HWOF

Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is a retired American professional basketball player who was a point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). 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 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 to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time.

Since retiring from the NBA, Magic Johnson has become a successful businessman and one of his business ventures including the Magic Johnson Theatres launched in 1994 by Johnson Development Corporation and Sony Pictures Entertainment through a partnership with Sony-Loews Theatres. Currently the chain is owned by AMC Theatres after Sony-Loews was acquired by the cinema giant in 2005. The focus of Magic Johnson Theatres is to offer first-rate multiplexes in urban communities, bringing high quality facilities and technology, as well as job development and encouraging local economic growth. While Magic Johnson Theatres are patterned after the Loews Cineplex Entertainment model, they retain the Magic Johnson name and focus on urban markets. Earvin Magic Johnson is chairman of Magic Johnson Theatres and is actively involved in the management committee, strategic planning, operations and public relations.

• Date of birth: August 14, 1959 (age 52)
• Place of birth: Lansing, Michigan
• High school: Everett (Lansing, Michigan)
• Listed height: 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
• Listed weight: 255 lb (116 kg)
• College: Michigan State (1977–1979)
• NBA Draft: 1979 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
• Pro career: 1979–1996
• Points: 17,707 (19.5 ppg)
• Rebounds: 6,559 (7.2 rpg)
• Assists: 10,141 (11.2 apg)

Read more about Earvin Magic Johnson at Wikipedia or at the Internet Movie Database