Free Magic Johnson's Contribution to Society Essay Sample
Magic Johnson was born to Earvin Sr. in the year 1959 in the month of August. His name was Earvin Johnson at the time of birth. The name later vanished with time when a newspaper reporter commented of his magic goal scoring ability. His name has remained Magic Johnson to date. He was the ninth child in the family. His father was a mechanic in a local workshop ran by general motors. Johnson’s mother was a custodian in a local school. Magic Johnson started manifesting his love for basket ball right from his early years. He played basketball on his way to the shop and on all occasions. As a child, his parents respected his great love for basket ball and even encouraged him in various ways.
Magic Johnson lived in a family of twelve. They were nine sons and one daughter to the general motors mechanic. He is the only child who ventured into basketball as a career. All the other siblings might have looked down upon the sports. Analysts say that basketball only became interesting with the entry of Magic Johnson and his key rival Larry Bird. The entrance of these tow key figures ignited great passion and following of the NBA events in America. The two joined NBA at a time when many people were not so interested in the game.
The great basket balers of then included Earl Monroe and Haynes. These two legends greatly inspired Magic Johnson to the extent that he started idolizing them (Johnson 38). He would pose as Earl of Haynes. His crave for their successes worked well to inspire him into excellence. Magic Johnson is said to have practiced basketball every day of his live. He would dribble the ball to all places wherever he went. Magic Johnson got chance to study at Everett high school from the year 1974. During his days in the high school, he enrolled into the school basket ball and played with great passion. A newspaper reporter was thrilled at the intensity at which Johnson was scoring points during one of the high school tournaments. At is at this point that Johnson was first nicknamed Magic Johnson. This has remained his most famous name combination to date.
High school life
Magic Johnson joined Everett high school in the year 1974. He soon joined the basket ball team that played for the school. Lansing basketball team soon streamed into great victory under the leadership of Magic Johnson. Fred Stabley is the newspaper reporter who first pronounced the name “magic” upon witnessing the stream of points from Magic Johnson. In one of the games played during his high school days, Magic Johnson’s team scored 27 to 1 against their rivals in the state finals. Magic Johnson high school team soon started appearing for national championship as a result of Johnson’s inspiration. He was the top scorer in most of the championships. He started wining the man of the match awards right from his days in Everett high school.
University education
Magic Johnson enrolled in Michigan State University to study communications. He had initially hoped to work as a commentator rather than an athlete. Soon after finalizing the high school education, Magic Johnson was confronted with a tough time of choosing his place of study. May colleges and universities listed him in the admissions list majorly because of his rising star in the field of basket ball. He opted to register in a school closer to his home place. He also considered the great wealth of talent already playing at Michigan state university.
Life at Michigan state university was full of sports. Magic Johnson had an opportunity to play with students who were later to become great draftees. Some of the names include Jay Vincent ad Greg. Magic Johnson had initially focused on his studies to a great deal. He was determined to graduate with honors in communication studies and later work as a sports commentator. Basketball later dominated his live at Michigan state university to a great extent. Magic Johnson average score was seventeen points, eight rebounds and seven assists for every game he played during his university days. His university team was called the Spartans. During his days in Michigan state university, Magic Johnson led toe Spartans into various victories. One notable event took place in 1978 when his team won the big ten conference championship. Magic Johnson was the best player in the tournament. During the same tournaments, the Spartans rose to the semi final stage where they narrowly lost the Kentucky side. This was a highly contested match.
Life at Michigan State University was full of adventure. Magic Johnson was crowned the best player and the man of the match on many occasions. One notable event took place during the NCAA tournaments of 1978 to 1979 championships (Schwabacher 68). Magic Johnson team came head on to the Indiana university side which was equally excellent in form. The Indiana University side was led by Larry Bird who later became the greatest rival of Magic Johnson in history. The rivalry that began in the university was later to find its way into the NBA championships. History has it that this twin rivalry is likely to have light fire upon the NBA championship. The once very low and cool NBA games later became vibrant and famous as a result of the hot rivalry between these two players.
NBA superstar
Magic Johnson was accepted into the Los Angeles Lakers side of the NBA championships. Soon after finishing his two years in college, he joined the Lakers in 1979. He had intended to finish his communication course but opted to drop out and join professional basketball. He was ranked first in his team during the rookie season. Magic Johnson was very influential during his days in the Lakers. His decisions were always respected. There is one notable time when he insisted that a Lakers coach be fired and the same desire was implemented. This instant just reveals his extent of influence. He however took all the credit because the same moment of firing brought them victory. This greatly vindicated him. He liked to play among big names. One notable star during their time was Kareem Abdul. Abdul became the greatest scorer in NBA history. The two players created a great rhyme at Lakers. Abdul played in the center position.
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The entry of Magic Johnson into the Lakers team brought a big difference. The Lakers soon started their journey into stardom. Magic Johnson assisted his Lakers team to win many championships. This was his greatest moment of achievement. His average performance per team was excellent. He always scored 18 pointers per game. A pointer is a goal that is scored from a far away position. This kid of a score is normally done single handedly without any assistance and without any opposition. As a matter of fact, a pointer normally takes the opposing team by surprise. Magic Johnson continued his excellent performance. He always trained on many occasions in order to retain this good form.
Los Angeles Lakers beat Philadelphia in the year that followed Magic Johnson’s recruitment into the team. This kind of victory had never been seen at Lakers for a long time. The Lakers were to win many more championship after the 1980 win. Magic Johnson was so instrumental in the wins. Larry was also a player win one of the greatest teams in the NBA championships. The rivalry between Larry and Magic Johnson brought a great flavor to the once very dull NBA basketball championships. The NBA soon stated making great profits from the sale of tickets. The Celtics side was the main challenger of the Los Angeles Lakers. Larry who was the main rival to Magic Johnson played for the Celtic side.
The sad discovery
Magic Johnson rising star and zeal for basketball was soon cut short in 1991 when he discovered that he had the HIV virus! This came at a time when very few people had tested for this infection. The virus mainly associated with homosexuals. Magic Johnson however made a decision to go public about his condition (Gottfried 45). He was married at that time. His young wife was only a few months pregnant. Magic Johnson did not offer immediate explanations as to how he contracted the deadly virus. This lack of explanation however worked against him because people started spreading roamer that Magic Johnson could be a homosexual. He however denied these claims and affirmed that he was not a homosexual.
Magic Johnson later confessed that he contacted the HIV virus as a result of having unprotected sex. He confessed that he had kept for himself multiple sexual partners and this could have been the reason for his infections. He however regretted this situation and henceforth announced his resignation from active basketball. This decision to quite was informed for good purposes. He felt that he did not want to put his team mates at risk of infection. Magic Johnson therefore resigned from active basketball in the year 1991. He immediately set up a Magic Johnson foundation to carry put research into the HIV virus. He dedicated his time to speak to people about the virus and how people can avoid such infection.
Magic Johnson foundation
Magic Johnson initiated the foundation in the year 1991. This organization was formed with the main aim of carrying out education to communities and people on matters of health. He developed programs that were aimed at addressing various aspects of health with special target on HIV. This organization was aimed at reaching people of ethnic diversity in order to cub discrimination. Magic Johnson foundation had a great impact in the lives of people who were living in the urban communities. This program has greatly changed the lives of people in the minority groupings. These are people who were initially neglected and looked down upon.
The Magic Johnson foundation soon diversities into socio economic activities all geared towards helping the urban villages. Magic Johnson invited people from all walks of live to help support the events and activities of the foundation. He also created partnership with influential bodies like HP and cinema organizations which played a great role in airing activities of Magic Johnson foundation. The films worked well to spread information in an effective manner.
Many communities benefited from Magic Johnson foundation activities (MJ Foundation). The organization helped to create awareness on various issues of HIV acquisition and treatment. Various researches were also done to help establish the cure and treatment of the virus. The Magic Johnson foundation also embarked on motivational and mentorship programs that helped to raise many world leaders. He received many awards as a result of his involvement in the organization.
Magic Johnson also did a great job in public speaking. He participated in TV shows and forums all geared towards creating a positive image about people who live with HIV. Magic Johnson’s main intension was to help encourage the HIV infected persons. He wanted them to know that there is still hope beyond the infection. He knew pretty well that good diet and medication was essential to present the infection from spreading into the deadly Aids stage. His is still alive to date. he is still as healthy as any other person.