"God blessed us when the test results came back on her and the baby that she didn't have HIV and the baby didn't either," Johnson says. "A cocktail, once a day," he said. Magic returned for the 1992 Olympic gold medal winning Dream Team, as well as another season for the Los Angeles Lakers for the 1995-96 team. I've been in nine [NBA] Finals, so I know pressure. Relationships. Hall of Famer Magic Johnson is one of the most famous basketball players to ever play in the NBA. Cookie Johnson is an entrepreneur, author, philanthropist, and clothing designer. Lets just hope we get this one right, in the black and brown community, because we never really got HIV and Aids right.. But he still longed for the game of basketball, and his first retirement would not last long. His wife has also recently learned she was. He had a passion for basketball and would start practicing as early as 7:30 a.m. At Everett High School, Johnson earned his famous nickname, "Magic," after a sportswriter witnessed him compile 36 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists in a single game. All About Susan Benedetto, Serena Williams Shares Her Reaction to Will Smith's Oscars Slap: 'We're All Imperfect', Gayle King Goes from Getting a Colonoscopy to Watching Drake at the Apollo Theater, LeBron James Becomes Second NBA Player in History to Score 38,000 Points as He Closes in on All-Time Record. It was like we were old friends, she continued. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. This was the Showtime era when the Lakers reignited the NBA with a brand of fast-paced, flamboyant ball play that won them five championships. The soul comes from her [Cookie]. So, are they still in touch? He created Magic Johnson Enterprises, which has a variety of holdings. The retired NBA legend and his wife have created a legacy of love, philanthropy, business success, and advocacy that has made them household names. No matter where you turned, whether I was coached by one, whether they owned the team I played for, or the partnerships I was trying to create in business everywhere you turned, it was somebody white in charge.. Cookie Johnson and Magic Johnson got married in 1991 in Lansing, Michigan, just 45 days before Magic was diagnosed with HIV. Help us understand, you know, "Look Earvin, you're gonna have to take a lot of meds, but it's about your attitude, your mindset. "We both fell on our knees and we started crying.". In 1991, the 13-season Los Angeles Lakers star married his wife, Cookie, who gave birth to their son EJ Johnson soon after. "And that just broke her heart. The couple live in Beverly Hills with their family. Then I said, 'Are you kidding me? At the centre was Johnson, the tallest point guard in NBA history (2.06 metres; 6ft 9ins), whose adaptability, court vision and creativity fundamentally transformed the position. In the above clip from "Oprah's Next Chapter," Johnson remembers that fateful day. Cookie serves on the organizations board of directors. When Johnson first heard the news, he was "devastated," he said. Magic Johnson relationship list. And then, finally, the results came in and what they told me was that if the mother is negative, then the baby is automatically negative. This time, however, L.A. was defeated by Philadelphia, losing four consecutive games to the 76ers and winning none during the series. Todd Williamson/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images, receiving the diagnosis that he was HIV positive. In this post, were taking a look at Magic Johnsons wife, Cookie Johnson. Venice is absolutely beautiful and we enjoyed touring the city by water taxi! In 1991, he announced that he had tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Standing at 6 feet 9 inches tall, he made for an impressive point guard. His wife has also recently learned she was pregnant. ", In a 2021 interview with Gayle King on CBS, he explained how his decision and diagnosis weighed on his relationship with Cookie. He was called back home from a pre-season game in Utah, so that Lakers team physician Dr. Michael Mellman could deliver the news in person. It was a seismic moment, not only in the history of basketball, but in the continuing war on HIV and Aids, as an athlete of Johnsons stature vowed in public to raise awareness about the virus. '", "You were on the floor yourself, I heard, for two hours," Oprah says. Johnson met Cookie while she was working as a flight attendant for American Airlines. All Rights Reserved. The couple, who met as students at Michigan State University in the 1970s, had married about a month before his diagnosis and they had just learned about her pregnancy. "It was hard because I loved her so much and I hated to hurt her," he said. For Johnson, seeing Fauci speak about a new epidemic while reflecting on the HIV crisis of the 1980s has been sobering the racial disparities in American healthcare are stark. They calmed me down, because I was thinking I was going to die, he says. Magic Johnson and Cookie Johnson have been a much-lauded couple for many years, and their story is worth being inspired by. [protected-iframe id=d38edc4e43748d8b05dc4bf57f6176c2-62957618-114657895 info=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/32545640 width=420 height=245], Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy. But Cookie came home one day and said something that "changed my life," Johnson said. The lights came up and I happen to be walking by where he was sitting and I said it was nice to meet you. On November 7th, 1991, Earvin "Magic" Johnson sent shockwaves through the basketball community and the world when he announced his abrupt retirement from basketball due to contracting HIV. The announcement, 20 years ago today, came as a shock: "Because of the HIV virus I have obtained, I will have to retire today from the Lakers," Earvin "Magic" Johnson, with his wife Cookie . I hope we can turn a corner. Magic and Cookie Johnson may have one of the longest-lasting relationships in Hollywood. "And then the worst thing was Cookie was pregnant with E.J. The Man Behind the First All-Black Basketball Team. And I was very upset at the backlash 'cause I just played with a lot of the guys who didn't want me to come back," Johnson said. I mean, it was very early on.. The Lakers, however, took down the Celtics the following year in the Finals. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. And the medical experts Dr David Ho and Dr Anthony Fauci assured him that he could go on to live a healthy life. No. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. Video related to cookie johnson, magics wife: 5 fast facts you need to know. Ever since the day I laid eyes on you in 1978 I knew you were the one for me. [Cookie and I] had a difficult conversation. I think we both gotta give Elizabeth Glaser a lot of credit for our strength in helping us to really understand what we had to go through as a family and then myself, what I had to go through, Magic said. I told you and my parents after three months of dating that you were going to be the one I was going to marry, Magic recalled in a 2019 Instagram post. And that trumped everything," she told CBS News. A lot of people are afraid to hug and kiss those with HIV or AIDS because theyre afraid theyre going to get it. Everything Ive done in my lifetime after that involved whites. The couple never kept it secret that their son, Earvin Johnson III, who goes by E.J., is gay, but Cookie and Magic Johnson explained how they came to terms with it. That year Johnson also averaged a career-best 23.9 points per game, resulting in his first regular-season NBA MVP awardan honor he would receive again in 1989 and 1990. And they didn't have to worry about trying to test the baby because, really, I mean, he hadn't really formed yet, actually. During an appearance on CBS Mornings, Magic. He dreamed of the NBA from a young age. You need to get up and figure that out.'". Maybe I should look at playing one more time," Johnson said, noting that he wanted to "end it the right way. He would sit on the couch and watch the Lakers play, thinking, "I should be there," he recalls. And what does this mean, of course. Fortunately, both his wife and their son, Earvin III, tested negative for HIV. Its really sad. February 18, 2022, 10:40 AM. Johnson grew up in the midwestern city of Lansing, the state capital of Michigan. She has always been a woman of charitable interests. "That was a difficult day.". The Magic Johnson and Cookie Johnson story is a testament to love, dedication, and commitment to bettering themselves and their community. Among them was the 1979 NBA Draft first overall pick, Irvin "Magic" Johnson. Cause he never said anything to me the entire night, she explained. 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He wanted to own his own NBA franchise and had harboured a desire to make and create wealth from a young age. When the Lakers would travel to Boston, Johnson recalls, some Black residents of the city would approach him and say they were backing the Lakers over their local team. His most virulent experiences with racism during childhood, however, came on trips down south to visit his grandparents in Mississippi. Updated by the minute, our Dallas Cowboys NFL Tracker: News and views and moves inside The Star and around the league . How long have Magic Johnson and Cookie Johnson been Married. He had always expected to go to his local high school on the citys west side with its renowned basketball team. In a 2013 interview with Oprah Winfrey, the couple said that they are still madly in love with each other and are soul mates. "And I didn't want people to treat us like we were lepers. For the second time in his pro career, the Lakers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers for the championship title. But instead, he was among Lansings first students to be bussed across the city to a majority white high school, Everett, on the south side. The couple has three children together: Andre, EJ, and Elisa. He was supported by his family in his decision to come out publicly. Magic Johnson Wife . Magic Johnson news, gossip, photos of Magic Johnson, biography, Magic Johnson girlfriend list 2023. It empowers our community now these kids dream that they can become not only a basketball player or a football player, but they can become a businessman. He had married his long-time girlfriend Cookie in September of that year and they were expecting a baby. ", During the ride home, Johnson says he thought about how he would break the devastating news to her. And that trumped everything.". Thirty years on, he discusses his relationship with Anthony Fauci, the meaning of money and why hes still optimistic. The Spartans proved victorious, and the Johnson-Bird rivalry would follow the players to their days with the NBA. At the time, he was a big man on campus, and all of the girls in her dorm room were peering out of their windows waiting for him to pick her up. "Yeah, I got cut. Instead, they went to a steak house. Magic Johnsons Son E.J. So we had a lot of conversations and a lot of long walks.". Much of his efforts have focused on developing urban areas, bringing Starbucks coffee franchises and movie theaters into underserved communities. He believed he contracted the disease through unprotected sexual activity. At the "They Call Me Magic" premiere, the NBA legend told Access Hollywood about how he. she said. You know, he was changing the world. He taught him the art of aggressive, fast-paced basketball, and how to read the game. He has a combination of both of us, Magic said. Im not a go-back person. Today, sitting in his offices in California, in a brown executive chair, that famous, dimpled smile beaming down the camera over Zoom, Johnson finds it hard to fathom that this year marks three decades since his diagnosis. My goal is to go out across the country and speak to over 1,000 women; to educate them and to empower them, Cookie told Matt Lauer in the 2007 interview. Mellman told him he had a chance to live for a long time with all the new drugs that were being developed, Johnson said. It was Nov. 7, 1991, when Los Angeles Lakers star player Earvin "Magic" Johnson publicly announced his diagnosis and sent shock waves across the nation. We have a good time., The couple also enjoys spending time at their beach house together. It was partly realising the publics general ignorance about the virus that spurred him into a career of advocacy work. We go to the movies. Magic Johnson's parents, Earl and Christine Johnson, were both African American. When Magic retired from the NBA, he became a spokesperson for HIV/AIDS prevention. When Johnson broke the news to her, Cookie knew it was "probably through sexual contact," since he hadn't had any blood transfusions, but she was worried about something else. There they faced off against the Indiana State Sycamores. Magic Johnson has been living with HIV for nearly 0 years and thanks to advances in medical science the disease is now more manageable than it was when he first revealed his diagnosis. Earletha Cookie Johnson was born on January 20, 1959, in Alabama. Her fathers name is Earl and her mothers name is Cora. She said, I couldnt find jeans to fit my body type. She educated parents and caregivers on the importance of immunizing children in urban areas against various viruses. Johnson continued to play in college for Michigan State University. E.J. The Johnsons adopted their daughter, Elisa, when she was three days old. That's not the man I married,'" she recalls telling him. A post shared by Earvin "Magic" Johnson (@magicjohnson) on Sep 3, 2016 at 9:28am PDT, Essence wrote that Magic organized a black tie affair on the Yacht Club de Monaco with over 100 of their famous friends to honor their special day., Having birthday lunch with family is always special #Blessed #FamilyIsEverything #Grateful, A post shared by Cookie Johnson (@thecookiej) on Jan 20, 2017 at 1:46pm PST. Her brand is sold in over 500 specialty stores in the United States. Aged 15, and with his talent being noticed locally, Johnson faced one of the first big crossroads in his life. We met in college as freshmen [at Michigan State]. Johnson won the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award for his efforts in leading the Lakers to a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, winning four of six games in the championship series. Cookie recounted her exact emotions when Magic told her in a 2016 interview with Good Morning America. Are we where were supposed to be? The couple have worked together to promote awareness of the disease, they told Haute Living.
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