[28] Johnson came from an athletic family. Ovitz encouraged him to start reading business magazines and to use every connection available to him. [138][139] On November 1, 2002, Johnson returned to play a second exhibition game against Michigan State. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time. Earvin "Magic" Johnson is the only NBA rookie to date to receive the Finals MVP Award. [20], Earvin Johnson Jr. was born in Lansing, Michigan, to General Motors assembly worker Earvin Sr. and school janitor Christine. By the time he had reached the eighth grade, Johnson had begun to think about a future in basketball. "Earvin Johnson" redirects here. Similarly, Bird admitted that Johnson's daily box score was the first thing he checked in the morning. [63][64] Early in the 198182 season, Johnson had a heated dispute with Westhead, who Johnson said made the Lakers "slow" and "predictable". [158] ESPN's SportsCentury ranked Johnson No. [33] In an August 2011 interview, Johnson said that in retrospect he wished that he had never retired after being diagnosed with HIV, saying, "If I knew what I know now, I wouldn't have retired. The 1986 commercial shows Magic rolling up in a limo and Larry was waiting in knee-high socks, short shorts, and new . [180] Shortly after the cancellation of his talk show, Magic Johnson started a record label. In 1991, . Although they were facing the defending NBA champion Houston Rockets, the Lakers had home court advantage in the five-game series. Johnson left after eight months, saying that the White House had "utterly ignored" the work of the panel, and had opposed the commission's recommendations, which included universal healthcare and the expansion of Medicaid to cover all low-income people with AIDS. 'Winning Time' HBO: Magic Johnson, Nike and Phil - Los Angeles Times [84] In the next season, Johnson averaged a career-high of 23.9points, as well as 12.2assists and 6.3rebounds per game,[44] and earned his first regular season MVP award. This site uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. [78] Johnson later described the series as "the one championship we should have had but didn't get". 50 Fun Facts About Magic Johnson - CBS Detroit - CBS News He also has a son, Andre Johnson, from a previous relationship. [41], During the 197879 season, Michigan State again qualified for the NCAA tournament, where they advanced to the championship game and faced Indiana State, which was led by senior Larry Bird. [162] In 2022, the NBA began awarding MVPs for the conference finals; the Western Conference Finals MVP trophy is named in Johnson's honor, while the Eastern Conference trophy is named after Bird. There they faced the Chicago Bulls, led by shooting guard Michael Jordan, a five-time scoring champion regarded as the finest player of his era. He led the league in regular season assists four times, and is the NBA's all-time leader in average assists per game in both the regular season (11.19 assists per game) and the playoffs (12.35 assists per game). Magic Johnson Commercial 1980 1 - YouTube Magic Johnson Commercial 1980 1 101,222 views May 22, 2016 This is an old commercial I shot with Magic Johnson for Quality Dairy back in 1980. so. Larry Bird and the Rise and Fall of Converse - Basketball Noise