By AJ Cadman
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
It all began with a parents’ gift to their son. Now the son is doing a little giving of his own.
A young Earvin “Magic” Johnson once received a basketball on his birthday and hasn’t picked up his dribble since.
From a Michigan state championship as a senior at Everett High, to an NCAA title two years later at Michigan State, to five NBA world championships as the ringmaster of the Showtime Lakers, Magic continues to make an impact – just not only on the basketball court this time, but on the world as a whole.
“June Bug,” as the Lansing, Mich. neighbors native was known as a child, is still active on the court and in the community. Magic will be 41 on Aug. 14, and with seemingly unconquerable barriers behind him, the 11-time NBA All-Star is flourishing in multiple business ventures that positively impact the community.
“Business ventures must have a redeeming social value,” Johnson said in a statement. Thus, the Johnson Development Corporation, Magic’s recently formed real estate firm, devotes its time and financial resources toward reshaping urban shopping centers. The company brings employment opportunities and sparks economic growth to run-down areas.
“He’s so into the company and he really has a passion for what we do together,” said Kawanna Myers Brown, Senior Vice President of the Magic Johnson Foundation. “He’s not just a name on marquee – he’s in the office everyday. He takes pride in what he does and in the company.”
Magic also inspires others to do the same.
“He pushes employees to strive hard and work hard,” Brown added. “He’s the best boss in the world.”
His well-publicized Magic Johnson Theatres, in partnership with Sony Retail Entertainment, have opened state-of-the-art multiplex screens in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Houston. Others are planned for New York, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, New Orleans, San Diego and Washington, D.C. His focus, once again, is on the inner-city, and opening employment opportunities for inner-city youth.
After Johnson’s Nov. 7, 1991 retirement from basketball, when he announced that he tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, Magic displayed his private life to the public to show that this disease can afflict even the most high-profile figures. He forced the world to come to terms with HIV and AIDS and his openness made the public more aware of the value of finding a cure and education toward prevention.
Enter the Magic Johnson Foundation.
It started with inner-city driven programs aimed toward health education and has spawned several other educational and social programs to help the local community. The Foundation as donated $10 million toward HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness, including funds for the development of care facilities in impoverished parts of the world such as Argentina and Brazil.
Most recently, Magic has corralled his team at the Foundation toward programs to help disadvantaged youth with playing for college.
The Taylor Michaels Scholarship, for which funds are raised at the “A Midsummer Night’s Magic” events from Aug. 4-6, was started in 1998 and has been awarded to 44 students since its inception.
The scholarship was named after the former chief operating officer at Magic Johnson Enterprises, who passed away two years ago from cancer. Her dream was to create a fund for inner-city youth to pursue higher education.
“(The Taylor Michael’s Program) provides support for deserving inner-city high school students who exemplify a strong potential for academic achievement but face social-economic conditions that hinder them from reaching their full potential,” Johnson said in a statement.
“He plays a very active role,” Brown said of Magic. “Everything that we do is because of him – his ideas, his vision, his mission.”
A prospective applicant must hold at least a 2.5 grade point average and must come from the inner city area of Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, Cleveland or New York.
“We look for students who have overcome obstacles,” Brown said.
“That’s the key to our scholarship program. We look for students who may have fallen through the cracks of other scholarships or who may have been overlooked.”
Estella Serrano, who graduated from Manual Arts High School in South Central, was one of last year’s recipients of a $2000 grant. As she enters her sophomore year at Berkeley she will receive another $2000.
Serrano said that there is a unique difference with what the Magic Johnson Foundation offers its scholarship recipients, including offering her an internship at the Foundation
“The best thing about this scholarship is the support,” Serrano said. “I have won other scholarships where they said, ‘Yeah, we’re going to keep in touch with you and give you a job later.’ They made all these promises, but the Foundation was the only one that would e-mail and call me and ask, ‘How are your classes?’”
This personalized treatment is one of the goals of the Foundation.
“(Magic) meets with every scholarship recipient,” Brown said. “It’s a chance for him to get to know them, and for them to get to know him. He wants them to realize that Magic Johnson is not just a name; he cares about the kids he gives scholarships to.”
In addition, winners of the Taylor Michaels Scholarship are paired with a mentor to monitor their progress and provide any assistance needed.
“The mentorship component is very important,” said Taniya Luckett, assistant to the Vice President of the Foundation. “They keep in close contact with their mentees throughout the school year. They offer advice, tutor and give them someone to talk to.”
In a way, the world now sees a different Magic from the one it watched during his playing days.
For those people whose lives he touches, Magic’s on-court heroics are a thing of the past and the off-court ones will always remain.
With contributions from Pauline Vu and Christina Teller, Daily Bruin Senior Staff.
KEY PLAYERS TO BE FEATURED IN THE ALL-STAR CHARITY GAME Baron Davis (Charlotte Hornets) - Returning to Pauley Pavilion for the first time since 1999, when he was drafted by Charlotte in the first round as the No. 3 pick. Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers) - Known as the Answer in the backcourt, he is also the NBA's second leading scorer at 28.4 points per game. Bryon Russel (Utah Jazz> - The small forward was 39.6 percent from beyond the three-point line last season. Gary Payton (Seattle Supersonics) - Known as The Glove, he is a perennial member of the league's All-Defensive Team. Last season he averaged 24.22 ppg (seventh in NBA) and 8.9 assists (fourth). Shawn Kemp (Cleveland Cavaliers) - He averaged 17.8 ppg and 8.8 rebounds per game. Steve Francis (Houston Rockets) - With an 18.0 ppg average, look for a constant one-on-one battle between Iverson and Doctor Francis, as he's known in his Reebok commercials. Joe Smith (Minnesota Timberwolves) - He had a 46.4 field goal percentage last season. Nick Van Exel (Denver Nuggets) - Known as Nick the Quick, he averaged 16.1 ppg and 9.0 assists per game (sixth in the NBA). Cedrick Ceballos (Dallas Mavericks) - The former Laker fan favorite helped lead the Dallas Mavericks to a league-best 9-1 record at the end of the regular season. Antoine Walker (Boston Celtics) - He averaged 20.5 ppg and 8.0 rpg last season. Ricky Davis (Charlotte Hornets) - He finished fourth in the recent All-star slam dunk competition. Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) - The former Westchester High and Kansas Jayhawk standout will return to Los Angeles after a strong rookie season in Boston, where he averaged 19.55 ppg and 35 minutes a contest. Nick Anderson (Sacramento Kings) - The forward was ninth in the league three-pointers made. SOURCE: NBA.com
Original graphic by CONNIE WU/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Web adaptation by CHRISTINE TAN