Ryan Cunnea
Mr. Daniher
English II Period 6
21 March 2015
Earvin “Magic” Johnson
James Naismith created the sport of basketball in 1891, not knowing that it would be the sport it is today. Ever since the National Basketball Association, or NBA, was created on June 6, 1946, there have been over 4,500 players in the league. In this lapse of time, All Stars, Flops, Hall of Famers, and even all-time greats have come and gone. Earvin “Magic” Johnson is one of these all-time greats and is much more than a basketball legend.
Earvin Johnson Jr. was born on August 14, 1959, in Lansing Michigan, the fourth child of seven. His parents are Earvin and Christine. Johnson’s one true love was basketball. He attended Everett High School (Notable Biographies).
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In just his second year in college, Johnson led Michigan State through the NCAA Tournament Final Game beating Indiana State which included a player named Larry Bird. Magic scored twenty-four points and was chosen Most Valuable Player (MVP). The following year Johnson was selected first in the NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. He had immediate success becoming the first ever rookie to be a starter on the All-Star team. Later that year, the Los Angeles Lakers proceeded to beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Finals. Johnson was the youngest player to ever be MVP of the NBA finals. (Notable …show more content…
At the time, this was considered a death sentence because the HIV virus leads to AIDS. Dying was not part of Johnson’s plan. He put everything on hold for a while to focus on HIV/AIDS education. Now it is twenty three years later, and Magic is back on track. He has tirelessly invested in the Magic Johnson Foundation which provides minority scholarships, community empowerment centers and HIV/ AIDS education. Despite the diagnosis, the smile has never left his face (McCallum 111). Magic Johnson’s net worth is $500 million. This means he can practically buy whatever he wants. Yet, he still donates a great deal of money to different foundations, charities, and worthy causes. Sometimes, though, Magic has a little fun. A group including Johnson and longtime baseball executive Stan Kasten bought the Los Angeles Dodgers, a baseball team with a lot of upcoming potential. They bought the Dodgers from Frank McCourt for a record $2 billion