35+ Facts About Magic Johnson That Every Basketball Fan Should Know

Born Earvin Johnson Jr. in a Christian household, this basketball player won many hearts during his career!

Magic Johnson is now the owner of cable operators and movie theaters. Until 2019, he was the president of the Lakers basketball operations.

Magic Johnson, like many other basketball players, made his way up to the very top of the game through college championships. He studied at Michigan State University and made himself known as a player that everyone wanted to have on their team.

Luckily for the Los Angeles Lakers, they were able to get Magic Johnson to be a part of their team before anyone else. Keep reading for more facts!

Facts About Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson was an undeniably huge part of the Los Angeles Lakers and their place in NBA history. This retired basketball player, businessman, and philanthropist is known for his persona and the aura that he brought to the court whenever he played a game.

• Johnson won many games for the Lakers.
• His actual name is Earvin Johnson Jr.
• Magic Johnson was born and brought up in Lansing, Michigan.
• His father was a worker in the automobile industry, and his mother was the custodian of a school.
• Magic Johnson is known as a basketball player who always had a knack for the sport and was interested in it since childhood.
• In several interviews, Magic Johnson talks about how he went to the grocery store while dribbling with one hand and went back home, dribbling with the other.
• Magic Johnson's love for the sport is evident since he even slept with his ball as a child!
• When he was in high school, he became increasingly known for his skills in terms of ballhandling and passing.
• He went to the Everett High School in Lansing, Michigan.
• He carried the school towards the state title and maintained extremely impressive average scores throughout the season.
• It was during his high school basketball career that Earvin Johnson Jr. was given the nickname 'Magic'.
• The nickname was given to him by a sportswriter named Fred Stabley, who had the fortune of watching the budding player live.
• Interestingly, Johnson's mother found the name to be blasphemous since she was a devout Christian by faith. However, her son did become known as Magic Johnson throughout the world later on in his life anyway!
• He was picked up and granted admission by several colleges around the nation because of his tremendous skills.
• Earvin Johnson Jr. wanted to live close to his home and chose to go to Michigan State University.
• This was a huge boon for the university as the young player pushed the team towards its first NCAA Championship win.
• As a fresher playing basketball in the university, Johnson's scores were unbelievable and led the team to the Big Ten Conference title.
• The Michigan State University team is named the Spartans.
• He also met his rival, Larry Bird, during the NCAA Championship, and this is where their clashes began.
• Johnson and his team defeated the Indiana State team.
• Johnson was diagnosed with HIV in the year 1991 and had to retire from the Lakers at the age of 31 on national television as a result of this.
• His illness became a large part of the instability in his career moving forwards.
• However, he remained faithful to the Lakers team and even bought a small interest in the team later on.
• Magic Johnson also rejoined the Los Angeles Lakers on two different occasions but had to retire a third time, which, he said, was on his own terms.
• Magic Johnson is one of the NBA players who created a brand around themselves.
• The famous basketball champion is also the chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises, which was founded in the year 1987.
• He founded the Magic Johnson foundation shortly after he was diagnosed with HIV.
• Through the foundation, he works with patients who struggle with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

Magic Johnson's Career

We all know that Magic Johnson eventually became an NBA champion, but let's talk about the road that led there.

• It was Magic Johnson who popularized the term triple-double.
• He held the record of having consistent double figures in three segments of the game, which is impressive, to say the least.
• However, it must also be kept in mind that before Magic Johnson, Robertson was known for having achieved the feats.
• During Robertson or Big O's time, nobody came up with the term or thought of adding it to the NBA sports teams' lexicon, but lucky for Magic Johnson, he became the flame-bearer!
• The Los Angeles Lakers should thank their stars that they got the first pick at the NBA Draft of 1979.
• Since they had a deal with Utah Jazz, the Lakers team got the first pick, and Magic Johnson was the first overall draft pick of the season. Understandably, this was amazing for a rookie to achieve.
• In 1979, he had just left the Michigan State University Spartans in order to join NBA championships.
• His record at high school-level games and with the Michigan State University team had already put him on the radar.
• Since the 1980 NBA championship brought many changes for the Lakers team, it was imperative that they made solid efforts, and Magic Johnson was there to help.
• The major boost for his career was that when Abdul Jabbar had to be off the court for the finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, it was Johnson's tremendous performance that skyrocketed the team towards victory.
• He also won the NBA Finals MVP or Most Valuable Player in the rookie season, which is a morale booster for any budding basketball player.
• With the rookie season done and over with, Magic Johnson had already made his name heard and was already known for his extremely energetic persona.
• After the first game of the season, which the Lakers team won, Johnson ran around the court, hugging and high-fiving everyone.
• While other players thought he would burn out fast, Johnson proved otherwise since he genuinely loved the sport and enjoyed being able to play at NBA level!
• He was 20 years old when he received his first Finals MVP. This made him the youngest and the first rookie to do so.
• He played in a charity game conducted by UCLA, along with Michael Jordan, Bird, and Dominique Wilkins.
• The game was called Midsummer Night's Magic All-Star charity basketball game.
• In 1988, the Lakers won their second championship title in two years.
• This was Magic Johnson's fifth and the final season of NBA championships that he won for the Lakers.
• After this, his NBA career started facing uncertainties at the hands of his illness and the internal conflicts of the Lakers.
• Magic Johnson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in the year 2002.
• For his induction into the Hall of Fame, Johnson was introduced by none other than Bird.
• Magic Johnson was also a part of the Dream Team.
• This was the same Dream Team that won an Olympic gold medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic games.
• Magic Johnson played point guard for the Lakers team.
• Johnson retired thrice from the Los Angeles Lakers.
• He bought a 5% interest in the Los Angeles Lakers team in the year 1994.
• He played a game for the Lakers in 1996, before which he had to give up his shares of the team.
• According to NBA rules, a player cannot have shares in the team that they play for.
• He bought back the shares in the same year after his final game and subsequent retirement and held them until 2010.

Magic Johnson's Childhood

Magic Johnson looks like the jolliest man now, and he was the same full-of-life person even as a child.

• Magic Johnson was born on August 14, 1959.
• He was given the name Earvin Johnson Jr. and had nine brothers and sisters.
• He grew up in a Christian household and spent most of his childhood practicing basketball and singing with the boys of his age.
• He was known as Junior and June Bug around his neighborhood in Lansing, Michigan.
• This was because Johnson used to wake up early and be at the court for practicing by 7:30 in the morning.

Magic Johnson's Accomplishments

Magic Johnson accomplished a lot in his career, and it is quite the task to list everything that he did.

• Magic Johnson has won an Olympic gold medal.
• He won the gold medal as a part of the U.S. Basketball Dream Team.
• He is a part of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
• He used to play point guard for the Lakers.
• He has won five rings, all with the Los Angeles Lakers.
• He holds the record for most average assists in each game played.
• Johnson has won three MVPs in the NBA finals.
• In his career, he has been part of nine NBA finals.
• He has written an autobiographical book, and there is another that he has co-authored with Bird.
• Magic Johnson owns many movie theaters and cable networks.
• He was the Lakers' president of basketball operations from 2017 to 2019.