investment group for the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League.

Magic Johnson first fathered a son in 1981 when Andre Magic Johnson was born to Melissa Mitchell.

In 1991, Magic Johnson married Earlitha "Cookie" Kelly in a small wedding in Lansing which included guests Thomas, Aguirre, and Herb Williams.

Magic Johnson is a Christian and has said his faith is "the most important thing" in his life.

Magic Johnson had a close relationship with Lakers owner Jerry Buss, whom he saw as a mentor and father figure.

Buss took a special interest in Magic Johnson, introducing him to important Los Angeles business contacts and showing him how the Lakers organization was run, before eventually selling Magic Johnson a stake in the team in 1994.

Magic Johnson had never seriously considered coaching, but he agreed to take the head coaching position with the Lakers in 1994 at Buss' request.

In 1997, his production company Magic Johnson Entertainment signed a deal with Fox.

Shortly after the cancellation of his talk show, Magic Johnson started a record label.

Magic Johnson has worked as a motivational speaker, and was an NBA commentator for Turner Network Television for seven years, before becoming a studio analyst for ESPN's NBA Countdown in 2008.

In 2006, Johnson created a contract food service with Sodexo USA called Sodexo-Magic.

The first Magic Johnson Theater located in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, closed in 2010 and re-opened in 2011 as Rave Cinema 15.

In 2012, Magic Johnson launched a cable TV network called Aspire, featuring programming targeted at black audiences, similar to networks such as Black Entertainment Television and TV One.

Magic Johnson began thinking of life after basketball while still playing for the Lakers.

Magic Johnson wondered why so many athletes had failed at business, and sought advice.

Magic Johnson learned everything he could about business, often meeting with corporate executives during road trips.

Johnson's first foray into business, a high-end sporting goods store named Magic 32, failed after only one year, costing him $200,000.

Magic Johnson has become a leading voice on how to invest in urban communities, creating redevelopment opportunities in underserved areas, most notably through his movie theaters and his partnership with Starbucks.

Magic Johnson went to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz with the idea that he could successfully open the coffee shops in urban areas.

Magic Johnson sold his remaining interest in the stores back to the company in 2010, ending a successful twelve-year partnership.

Magic Johnson has made investments in urban real estate through the Canyon-Johnson and Yucaipa-Johnson funds.

Magic Johnson sold his ownership stake in the Lakers in October 2010 to Patrick Soon-Shiong, a Los Angeles surgeon and professor at UCLA, but continued as an unpaid vice president of the team.

In February 2017, Magic Johnson returned to the Lakers as an advisor to Jeanie Buss.

In 2015, Magic Johnson completed his planned acquisition for a "majority, controlling interest" in EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, which manages $14.5 billion in annuities, life insurance and other financial products.

Magic Johnson is an investor for aXiomatic eSports, the ownership company of Team Liquid.

Magic Johnson supported Hillary Clinton during her 2008 presidential campaign, and in 2010, he endorsed Barbara Boxer in her race for re-election to the US Senate.

Magic Johnson endorsed and appeared in campaign ads for unsuccessful Los Angeles mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel in 2013.

Magic Johnson hosted a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign on August 22,2016.

Magic Johnson was one of the first sports stars to go public about having HIV.

AIDS activist Elizabeth Glaser, to whom Magic Johnson had been introduced by a friend, convinced Magic Johnson to go public about his diagnosis.

Magic Johnson left after eight months, saying that the White House had "utterly ignored" the work of the panel, and had opposed the commission's recommendations, which included universal healthcare and the expansion of Medicaid to cover all low-income people with AIDS.

Magic Johnson was the main speaker for the United Nations World AIDS Day Conference in 1999, and has served as a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

HIV had been associated with intravenous drug users and homosexuals, but Magic Johnson's campaigns sought to show that the risk of infection was not limited to those groups.

Magic Johnson stated that his aim was to "help educate all people about what [HIV] is about" and teach others not to "discriminate against people who have HIV and AIDS".

Magic Johnson was later criticized by the AIDS community for his decreased involvement in publicizing the spread of the disease.

Magic Johnson's announcement was a "public-health catalyst", according to a West Virginia University paper, "rapidly correcting the public's understanding of who was at risk of infection".

Magic Johnson has advertised GlaxoSmithKline's drugs, and partnered with Abbott Laboratories to publicize the fight against AIDS in African American communities.