The Untold Truth Of Magic Johnson

Earvin Johnson Jr. has lived an amazing life that could only be summed up in one word — "magic". In Johnson's own words, he was a "little kid from Lansing, Michigan," who "grew up poor but ... didn't have poor dreams." The basketball legend with the million dollar smile, uncanny vision, and unbridled passion for the game, had to retire while still in his prime after contracting HIV. But that was only his first act. Magic went on to become a leading spokesperson for the deadly disease, changing the world's perception about AIDS. 

After retiring from the NBA, Johnson found a second act as a successful businessman by investing in underrepresented urban communities but basketball would always be his first love — that is, until he allegedly felt "backstabbed" by the very organization that made his legendary career. His life reads like modern Shakespeare, full of mythical triumphs and tribulations, tragic heroes and redeemable villains, but how much do you really know about the man who wore the number 32 jersey? This is the untold truth of Magic Johnson. 

It's hard to believe the NBA was at one time about as popular as professional bowling. The NBA finals were tape-delayed, airing long after the game ended. What the NBA needed was stars, and drama, and by dumb luck it fell into their laps. The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers were already two of the biggest franchises in NBA history, and fresh off the most-watched NCAA finals in history at the time, the 1979 NCAA championship between Magic's Michigan State Spartans and Larry Bird's Indiana St. Sycamores, the two traveled to different coasts to continue the rivalry.

In the NBA, the two stars led their teams to championships, and faced off against each other for championships. Magic was fast and uptempo — a "showtime" of excitement. Bird was old school — beat you with his deadly jumpers and ability to make a shot from anywhere. And of course, one was black and one was white — which was still a big deal back then. But the two embraced the competition, and played it up in marketing as much as on the court. It worked. As much as Michael Jordan did for basketball by being that flashy superstar, Magic Johnson, by understanding the value of a rival, put the league where it is today thanks to his rivalry with Larry Bird.

Johnson walked away from his beloved Lakers, but he is literally invested in three other prominent Los Angeles sports franchises. Magic was the "public face" of the deep-pocketed Guggenheim Baseball Management group that bought the Dodgers for a then-record $2 billion in 2012. While the "boys in blue" have been revitalized, winning six division titles (from 2013 to 2018) and appearing in two World Series (2017 and 2018), they haven't won (as of this writing) that elusive MLB championship since 1988. "I want [a World Series win] for the players," Magic told ESPN in 2017, adding, "Man, I want it for them. I want it for the fans, who have waited so long." 

Johnson also brought his winning ways to the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), of which he shares ownership with a number of partners including Will Ferrell, Tony Robbins, and women's soccer great Mia Hamm Garciaparra. LAFC had a historic first-season run in Major League Soccer by earning the "most points by an MLS team in its expansion season," which led to a 2018 playoff-bid. 

While Johnson sold his minority stake in the Lakers in 2010, he did return to professional basketball ownership by buying into the Los Angeles Sparks WNBA franchise in 2014. Citing Johnson's "larger-than-life personality" and proven business record, WNBA President Laurel Richie told The Associated Press (via the Daily News), "When Magic chooses to enter into a partnership with a WNBA team, that's a great thing."

One of the sidebars that sometimes gets lost in Magic's shocking HIV announcement in 1991 was that his wife Cookie was pregnant with their first child at the time. Although Earvin Johnson III (aka E.J.) was born with a clean bill of health, his "public life began when he was still in the womb," according to The New York Times. The outlet also reported that E.J. became a reality television star (E!'s Rich Kids of Beverly Hills), and used his platform to "seize his own place in the gender revolution" with his "ostentatiously androgynous style." The younger Johnson also became a game-changer in his own way after being "outed" by TMZ in 2013.  

"It was hard for me in the beginning," Magic told CNN's Lisa Ling when he saw his son playing with dolls as a child. "I kept taking them away and putting something else on the table." Eventually Johnson accept his son's sexuality with open arms. "It's all about you not trying to decide what your daughter or son should be or what you want them to become," Johnson shared on The Ellen Degeneres Show. "It's all about loving them no matter who they are or what they decide to do."

While Johnson's older son Andre (whom he had with a previous girlfriend) prefers to stay "low-profile"(per TMZ), his youngest, daughter Elisa, is a budding model/social media star, although she also topped timelines for escaping an attempted home invasion in late 2018. 

Magic Johnson was bluntly honest about how he contracted the disease — he had lots and lots of sex. There comes a question — did Magic Johnson know he had "something" yet still have sex with people? One of his lovers thought so. In 1992, not too long after his announcement, a former partner, Waymer Moore, sued Magic claiming that he gave her the virus that causes AIDS. 

Magic admitted he knew the woman for a number of years, and they did indeed have sex in June of 1990, but he denied giving her the disease and actually suggested that he wasn't sure if she was the one who gave it to him. Moore revealed that she knew she had the disease prior to his public announcement of his HIV diagnosis, and allegedly wrote him a letter informing him so. The two sides eventually reached an agreement to dismiss the case in 1993, but no financial terms were released.

Magic Johnson will forever be linked to fellow NBA Hall of Famer Larry Bird. Their fabled rivalry began in the classic 1979 NCAA title game where Johnson's Michigan State Spartans defeated Bird's Indiana State Sycamores 75-64. The stakes were raised when they became the franchise faces of the Lakers and Celtics, battling it out over the next decade in one of sports' fiercest tug of wars. "The one thing I hate in life... is the Boston Celtics," said Johnson in ESPN's documentary Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies. 

The superstars' fiery relationship cooled after filming a 1985 Converse commercial filmed in French Lick, Ind., Bird's hometown. "His mom gave me the biggest hug and hello, and right then she had me," Johnson told NPR. "Then Larry and I sat down for lunch, and I tell you, we figured out we're so much alike. We're both from the Midwest, we grew up poor, our families (are) everything to us, basketball is everything to us. So that changed my whole outlook on Larry Bird."

Their relationship grew to the point where Bird was one of the first people Johnson called when he was diagnosed with HIV. "As strong as I appeared to be, I still needed a friend to just say, 'Hey man, I'm here, I'm supporting you," recalled Johnson, who has since developed a lifetime friendship with Bird.  

Magic Johnson has won everywhere he's been, so it's no surprise he made a successful transition from the basketball court to the corporate boardroom. He was mentored by the late, great Dr. Jerry Buss, the Lakers legendary owner who took the 19-year-old basketball star under his wing. "He said, 'Earvin, let me teach you the business,'" Johnson recalled to the Los Angeles Times. "He brought me in, showed me the books, taught me how it all works, introduced me to people I would never have met, made me understand what it means to be in L.A."

After Johnson's retirement, he used what Buss taught him to launch a "business career with a couple of Pepsi bottling plants, then built from there into shopping centers and movie theaters in urban areas," according to Business Insider. Johnson's extraordinary business skills eventually led him to a lucrative deal "50/50" deal with Starbucks, where he developed locations in underrepresented urban markets.

With those projects and many more, Johnson built himself into an entrepreneurial legend with a net worth of over $600 million, and ownership stakes in several iconic LA sports teams. According to the Los Angeles Times, The first person he called was Dr. Buss to let him know he would have to sell his piece of the Lakers, "He said, 'I don't mind losing you as a partner, because you just made a Magic move. I started crying." 

Magic Johnson has a bit of an old-school vibe to him. A lot of people end up liking the music they listened to in college for life, but Johnson goes a bit further than that. He sang the praises of Otis Redding, and made sure that when he checked out Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, everybody knew it. Of course, there was also a business component. According to Billboard, Magic Johnson Music worked in conjunction with MCA Music, scored R&B hits with Avant, and had music management deals in place with Boys II Men in the late 90s. So obviously he likes his music, but nothing compares... nothing compares... to Prince. 

Johnson shared a story on Jimmy Kimmel Live! about playing basketball with Prince. "He talked so much trash — he thought he had a real jump shot," the former NBA legend told the late night host. Sure, against one of the greatest basketball players ever Prince couldn't hang, but against mere mortals like Charlie Murphy? That's a different story. Johnson also told of Prince asking him to hold a private screening at one of his Magic Theaters in Los Angeles at 2 a.m., which Johnson did — and to which Prince, and a busload of his friends, showed up in pajamas. There are never enough Prince stories; the internet thanks you, Magic.