Magic is celebrating 50 years of life. Sure you will read all about Magic Johnson and how his real estate and business empire is worth over 1.5 billion dollars, you will read all about Magic and how he lifted the Lakers to the NBA title with Kareem in his rookie season, you will also read about how Magic had those magnificent battles with Larry Bird and the powerful Celtics, but what you may not read about is Lansing Michigan.

Magic and Bird first faced off in the NCAA finals

Earvin grew up in Lansing Michigan and attended Michigan State University at the same time as Kirk Gibson went there and at the same time your humble author was gaining his MSU degree. We knew even then that Magic was born for greatness and yet he always took time to be everyone’s friend. He is special beyond just magic and deserves every ounce of love that he gets from the Lansing area.

Magic still comes back to Michigan State Spartan basketball games every year to see Tom Izzo and all the Spartan fans that remember how Magic and Greg Kelser brought an NCAA title to Michigan State University.

Magic also played in Jenison field house, the home of the Spartans before they built the Breslin center, while he was in High School and drew over 11,000 fans, your humble author lucky enough to be one of them. The battle that day was between Jay Vincent, two time scoring champ at MSU, and Magic Johnson. Jay won the day that day, but Magic managed to beat him on the way to the Class A High School title that year.

Nobody knows how he does it, but Magic Johnson just seems to continue to draw the love everywhere he goes and he deserves it. It is hard to believe there are basketball players today with no memories of Magic playing basketball.

We’re into the second generation of his influence now, the players who grew up watching the players who grew up watching Magic, something that didn’t dawn on me until I asked 24-year-old Trevor Ariza about Johnson and he said, “Baron looks up to him a lot, and I look up to Baron.” The notion that there are adults without a direct recollection of Johnson in his prime is jarring to those of us who were around to see it. To Johnson, it’s actually reassuring, a sign of lasting impact, the closest thing to immortality.
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You see, Magic always did the little things and made them big, like passing to the open man instead of having to score. In his prime, everyone wanted to be a passing point guard. It did not stop there; he did the little things in all parts of his life. He used to come home from Los Angeles and advertise for the local Quality Dairy store where he worked as a kid. It is a small convenience store chain, but Magic never became too big to help them out.

Magic never became too big for anyone. He is always just Magic!

Image: Zuma Press

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Magic Johnson is always smiling

This is a world gone bonkers. Two conservative radio talk show hosts are accused of saying that Magic Johnson faked AIDS.

According to a partial transcript and audio clip posted on a media watchdog site, mediamatters.org, the remarks came after a caller asserted that health care isn’t a basic right. Perry responded by asking about treatable diseases that a person can live with for a long time “if you just get some basic drugs.”

Baker responded, “Like Magic Johnson?”

Perry replied, “Like Magic with his faked AIDS. Magic faked AIDS.”

Baker said, “You think Magic faked AIDS for sympathy?”

Perry replied, “I’m convinced that Magic faked AIDS.”

“Me too,” Baker said.

Johnson was diagnosed with HIV in 1991 and then retired from the NBA at 32.

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These guys are idiots. Magic has the HIV virus. He is extremely competitive and yet had to retire early from the NBA because of the virus. Earvin is now a very successful business man worth millions of dollars.

Magic is a huge hero at my school Michigan State University, where he led the team to an NCAA Basketball National Championship as a sophomore. There is a statue erected outside of the stadium of Magic. He is remembered in the area, because he grew up there and has family roots there. He has never forgotten where he is from.

He is an outspoken spokesperson in the battle against AIDS.

After announcing his infection, Johnson teamed up with his physician Dr. Lynn Montana to help educate the world’s youth about the risks associated with HIV.[14] Johnson also set up the Magic Johnson Foundation to help combat HIV,[75] although he later diversified the foundation to include other charitable goals.[76] In 1992, he joined the National Commission on AIDS, but left after only eight months, saying that the commission was not doing enough to combat the disease.[75] He was also the main speaker for the United Nations (UN) World AIDS Day Conference in 1999,[76] and he has served as a United Nations Messengers of Peace.
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Photo source Newscom

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