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A Champion is Born: The Early Years of Earvin “Magic” Johnson
Article Overview: At 49 years old, Magic Johnson’s accomplishments stretch as far and wide as the many basketball courts he has conquered in his career. From transforming the Los Angeles Lakers into a championship team, to living with HIV, to launching a multi-million dollar business empire, Johnson has overcome numerous stereotypes in creating his own multi-faceted success.
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A Champion is Born: The Early Years of Earvin “Magic” Johnson
At 49 years old, Magic Johnson’s accomplishments stretch as far and wide as the many basketball courts he has conquered in his career. From transforming the Los Angeles Lakers into a championship team, to living with HIV, to launching a multi-million dollar business empire, Johnson has overcome numerous stereotypes in creating his own multi-faceted success.
Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jr. was born in 1959 in Lansing, Michigan to parents Christine, a school custodian, and Earvin Johnson, Sr., who worked at a General Motors plant. Johnson was the fourth of seven children, but maintained a close relationship with his parents. In fact, as basketball quickly took a hold of his young life, it was Johnson Sr. who would coach his son and provide him with advice on how to be a top-scorer – in the game, and in life.
At Everett High School, Johnson’s reputation on the court began to take off. It was there that a Lansing sports reporter first gave Johnson the nickname of “Magic,” after a 36-point, 18-rebound, and 16-assist performance. Johnson would later take his high school team to the 1977 state championships, and win.
Johnson decided to stay close to home for university, attending Michigan State. There, he played for the Spartans, leading them to their first-ever NCAA title. In that game, Johnson scored 24 points and was chosen Most Valuable Player.
In 1979, just two years before Johnson was supposed to graduate, something happened to him that would forever change his life. Johnson was selected first in the 1979 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. It was an opportunity he could not turn down.
Johnson promptly moved to Southern California and embarked on a career of championship after championship. He led the Lakers to their first NBA championship in eight years – the first of five – and earned three NBA Finals MVP awards.
However, in November 1991, following a routine physical examination for an insurance policy, Johnson made a discovery that would bring his career to a crashing halt. He learned he had HIV, and promptly retired from basketball.
Almost overnight, Johnson was transformed from a basketball superstar into a spokesperson for AIDS awareness. He founded the Magic Johnson Foundation for HIV/AIDS education, and wrote the book, “What You Can Do To Prevent AIDS.”
Still, Johnson’s celebrity in the game could not be overlooked, and in 1992, he was voted back into the NBA All-Star game. After scoring 25 points in 29 minutes, Johnson was named the game’s MVP. He also made the 1992 Olympic team, and brought home the Gold medal.
In the next few years that followed, Johnson would announce his retirement from basketball another two times. He continued to have health concerns over playing professionally and dealing with the consequences of HIV. Some of his teammates shared those concerns, and it showed on the court. Finally, Johnson left the game for good in 1996, and decided to turn his attention to other ventures.
Turning the Magic On: How Johnson Built an Empire
Magic Johnson: Superstar in the Business Arena
Lesson #5: Communicate Success
Lesson #4: A Great Businessman is Only as Great as His Vision
Lesson #5: Do What Cannot Be Done
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Update on profiles to come
- Here is a list of the upcoming entrepreneurs that we will be featuring. Thank you Kevin for the feedback!
Vera Wang
Magic Johnson
Joyce Hall
Wayne Huizenga
Martin Lindstrom (Toblerone)
Peter van Stolk (Jones Soda)
Re: Update on profiles to come
- [quote="Evan":3e19sx5g]Here is a list of the upcoming entrepreneurs that we will be featuring. Thank you Kevin for the feedback!
Vera Wang
Magic Johnson
Joyce Hall
Wayne Huizenga
Martin Lindstrom (Toblerone)
Peter van Stolk (Jones Soda)[/quote:3e19sx5g]
Just a quick fix:
Theodore Tobler (Toblerone)
Who to profile next?
- It's time to get your suggestions again for which famous entrepreneur to profile next on the website! We are looking for suggestions for success stories that are inspiring as well as those that are recognizable. Ideally the people are brand name entrepreneurs who people recognize (at least their companies are recognizable if not themselves individually).
Some initial sugestions are:
Joyce Hall (Hallmark)
Vera Wang
Nolan Bushnell (Atari & Chuck E. Cheese)
Magic Johnson
James Kimsey (AOL)
Wayne Huizenga (Blockbuster)
Mike Ilitch (Little Caesars)
What do you think? Who would you like to see profiled?
Re: Entrepreneur Heroes Trading Cards
- How is this project going?
If you could turn the cards into a game like Magic-The Gathering you might hit the jackpot!
Re: Marketing blog - designing logos, brands etc
- This is an excellent thread. I appreciate the helpful links. I particularly enjoyed the link to Vector Magic.
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