Magic Johnson Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Magic Johnson is a retired basketball player who became the President of the basketball operations of the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2017. He got his famous name ‘Magic’ when he was 15. Actually, he had scored in a match 36 points, did 16 assists, and 18 rebounds and was called ‘Magic’ by the sportswriter Fred Stabley Jr. in Lansing State Journal. He retired from basketball in November 1991 after he was found infected with HIV. In his entire life, he has done various businesses such as opening movie theater chain, buying 125 Starbucks stores, buying a share in LA Lakers team, working with Sodexo, forming his own team called “Magic Johnson All-Stars”, starting his own music record label and many others.

Sun Sign

Leo

Residence

Johnson owns an elegant Tuscan style in Beverly Hills.

Nationality

Education

Magic Johnson went to the Everett High School. After graduating from high school, he got enrolled at the Michigan State University in 1977. He had offers from several top-ranked colleges but his preference to stay close to home led to him getting admission at Michigan State. He graduated from the university in 1979 with major in communication studies.

Manager

Magic Johnson is represented by Celebrity Consultants, LLC (Talent Management Company).

Position

Point Guard

Shirt Number

32

Girlfriend / Spouse

Magic Johnson has dated

1. Melissa Mitchell – In 1981, Melissa Mitchell gave birth to Johnson’s first son, Andre Johnson. Andre was raised by Mitchell but he visited his father every summer. Johnson has even appointed his son as the marketing director of Magic Johnson Enterprises.
2. Kathleen Sullivan (1985-1987) – According to reports, Johnson started dating TV journalist Kathleen Sullivan in 1985. They were together for about two years before they decided to end things in 1987.
3. Heather Hunter – In 1991, it was reported by several American tabloids that Johnson had a fling with the adult movie star, Heather Hunter. However, these reports were refuted by Johnson as well as Hunter.
4. Cookie Johnson (1991-Present) – In September 1991, Johnson got married to Earlitha “Cookie” Kelly in a small ceremony held in his hometown of Lansing. She stood like a rock alongside him in his battle with HIV infection. In June 1992, she gave birth to their son, Earvin Johnson III. EJ is openly gay and has appeared in the reality TV show, Rich Kids of Beverly Hills. In 1995, they adopted a daughter, Elisa.

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Large body
• Bald

Brand Endorsements

Magic Johnson has appeared in the TV commercials for the following –

• 24-Hour Fitness
• Converse shoes
• Jackson Hewitt Tax Service
• KFC Hot Wings 12-piece meal
• 7-Up
• American Express

He has also been featured in print adverts for the Natrol My Defense Immune Support dietary supplements.

Religion

Christianity

Best Known For

His highly successful basketball career with the NBA team, Los Angeles Lakers. In course of his professional career, he won numerous individual accolades as well as multiple championships and tournaments with the Lakers team.

First NBA Match

In 1979, Magic Johnson made his professional basketball debut for the Los Angeles Lakers.

First Film

In 1988, Magic made his theatrical film debut as himself in the comedy-drama movie, She’s Having a Baby. However, his appearance in the movie wasn’t credited.

His first credited film appearance came in the family comedy movie, Are We Done Yet?, which was released in 2007.

First TV Show

In 1979, Magic Johnson made his first TV show appearance on the talk show, The Mike Douglas Show.

Personal Trainer

Magic Johnson regularly works out to keep himself fit even in the advancing age. For his workouts, he usually hits the Equinox Gym in West Los Angeles. However, he doesn’t have a fixed workout routine in place and loves to mix his exercises up. There are weeks when he spends most of his time on the treadmill, getting his cardio done, while on others, he might solely focus on his routine.

He still loves playing basketball, which forms an integral part of his workout regime. He usually loves to play at the court at the Equinox Sports Club. However, when he is able to get up early in the morning, he likes to do some shooting by himself.

He usually starts his day with a banana, which he grabs on his way to the gym. After the workout, he likes to have oatmeal and a protein shake. He also eats a lot of fish for the protein intake. To take care of hunger in between meals, he usually snacks on nuts and fruit.

Magic Johnson Favorite Things

• Fish – Sea Bass
• Restaurant For A Healthy Meal – Via Alloro
• Style Icons – Gucci, Roberto Cavalli, Giorgio Armani
• Restaurant For A Decadent Meal – Any or Mastro restaurant
• Biggest Vices – Red Wine and Sweets
• Basketball Player –

Source – ,

Magic Johnson Facts

1. While growing up, he was teased by the neighborhood children who used to call him Garbage Man because he used to help his father in his part-time work of collecting garbage.
2. His first basketball coach was his father, who used to play high school basketball in Mississippi. His father helped him learn the finer points of the game.
3. When he first got enrolled at the Everett High School, he didn’t have a pleasant time in early days as his new teammates often used to ignore him in training and rarely used to pass the ball to him.
4. He was first called Magic when he was 15 years and was in sophomore year of high school as he went on to record a triple-double of 36 points, 16 assists, and 18 rebounds and sports writer Fred Stabley Jr. used the moniker in Lansing State Journal.
5. By the time he graduated from high school, he had managed to garner two All-State selections. He was considered by some as the best high school player to have emerged from Michigan.
6. When he had first got enrolled in the university, he had no intention of becoming a professional basketball player and was instead focused on studying for communication studies major as he wanted to become a television commentator.
7. In 1979, he was drafted first overall by the Los Angeles Lakers. The best thing about the recruitment for Johnson was that he got an opportunity to play alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
8. In his debut season in NBA, he was selected as an NBA All-Star Game starter and was included in the NBA All-Rookie Team.
9. At the start of 1980/81 season, he tore a cartilage in his left knee. Because of the injury, he had to sit out for 45 matches. He managed to return before the 1981 playoffs.
10. In 1981, he signed a 25-year contract worth $25 million with the Los Angeles Lakers. It was the highest paying contract in any sport at that time.
11. At the start of 1981/82 season, he had a fall-out with team coach Westhead, whom Johnson accused of making the team predictable and slow. After he threatened to leave the team, Westhead was fired by owner Jerry Buss.
12. Johnson denied of having played any role in the firing of Westhead, but fans all over the country weren’t convinced and he was booed all across the league, even by Lakers fans.
13. After having undergone a physical examination before the start of 1991/92 season, he discovered that he was HIV positive. In November 1991, he held a press conference to reveal his diagnosis and announced that he was retiring from the game.
14. In the aftermath of his diagnosis, it was rumored that he was bisexual or gay as only a few American men had contracted the disease from heterosexual intercourse at that time. He obviously refuted all those rumors.
15. At the start of 1992/93 season, he revealed that he was going to make a comeback. However, after participating in several pre-season games, he had to cancel his return because of fierce opposition from several active players.
16. In 1985, he started yearly charity event called A Midsummer Night’s Magic, which included black tie event and celebrity basketball match, and was organized till 2005. The proceeds from the event were donated to the United Negro College Fund.
17. In 1991, he established the Magic Johnson Foundation, which works to support a number of healthy, educational, and social initiatives. The foundation has also established community empowerment centers.
18. In 1994, he returned to the competitive basketball by forming the Magic Johnson All-Stars, which included several retired NBA stars and college players.
19. The Magic Johnson All-Stars played in South America, Australia, Japan, Israel, Europe, and New Zealand and at one point, he was earning as much as $365,000 from a single game.
20. In February 2017, he was appointed as the president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers. He replaced his old boss Jim Buss in the high-profile role.
21. In 1998, he established his record label Magic 32 Records, which was later rebranded as Magic Johnson Music.
22. He has previously established a chain of movie theatres called Magic Johnson Theatres that focused mostly on the inner-city neighborhoods. He sold the chain to Loews Cineplex Entertainment in 2004.
23. In 2006, he collaborated with Sodexo USA to start a contract food service called Sodexo-Magic.
24. His first endeavor into the business was his high-end sporting goods store called Magic 32. The store was closed after just a year and Johnson lost $200,000 because of the failed project.
25. After having met Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz over his idea to open coffee shops in urban areas, he purchased 125 Starbucks stores, which reported better sales than the usual average. Their partnership was called Urban Coffee Opportunities.
26. In 2010, he decided to sell his interest in stores back to Starbucks, which brought an end to their successful 12-year partnership.
27. In 1994, he became a minority stake owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. He had to pay more than $10 million to acquire his stake, which he sold to surgeon Patrick Soon-Shiong in 2010.
28. In 2012, he formed an investment group to purchase the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team for $2 billion. It was the highest amount paid at that time for any sports team.
29. In October 2012, it was announced that he is the co-owner of the Major League Soccer club, Los Angeles Football Club.
30. He was appointed as the main speaker for the UN World AIDS Day Conference organized in 1999. He has also worked as a United Nations Messenger of Peace.
31. Visit his official website @ magicjohnson.com.
32. Follow him on , , and .

Featured Image by Neon Tommy / / CC BY-SA 2.0