Magic Johnson

Earvin Johnson Jr. (English: Earvin Johnson Jr., August 14, 1959 -), nicknamed Magic or Magic Johnson, was born in Lansing, Michigan, United States. He is a professional basketball player in the NBA. He serves as a point guard on the court. He also served as the president of the basketball affairs department of the Los Angeles Lakers. After leading his team to win championships in high school and college, Johnson entered the 1979 NBA draft and was selected with the No. 1 pick by the Los Angeles Lakers. He dedicated his entire 13-year career to the Los Angeles Lakers. In his rookie season, Johnson scored three triples in the first playoff game and teamed up with teammate Kareem Abdul-Jaba to lead the Lakers to the championship, becoming the youngest NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (20 years and 276 days old) in the history of the league. He later won four championships in the 1980s. In 1991, Johnson announced that he was infected with HIV and announced his retirement on November 7 of the same year. He then made a brief comeback in January 1996. However, due to strong opposition from Karl Malone and others, Johnson announced his retirement again on May 14, 1996. Johnson's career achievements include being elected NBA Most Valuable Player three times, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player three times, 12 times selected to the All-Star team (twice elected NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player), nine times selected to the NBA First Team of the Year, selected to the NBA's Second Team of the Year in 1982, twice won the NBA steals king, four times won the NBA assists king, and was selected to the Finals Most Valuable Player Award three times. In addition, Johnson was also a member of the 1992 U.S. Men's National Basketball Team (Dream Team), which won the Olympic gold medal with an undefeated victory in 1992. Johnson is the second-highest point guard in league history and was named the greatest point guard of all time by ESPN in 2007. On February 16, 1992, the Lakers held a retirement ceremony for Johnson's No. 32 jersey. In October 1996, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the NBA, Johnson was selected to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team. In 2002, Johnson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. After retiring, Johnson became a successful entrepreneur whose advocacy for AIDS prevention and the importance of safe sex helped dispel stereotypes that were still widespread at the time. He was widely praised for his courage and was named one of the most influential African-American businessmen in the United States by Ebony Magazine in 2009.