Magic Johnson Biography

Basketball Player / TV Personality

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"Magic" Johnson (Earvin Johnson, Jr.) led the Los Angeles Lakers to five national championships in the 1980s, then abruptly retired from basketball in 1991 upon discovering he had the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Johnson grew up in Lansing, Michigan and was a standout player at Michigan State University, leading them to a national championship in 1979 when he was a sophomore. He turned pro the next year and spent his entire career with the Lakers, including a couple of comebacks after his retirement and a short stint as a coach (the tail end of the 1993-94 season). During the 1980s the rivalry between Magic's Lakers and Larry Bird's Boston Celtics helped make the NBA a worldwide success. The Lakers won championships in 1980, '82, '85, '87 and '88. Johnson played in 12 All-Star Games, was the league's Most Valuable Player three times (1987, '89 and '90) and was a member of the USA's "Dream Team," gold medalists in the 1992 Olympics (after he'd announced his retirement). His enthusiasm for basketball and flashy play made him a crowd favorite and one of the most popular faces of the NBA. Now he's occasionally on TV as a sports analyst and busy running Magic Johnson Enterprises, a collection of business interests that includes movie theaters, restaurants and fitness centers.

Extra credit: Johnson, at 6' 9", was the biggest point guard in the NBA... In his career he scored 17,707 points, retrieved 6,559 rebounds and made 10,141 assists... He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.

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