Born Earvin Johnson, Jr. on August 14, 1959, in Lansing, Michigan, Magic Johnson was a point guard for the NBA and widely revered as the best in basketball history. Having won championships in high school, college, professional, and international levels, his professional career ended after thirteen seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. During this stint, he won five NBA Championships and was named to the All-Star team twelve times. His induction to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame took place in 2002. Magic Johnson is also well known as one of the first public figures to make public his HIV-positive status, which he uses to the advantage of others, promoting education and awareness of the disease and the truth about how it can be spread. His announcement took place on November 7, 1991, shocking Americans with this news and the combined announcement of his official immediate retirement from basketball. Though officially retired and having not played a single game during the 1991-92 season, he returned to the sport to play a final All-Star game due to being voted to the team. Johnson's West team dominated and outshined the East with the final score of 153-113, Johnson scoring 25 points and nine assists. The game earned him is second All-Star Most Valuable Player Award, after which he continued his career by playing for the 1992 Olympic Dream Team with fellow superstars Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. The team was undefeated, won the Olympic Gold, and is revered as one of the greatest collections of basketball talent in history. |
