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Earvin (Magic) Johnson

by Denis from Glendale

Mgaic Johnson (michaelemilio.com)
Mgaic Johnson (michaelemilio.com)

Everyone has their own hero, their mom, their dad, or people they have just seen or heard of. My hero is one of those people who I have only seen. He is Earvin “Magic” Johnson. He is one of the greatest basketball players of all time, he has HIV, and has even started his own organizations to help others with HIV and AIDS.

Magic Johnson wanted to be a TV commentator when he first went to college. That dream soon changed when he became the starting point guard for Michigan State. Magic won then NCAA championship two times in a row and was even voted Most Outstanding Player of the year. After two years of college Magic got drafted into the Los Angeles Lakers and teamed up with the amazing Kareem-Abdul Jabbar. His first year in the NBA he got in to the NBA All-Star rookie team as a starter. The next season Magic won the championship against Philadelphia and was the first rookie to ever get Finals MVP. Johnson had won many championship and even got MVP 4 times and wasn’t expected to stop until he discovered he was HIV positive in 1991.

When Magic found out he had HIV he immediately wanted to retire. He had said “I want to dedicate my life to fight this deadly disease”. Some people started to think that Magic was homosexual because homosexuality was one of the greatest risks for HIV but he denied it. Magic also had to follow many steps to make sure his HIV didn’t become AID’s. Magic had to take daily combination of pills. Even though Magic gave up on his career due to taking all the medicines and other health issues his fans didn't, despite the fact he had retired they had voted him to be in the all-star games. Many people thought it was dangerous for him to play but he still did. He also participated in the Olympics and he used the chances to play as an opportunity for him to inspire HIV positive people and that is what inspired the next chapter of his life.

After inspiring many people who are HIV positive, he decided to start the Magic Johnson Foundation. The foundation started off helping HIV patients but later became a foundation for other charitable goals. He was also the spokesperson for the United States World AID’s Day. This also made Magic the United States Messenger of Peace in 1999.

Magic Johnson has inspired me in many ways such as the way I should play basketball and the way I should help my community. When he found out he had a disease, he didn’t just sit down at his home and do nothing; he tried to help others with the same disease he was fighting. This showed me to never stop helping others no matter what. He is known by most for outstanding basketball skills but he is known to me as a person with a big-heart and will never stop helping.

Page created on 1/16/2011 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 7/8/2020 6:38:31 AM

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