Magic has led an incredible life
Monday is the 25th anniversary of Magic Johnson's retirement press conference, and despite the fact that he left the game due to testing positive for HIV, the diagnosis proved to be anything but a death sentence.
Here's a look at 25 amazing things Magic has done in the 25 years since his initial retirement announcement.
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He won a gold medal at the '92 Olympics
Less than a year after receiving his initial diagnosis, Magic played on the USA Basketball “Dream Team” that brought home the gold in the 1992 Summer Olympics.
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He wore Celtics gear to Larry Bird's jersey retirement ceremony
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird will forever be linked in NBA history for the way their rivalry revived the league in the 1980s, and the two formed a personal bond after all of their battles together. Johnson surprised Bird by revealing he was wearing Celtics gear at Bird's 1993 jersey retirement ceremony.
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He was the 1992 NBA All-Star Game MVP
Despite the fact that Johnson had announced his retirement, fans voted him in as a starter in the 1992 All-Star Game. Magic did not disappoint, scoring a game-high 25 points and hitting a last-second three-pointer that was the defining feel-good moment of the NBA season.
He was (briefly) head coach of the Lakers
Magic coached the Lakers at the end of the 1994 season at the urging of then-owner Jerry Buss, but the team finished the season with a 5-11 record with him at the helm.
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He became a minority owner of the Lakers
Following his brief coaching stint, Magic decided that ownership would be a better gig than coaching. He purchased a 5 percent share of the Lakers for $10 million in the summer of 1994 and held it until 2010.
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He made a comeback as a player
After sitting out for four seasons, Johnson made a comeback with the Lakers in the 1995-96 season at age 36. He appeared in 32 regular-season games and averaged 14.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 29.9 minutes per contest. He even put up one triple-double.
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He started a record label
The label, initially called Magic 32 Records, was renamed Magic Johnson Music when Johnson signed a joint venture with MCA in 2000. Magic Johnson Music signed R&B artist Avant as its first act.
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He created his own pre-paid MasterCard
Magic turned his attention to business once his playing days were finished, and one of his initiatives was creating the Magic Card, which was aimed at helping low-income folks save money and participate in e-commerce.
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He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002
Johnson was a five-time NBA champion, a 12-time All-Star and a three-time league MVP — not to mention an NCAA champion at Michigan State. His Hall of Fame credentials speak for themselves, and he was officially given the honor in 2002.
He purchased 125 Starbucks stores
Magic convinced the owner of Starbucks that the franchise could be a success in urban communities and backed up that assertion by purchasing 125 stores. He ended his successful 12-year partnership with the company in 2010.
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He owned a chain of movie theaters
Magic had a diverse investment strategy, and one of his choices was the movie theater business. According to Wikipedia, he sold Magic Johnson Theaters to Loews Cineples Entertainment in 2004, and the first Magic Johnson Theater located in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza closed in 2010 and re-opened under a different name the following year.
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He was a late night talk show host
“The Magic Hour” debuted in 1998 but was canceled after just two months because of low ratings.
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He was part of an ownership group that bought the Dodgers
Magic led an ownership group that purchased the L.A. Dodgers for a reported $2 billion in 2012 and still runs the team today.
He's a motivational speaker
Magic has had such an incredible career after basketball that he's available to businesses as a motivational speaker. How could you not be motivated by Magic Johnson?
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He worked for NBC, TNT and ESPN as an NBA analyst
Johnson the player seemed to be much more in tune with the game than Magic Johnson the analyst, but he spent several years working for both TNT and ESPN nonetheless.
He played basketball with President Obama
Magic was part of the group that got to hoop with Barack Obama around the President's 49th birthday back in 2010.
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He is a part owner of L.A.'s new MLS team
If there's an opportunity to be involved in L.A. sports, Johnson is usually all-in. He helped break ground on the soccer team's new stadium back in August.
He started the Magic Johnson Foundation
The Magic Johnson Foundation was started in 1991 “to fight HIV/AIDS through grantmaking.”
“The Foundation, founded by Earvin 'Magic' Johnson in 1991, works to develop programs and support community-based organizations that address the educational, health and social needs of ethnically diverse, urban communities,” according to its website.
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He's an investor in an eSports team
Video games are becoming big business, and eSports are becoming a real thing. Magic is on the bandwagon early as an investor for aXiomatic eSports, the ownership company of Team Liquid.
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He is an owner of the WNBA's L.A. Sparks
Magic was involved in the purchase of the Sparks in 2014 and celebrated their 2016 title with the team as one of its owners.
He spoke at the United Nations on World AIDS Day
Johnson has been an activist in the HIV community ever since being diagnosed with the disease. In addition to his philanthropic efforts, he was the main speaker for the United Nations World AIDS Day Conference in 1999.
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He was named one of the NBA's 50 greatest players
At the 1997 All-Star Game, Johnson was included in the group of players named as the 50 greatest in NBA history.
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He's become a Twitter legend
Magic Johnson's straightforward NBA analysis hasn't exactly been a hit with the folks on Twitter, but he keeps at it nonetheless. Johnson continues to tweet things that seem painfully obvious, which makes him a must-follow for the unintentional comedy he brings to the timeline.
He introduced Kobe Bryant in his final NBA game
Bryant went out with a legendary 60-point performance in his final NBA game last April, and Magic got things started by introducing one of the greatest players of the modern era to the faithful fans in attendance.
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He seems to have beaten the disease
We're not doctors, obviously, but the fact that Magic has accomplished so much in his life since receiving his initial HIV diagnosis 25 years ago leads us to believe he's managed to overcome the odds.
