Magic Johnson

Imagine that you are one of the greatest basketball players on the face of the earth. You are chasing your sixth championship when you suddenly retire. This is what Magic Johnson had to go through when he announced that he had contracted HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Earvin Johnson Jr. was born in Lansing, Michigan, on August 14, 1959. His father, Earvin Sr., was a General Motors assembly worker and his mother, Christine, was a school custodian. In high school, Earvin was given the nickname Magic after recording a triple double, 10 or more rebounds, points and assists in a single game. Magic went on to play at Michigan State University for two seasons, winning a national championship over Indiana State and his long time friend, Larry Bird, in his second season. Johnson was drafted first overall to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979 and went on to win five championships and three Most Valuable Player awards.

In 1991, before his twelfth season in the NBA, Magic Johnson announced that he had contracted HIV. He immediately retired to preserve his health. Even though he ended his season early, Magic was still voted to be in the NBA all-star game that season. He played in spite of the virus and went on to come back and play basketball again. However, he could not be as successful as before he contracted the disease. Since his final retirement, Magic Johnson has worked in many ways to help the community. He held a charity event yearly for 20 years to support African-Americans trying to go to college. This event joined the Magic Johnson Foundation, which was founded in 1991. This organization helps fight HIV so that it does not progress to AIDS. Johnson served on committees to advise both the White House and the United Nations about HIV, but his cries for universal healthcare and expansion of Medicaid to cover low income people with HIV or AIDS went unheard. Magic went on to run many businesses and most notably, to buy part of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

Magic Johnson is my hero because of his athletic ability and how he made his life meaningful even after he could no longer compete in basketball. He is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He battled a deadly virus and survived. He founded a successful charity organization to help people less fortunate than him and he excelled in every aspect of life. Magic Johnson was an amazing basketball player, but more importantly, he is an amazing human being.