Information AboutMagic Johnson |
Earvin Effay Johnson, Jr. (born August 14 , 1959 in Lansing , Michigan ), nicknamed '''Magic''', is a retired American National Basketball Association (NBA) Basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers . Before joining the NBA, the 6'9" Point Guard enjoyed success in NCAA College Basketball , winning the title in 1979 with Michigan State University .1 With the Lakers, Johnson established a successful career as he won five NBA championships, played in nine NBA Finals series, and was elected three times for both NBA Finals Most Valuable Player and NBA Most Valuable Player . Johnson also played in 12 All-Star games and was voted into 10 All-NBA First and Second Teams, and led the league in regular season Assists four times. Johnson is acknowledged as one of the most popular NBA basketball players of all time, being well-known for his uncanny passing and dribbling skills, and for his cheerful nature on and off the court. His fierce, but friendly rivalry with Boston Celtics Forward Larry Bird rejuvenated the NBA and ushered in the era of million-dollar salaries. He was also member of the Dream Team U. S. basketball team which won the Olympic gold medal in 1992. For his feats, Johnson was honored as one of the NBA 50 Greatest Players in 1996 and enshrined in the Basketball Hall Of Fame in 2002.2 Johnson is also well-known for contracting HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus), which he made public in 1991, and which caused him to temporarily retire. After winning over the support of his colleagues, he became the first openly HIV-positive player to play in the NBA. Since then, he has been a crusader for HIV prevention, Safe Sex , and a Philanthropist for social causes. PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY Early years Despite being HIV positive, Johnson was chosen for the US Team for the 1992 Olympic Games . The squad was quickly dubbed the '' Dream Team '' because of its abundance of NBA stars such as Jordan, Karl Malone and Bird, but Johnson was the main attraction. At the Olympic Opening Ceremony, German Tennis player Steffi Graf ordered colleague Barbara Rittner to photograph her with Johnson, and in the match against Spain, Spanish captain Juan Antonio San Epifianio and his squad demonstratively hugged him, showing that his HIV infection did not matter to them. During the tournament, Johnson struggled with knee problems and played for only a fraction of the games. The point guard position was mostly run by Utah Jazz all-time assist leader John Stockton , but Johnson's presence alone was enough to provoke Standing Ovation s from the crowd. He used the spotlight to attempt to inspire HIV positive people in several interviews. Post-Olympics and later life Johnson announced a comeback to the Lakers for the as a commentator, built up Movie Theater s in minority areas of Los Angeles and toured Asia and Australia with a basketball team made of former college and NBA players. Late in the , 2007 . to 255 lbs in order to play Power Forward , a much more physical position than his usual Point Guard role. At age 36, Johnson played the last 32 games of the season, averaging 14.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game. The Lakers lost to the Houston Rockets in the first round of The Playoffs , and Johnson retired for good. Johnson explained his comeback with the words: "I am going out on my terms, something I couldn't say when I aborted a comeback in 1992." After his second retirement, Johnson attempted a career in show business, hosting a short-lived late night talk show on Fox called '' The Magic Hour '' in 1998 which only lasted for two months. Since then, Johnson became a successful businessman. He became CEO of his own companies, the Magic Johnson Enterprises and Magic Johnson Theaters , a nationwide chain of movie theaters. Johnson was also an advocate of economic development in Harlem , and had opened the first Starbucks Coffee there. He also participated in a number of charity ventures, including his own Magic Johnson Foundation , and continued spreading the word about HIV prevention. Additionally, Johnson is a major supporter of the Democratic Party , and his endorsement is coveted in Los Angeles politics.Finnegan, Michael: "Magic Johnson backs Angelides for Govenor" , November 29, 2005 LEGACY Few athletes are truly unique, changing the way their sport is played with their singular skills. ::— introductory line of Johnson's nba.com/history biography The 6-9, 255 lbs.through most of Johnson's first 12 seasons with the Lakers his weight was listed by the Lakers as 226 pounds Johnson played the Point Guard position and is considered as one of the most successful and unique players in the history of the game. He is a five-time NBA champion and a 12-time All-Star, earned a place on ten All-NBA teams, and was thrice named MVP of the regular season and the Finals. In 905 NBA games, he scored 17,707 points, 6,559 rebounds and 10,141 assists, translating to career averages of 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 11.2 assists per game. Beyond statistics, Johnson is regarded by the NBA as one of the most spectacular and crowd-pleasing players ever. He entertained a generation of fans with his uncanny passing and dribbling talents, especially showcased in his trademark "no look" passes, and was famous for his enthusiastic, cheerful nature on and off the court. He was also a unique player because he played point guard despite being 6-9, a size reserved normally for frontcourt players. Johnson combined the size of a 's 181.7 For his feats, Johnson was voted as one of the 50 Greatest Players Of All Time by the NBA in 1996 and introduced into the Basketball Hall Of Fame in 2002. In 2006, ESPN .com rated Johnson the greatest point guard of all time.8 The popular Californian funk-rock group Red Hot Chili Peppers immortalised Johnson in a song called ''Magic Johnson'' on their fourth album '' Mother's Milk ''. Rivalry with Larry Bird Ever since the 1979 NCAA Finals, in which Johnson's Michigan State squad defeated Larry Bird's Indiana State team, Johnson and Bird were linked as rivals. From 1980 to 1988, their respective Lakers and Celtics teams won eight of nine NBA titles. The rivalry reached its climax in the mid-80s, when Johnson's Lakers and Bird's Celtics met in three NBA Finals (1984, 1985, 1987). Bork hypothesised that the Johnson-Bird rivalry was so appealing because it represented many other rivalries, such as the clash between Lakers and Celtics, between Hollywood flash ("Showtime") and Boston/Indiana blue collar grit ("Celtics Pride"), and between black and white. Johnson was highly appreciative of the rivalry, asserting that for him, the 82-game regular season was composed of 80 normal games and "the two", i.e. the Lakers-Celtics games. Similarly, Bird admitted that Johnson's boxscore was the first thing he looked at after every game day, stating everything else was unimportant. Beyond the on-court differences, the rivalry proved significant because it drew national attention to the faltering NBA. Prior to Johnson and Bird, the league had gone through a decade of declining interest and low TV ratings. With the two Hall-of-Famers, the league won a whole generation of new fans, drawing both traditionalist adherents of Bird's dirt court Indiana game and those appreciative of Johnson's public park flair. Sports journalist Larry Schwartz of ESPN even went as far to assert that Johnson and Bird saved the NBA from bankruptcy. As fierce as their on-court feud was, Johnson and Bird became good friends in private life, ironically during the filming of a joint 1984 Converse shoe ad which was meant to depict them as enemies. However, some had observed a mutual respect, such as separate cartoons in Sports Illustrated which shows Johnson and Bird looking admiringly at statues of each other. Over the years, the two superstars developed a deep bond. When Bird retired in 1992, Johnson appeared at his retirement ceremony and emotionally described Bird as a "friend forever."9 Anti-HIV activist The HIV positive Johnson is also widely seen as one of the most prominent activists for HIV prevention and for safer sex. According to Bork, Johnson single-handedly destroyed several popular prejudices about HIV. Previously, HIV was associated with drug addicts and homosexuals. Johnson's admission and subsequent campaigns publicized a risk of infection that included everyone, and he often included the words "even me". His appearances were not without controversy, as some had felt his message of safer sex was risky and that he was an irresponsible role model in admission of sexual intercourse with 200 women. Johnson did state that Abstinence is clearly the safest way to avoid AIDS by way of sexual contact. Johnson also gained recognition for his role in spreading the word about HIV. PERSONAL LIFE Earvin Johnson Jr. was born to his mother Christine, who was a school custodian, and his father Earvin Sr., an assembly worker. He was the sixth of ten children growing up in Lansing, Michigan , where his parents worked hard to give their children a decent living.Rappe, ''Magic Basketball''; 2005; ISBN 3-89533-497-9; pp. 107-114. In September 1991, he married his sweetheart Earlitha "Cookie" Kelly and fathered a child. After declaring himself as HIV positive two months later, he has also been a crusader for HIV prevention and safer sex. He confessed that he had encounters with several women while on the road, which explained his illness, and stated to be lucky that neither his wife nor child were infected. Since then, he has established himself as a figurehead of the anti-HIV movement, as a successful businessman and philanthropist. He also became close friends with his fierce on-court rival Larry Bird and was also best friends with Hall-of-Fame Detroit Pistons Point Guard Isiah Thomas , with whom he exchanged a vivacious kiss prior to Game 1 of the 1988 NBA Finals .10 According to SportsCenter , Magic will be executive producing a movie about Jason McElwain 's life, including his spectacular high school basketball game in on February 16, 2006 in which he scored twenty points in four minutes. BOOKS Biographies Johnson's Autobiography is 11 Some other biographies about him: Instructional Further reading REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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