• Faith: Christian
• Career: Athlete
• Birthday:  August 15, 1959

Earvin "Magic" Johnson, born in Lansing, Michigan, is regarded as the greatest point guard in basketball of all time. He spent his entire career as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers and led them to five national championships. He was awarded three Most Valuable Player Awards, three NBA Finals MVPs, nine All-NBA First Team designations and 12 All-Star game selections. He also co-led the 1992 Olympics Men's Basketball team for the USA ("The Dream Team") to win gold medals.

Johnson led the league in regular-season assists four times and is the NBA all-time leader in average assists in regular seasons and the playoffs. He then retired, unretired for the All-Star Game in 1992, retired again, and returned to play in 1996, playing 32 games for the Lakers before retiring a third time.

In 1991, Johnson announced he had tested positive for HIV, being among the first celebrities to do so. Because of his announcement, he became a spokesperson and advocate for AIDS research and prevention. Johnson has been credited for taking AIDS from being primarily known to affect LGBT individuals to a disease that heterosexuals also suffer from. Johnson stated he wanted to combat the stereotypes around those infected with the disease.

In addition to his advocacy, Johnson also ventured into business as a motivational speaker and owner of Magic Johnson Productions, which included a theater chain and movie studio. In 2012, Johnson launched a television network called Aspire for black audiences.

In 1981, Magic Johnson welcomed his first son, Andre Johnson, with Melissa Mitchell. Although Andre was primarily raised by his mother, he spent summers with Johnson and later worked as a marketing director for Magic Johnson Enterprises.

In 1991, Johnson married Earlitha "Cookie" Kelly in an intimate ceremony in Lansing, Michigan, attended by close friends, including Isiah Thomas, Mark Aguirre, and Herb Williams. The couple has one son, Earvin III ("EJ"), who gained fame on the reality series Rich Kids of Beverly Hills. In 1995, they adopted their daughter, Elisa.

What religion is Magic Johnson?

Raised in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Johnson later joined the West Angeles Church of God in Christ, working on numerous projects with its longtime pastor, Bishop Charles Blake. The sports legend has said his Christian faith is the most important thing in his life, and in 1995, he donated $5 million for a new building for his church.

When promoting his AppleTV+ series "They Call Me Magic," he said, "God has truly blessed me to come through a lot of challenges in my life, especially when I think about HIV . . . God was always … there for me and helping me make the right decisions when I need to make tough decisions . . . He just blessed me with the best wife that a man could have in Cookie and our children and grandchildren. So I lean on my faith all the time," he said. "I will never stop doing that – loving the Lord, loving God. And I just thank Him every day for everything that He's blessed me with."

Reflecting on his 30-year journey with AIDS, Johnson posted on social media, "God has really blessed me! I thank the Lord for keeping me, giving me strength and guiding me for 62 years, but especially the last 30."

He attributed his faith and values to his mother, Christine Johnson: "My mother is everything. I'm a mama's boy. I love my mother to death – we're tight., we're close. She's a woman of huge faith. She's very involved in her church. And she raised us the same way – all the kids – to be involved in the church. And we're all involved in our different ways. She has always prayed for me and has always been there for me."