Johnson, Earvin (‘Magic’) (1959- )

US basketball player. From 1979 to 1996 he played for the Los Angeles Lakers, winners of the National Basketball Association (NBA) championship in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988. He was named the NBA's most valuable player in 1980, 1982, and 1987. He played in the victorious 1992 US Olympic basketball team in Barcelona, Spain.

Career highlights

NBA regular season scoring: 17,707 points (average 19.5); play-off scoring: 3,701 points (average 19.5); Most Valuable Player: 1987, 1989-90; Play-Offs Most Valuable Player: 1980, 1982, 1987

Olympic Games gold 1992

In 1991 he announced that he had contracted the HIV virus and would retire from basketball to devote his time to AIDS awareness and prevention programmes. He founded the Magic Johnson Foundation the same year to finance AIDS education, and the organization later expanded its remit to support inner-city communities. He came out of retirement in 1996 to play again for the LA Lakers but retired again shortly thereafter.

Johnson played for Michigan State University from 1977 to 1979, leading them to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship in 1979.