Born 14 August 1959 Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr is an American former professional basketball player and former President of Basketball Operations of the Los Angeles Lakers NBA team.
Often regarded as the best point guard of all time, Johnson played 13 seasons for the Lakers and in 1996 was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Lakers. He won a championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his rookie season, and won four more championships with the Lakers during the 1980s.
Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. After protests from his fellow players, he retired again for four years, but returned in 1996, at age 36, to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time.
Magic Johnson led the National Basketball Association (NBA) Los Angeles Lakers to five championships.
