As we talk today, right now, Im thinking, Wow its been 30 years and Im still here, healthy. While theyve now been married for 30 years, Cookie has built an entire career on her own as well. The Magic Johnson and Cookie Johnson story is a testament to love, dedication, and commitment to bettering themselves and their community. Cookie was also pregnant at the time, which certainly scared her. It was referred to as "gay cancer" but that's because so little was understood about the disease. Magic Johnson news, gossip, photos of Magic Johnson, biography, Magic Johnson girlfriend list 2023. March 6, 2022 Todd Williamson/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images Magic and Cookie Johnson may have one of the longest-lasting relationships in Hollywood. She said, I couldnt find jeans to fit my body type. Earvin "Magic" Johnson dominated the court as one of the world's best basketball players for more than a decade. Magic Johnson Parents. Cookie is the first spokeswoman for the I Stand With Magic campaign with Magic Johnson where they continue to fight against HIV/AIDS. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. There were his teammates at the Los Angeles Lakers, who embraced him, and would go on to support him when he returned to play again, first as part of the 1992 Olympics dream team and then during another stint at the Lakers. Magic Johnson is rumoured to have hooked up with Kathleen Sullivan . The diagnosis was especially hard for Johnson. Magic was one of the most prominent basketball players in NBA history. Weve lost too many lives that we shouldnt have lost with both Aids and Covid-19 Johnson. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. This is just the start though. While Magic testing positive for HIV was devastating, its given Cookie a platform to make a difference. The soul comes from her [Cookie]. He finally retired for good that same year, leaving behind an impressive legacy. It was partly realising the publics general ignorance about the virus that spurred him into a career of advocacy work. He was called back home from a pre-season game in Utah, so that Lakers team physician Dr. Michael . 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. Racial dynamics also played a part in the way some viewed their opposition (Bird is white). Were finally starting to understand that. ", Cookie eventually went to the news conference wearing a white suit that she said symbolized "brightness" and "a future.". Cookie, our 30 year marriage has been the best time of my life, he wrote on Instagram. Part of HuffPost News. The wedding ceremony was two months before Magic announced to the world that he was infected with HIV. "I ended it the way I wanted it to end.". Magics departure from the NBA remains one of the most shocking moments in sports history. All rights reserved. He would sit on the couch and watch the Lakers play, thinking, "I should be there," he recalls. Thats the country. Back at home, the news tested the strength of their marriage. However, she was upset when he told her he'd understand if she wanted. Later, the couple also adopted a daughter, Elisa, in 1995, bringing Magic Johnson's kids total to two. 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. It was so funny because every girl on campus wanted to meet him, Cookie recalls of their first encounter. A. 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. 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. He specializes mainly in soccer, basketball, and baseball. So he never makes a quick decision. In. It frustrated me to try on every pair in the store and leave with nothing.. "It was like, 'Who is he calling? "At that time, people weren't educated. The wedding ceremony was two months before Magic announced to the world that he was infected with. She stands at 5 foot 6 inches. And I lost it. However, their separation only lasted two weeks. He started comparatively small, with a minor investment in the LA Lakers that has since ballooned into a large investment portfolio, centred around sport teams in Los Angeles. Even today, as were talking about it right now, I still cant believe all the events that happened within a year. I've been in championships. ", "I was just devastated because I thought I had did everything right," Johnson says. [Magic] was standing there by the doorway when I walked in with a friend of mine, she said. "Yes, because I was scared to death," he said. Wake up to the day's most important news. Elisa has mainly stayed away from the public and maintains a pleasant living. Had he grappled with his own mortality? How had he acquired the virus? At that time, in the 1970s, he idolised players such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, and Dave Bing, the Detroit Pistons point guard, who went on to become the citys mayor in 2009. Game-changer Clients wait for a free HIV test at a mobile testing centre as part of the I Stand with Magic programme in Los Angeles in 2006. went public with his sexual orientation in 2013 and owned his public debut as the news was picked up by entertainment sites. Johnson says he was sitting in a hotel in Utah, getting ready for an exhibition game when he got the call. But his professional career was also defined by a bitter rivalry with the Boston Celtics star player Larry Bird, who had been his competitor since college. The two were married in 1991 and have been together ever since. Magic Johnson relationship list. ET on OWN. It scared me to death, she said. Two decades later, Magic and Cookie are still married. We dont have to stay in touch with each other, thats not what we do, he says, describing a friendship forged in unique circumstances. "A cocktail, once a day," he said. Rumours swirl that Johnsons wealth now exceeds $1bn. I don't know who this is. "And what came out of the physical was, 'You have HIV. Cookie serves on the organizations board of directors. Cookie joined her husband on stage for his announcement along with a specially selected outfit. Cookie Johnson is 64 years of age. I plan on going on living for a long time, bugging you guys like I always have, he told reporters, his optimism surprising those who viewed his condition as a death sentence. Ultimately you want your child to be happy, she said. Theyve continued the tradition long into their marriage, making time for a date each Friday night. Magic and Cookie married in LA in September 1991. "Everything is great," he said. (@elisajohnson) on May 28, 2016 at 3:13pm PDT, EJ was a star on the reality TV show, Rich Kids of Beverly Hills.. When Did Magic Johnson Get Married. After college, she worked as a fashion buyer for several department stores before marrying Magic on September 14th, 1991. As a young girl I was proud because I thought my dad was a super hero, but as I got older I started to realize who he really was and it made me gain an even greater appreciation for him, she told CR Fashion Book in 2016. It was right in front of our faces, you couldnt miss it, Johnson says, laughing. I've been in nine [NBA] Finals, so I know pressure. His father would send his children in groups of three to use the bathroom at truck stops to watch each others backs. Please enter valid email address to continue. He then bought a small share of the team. The newlyweds had also just found out she was pregnant with their first child, E.J., now 24. He knows what he wants. Magic became a father in 1981 when his then-girlfriend, Melissa Mitchell, gave birth to a baby boy. He lights up describing the buzz of it. 2 Magic Johnson and wife, Cookie, have been married since 1991 Who is Magic Johnson's wife Cookie? It was because of her upbringing that she developed an interest in helping others. Johnson came out as gay to his family at the age of 17 and came out publicly in 2013 after a report by TMZ published pictures of him holding hands with a male friend. Cookie Johnson shares the story from her perspective in her new memoir, "Believing in Magic. And what does this mean, of course. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. She attended an all-black school called Council Training School and later graduated from Michigan State University in 1981 which is where she met Magic Johnson. uring his 1991 press conference Johnson also made clear that his aspirations in business meant he simply had to go on living. "It went from three times a day, now just once. Earlitha Cookie Kelly and Earvin Magic Johnson (Getty). He is also a published author. Please logout and login again. While promoting her memoir Believing In Magic in 2017, Cookie spoke to Mocha Man Style about the first time she met Magic. The late actor Elizabeth Glaser, who herself contracted HIV after receiving a contaminated blood transfusion, encouraged his public advocacy. However, she advanced her career and has become a force to reckon with. Thats who I am.. Standing at 6 feet 9 inches tall, he made for an impressive point guard. She wrote her booka few years back, which discusses her choice to stay by her husbands side during his HIV diagnosis instead of leaving. and Elisa. You couldn't hug people. There was, of course, his wife, Cookie - the love of his life, whom he had met at college and had recently married. I'm gonna stay here and help you live. It's OK. Magic and Cookie Johnson may have one of the longest-lasting relationships in Hollywood. Cookie serves as the Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Magic Johnson Foundation where she focuses on the health, social, and educational needs of those residing in underserved communities and is involved in the development of the Foundations programs, objectives, and goals. Steps Out in Public With New Boyfriend, Earlitha Kelly (Magic Johnson'un ei) Doum Y.: Doum T.: Ei: Magic Johnson (e. 1991)https://t.co/Or205EQKf5 pic.twitter.com/gz5H4jKPJ2, XKimdir (@xkimdircom) February 19, 2017, Cookie has become involved in various ventures in her life, one of which is a clothing line called CJ by Cookie Johnson., Cookies products largely include jeans because, as she wrote in her About Me on 6pm.com, she despaired over hte lakc of premium denim for women with a figure like hers. Showtime Johnson on court for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Boston Celtics at The Forum, LA, in 1988. We have a long way to go. I had to make sure that I was open-minded enough to ask a lot of questions, go get a lot of information from different people," he said. He had married his long-time girlfriend Cookie in September of that year and they were expecting a baby. 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. Magic Johnson Wife . He is bashful, however, when I ask about this and says only: Im happy Ive got a great life and that my kids are going to be fine.. Cookie had been pregnant when Magic broke the news to her, but both have since been given the all clear on a potential diagnoses. In her interview with Mocha Man Style, Cookie revealed how they maintain their spark. "Cookie, our 30 year marriage has been the best time of my life," he wrote. "I just sat her down and began to tell her that I had HIV," he says. Johnsons father didnt fly, so the family would drive 900 miles (1,450km) on a two-day trip. "I don't know what would have happened if I'd have got that news that she had HIV as well. In 1991, the 13-season Los Angeles Lakers star married his wife, Cookie, who gave birth to their son EJ Johnson soon after. On September 14, 2021, Magic Johnson and Cookie Johnson celebrated their 30-year wedding anniversary. 10 Things You Might Not Know About Jimmy Butler, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Magic Johnson, Birth Year: 1959, Birth date: August 14, 1959, Birth State: Michigan, Birth City: Lansing, Birth Country: United States. I hope we can turn a corner. Thats what made Showtime.. Jun 10, 2014, 02:02 PM EDT | Updated Dec 6, 2017. Magic continued to go all out, dedicating three posts to her with a gallery of images of them from over the years. The 63-year-old American basketball player is married to Cookie Johnson. "'I'm looking at you like this sitting on this couch. And I didn't want people to treat us like we were lepers," she told King. Yet despite the rivalry, Johnson and Bird eventually became close friends, so the story goes, after Birds mother cooked Johnson lunch during the filming of a 1985 Converse shoe advert starring them both. Theres no way hes going to pick me over all these other women.. ", During the ride home, Johnson says he thought about how he would break the devastating news to her. High times as guard for Michigan State, Johnson cuts down the net after winning a championship game in Salt Lake City in 1979. We get popcorn. And that's what we did.". That kind of got to me, because it had been boiling, boiling, boiling, boiling anyway. The Celtics beat the Lakers in a tight competitionfour games to threefor the 1984 championship. reality series Rich Kids of Beverly Hills as well as his own spinoff EJNYC in the 2010s. But there was no greater pressure than driving home to tell her." Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Advertisement Lakers champion Magic Johnson found a brilliant woman, Cookie, to call his own in 1991. Trump asks for mistrial in E. 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Zooey Zephyr disciplined by GOP-controlled state House, GOP lawmakers seek "disciplinary consequences" for Montana transgender lawmaker. He was so full of life. We always went to the movies once a week, she said. Johnson explored other options after leaving basketball. There are so many misconceptions out there, and because of that, it has caused so much discrimination. And so everything is great. Magic Johnson's rivalry with fellow basketball legend Larry Bird began when the two attended college and lasted throughout their time in the NBA. Johnson went on to attack the HIV stigma with the same passion he displayed on the court, launching the Magic Johnson Foundation to raise awareness about the virus, then pushing Congress and the White House to spend money to fight the disease. ohnson grew up in the midwestern city of Lansing, the state capital of Michigan. Johnson was instrumental in bringing LeBron James to the Lakers in 2018, and part of his pitch to James was that James would be able to use the city as a base to further his business interests, which now include his own media company and investments in sports clubs, including Liverpool Football Club. I mean, I had just found out I was pregnant so it was really early in the pregnancy," she said. 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. . "He said, 'If you want to leave, you know, I don't blame you. They met at a party in their freshman year at Michigan State in 1977. Cookie was previously a college basketball player and later became a successful businesswoman. He ended up retiring again before returning to the sport he loved one more time in 1996. Tensions were also felt on the basketball court: Johnson recalls, in his 1992 autobiography, My Life, that some of his white teammates were initially reluctant to even pass him the ball. In the year 1991. They met each other way back in 1977 and hit it off within a few weeks of getting to know each other. Its certainly not the America that Magic Johnson came to embody during his heyday with the LA Lakers throughout the 80s. '", "You were on the floor yourself, I heard, for two hours," Oprah says. When did Magic Johnson and Cookie Kelly get married? The couple live in Beverly Hills with their family. We, as Black people, had never really understood generational wealth and passing that wealth on, he says. Basketball legend Magic Johnson joins Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager ahead of the NBA All-Star game on Sunday. Magic Johnson and Cookie Johnson have been married for 31 years since 14th Sep 1991. view relationship. "We both fell on our knees, and we started crying," she tells Robin Roberts. Magic Johnson dominated the court as one of professional basketball's best players for 13 years. There were his teammates at the Los Angeles Lakers, who embraced him, and . Its really sad. There was a lot of breaking up and getting back together, a lot of ups and downs. His career in business did not begin in earnest until his second retirement in the mid-90s. You know sometimes when you meet people and you have to make conversation until you really get to know them? "Yeah, I got cut. He also became the all-time leader in NBA assists per game, with an average of 11.2a title that he continues to hold today. And they didn't have to worry about trying to test the baby because, really, I mean, he hadn't really formed yet, actually. Now, how can I help you?". "I had to really learn a lot about the disease, HIV as well as AIDS. Initially opposed to the idea, Johnson reflects on it now as one of the most important experiences of his life. The lights came up and I happen to be walking by where he was sitting and I said it was nice to meet you. She educated parents and caregivers on the importance of immunizing children in urban areas against various viruses. "'You know, the man I married was a hard worker. We go to the movies. EJ is openly gay and Elisa was adopted in 1995. He remembers in detail how his parents would pack food for the entire drive and eat on the side of the road rather than risk entering an unknown restaurant. He had all these ideas. He was put in a bad situation.. Magic wore a white tuxedo while Cookie looked stunning in her off-shoulder lace gown with puffed sleeves. Cookie recalled so many women being there wanting to meet Magic and was frankly surprised Magic picked her. Just as he had dominated the courts, Johnson became a powerful force in business. Quinn Allen is a freelance sports journalist and full-time editor for ClutchPoints. ", "Yeah, you're just in disbelief and in shock," Johnson says. 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.. I love you. After years of unsuccessful dieting, EJ Johnson underwent gastric sleeve surgery when he was 22 years old. The following year, he played an important role in taking the Spartans all the way to the NCAA Finals. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Cookie has a net worth of $50 million. ', Byron Scott Calls Natalia Bryant 'a Beautiful Person' After Her Speech Honoring Dad Kobe: 'He Loved His Girls', Who Is Tony Bennett's Wife? "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. Johnson at an international symposium on HIV and Aids in Tokyo in 1993. The Man Behind the First All-Black Basketball Team. During Johnson's third season (1981-1982) with the team, the Lakers made the NBA Finals again. He retired from the Los Angeles Lakers in 1991 after revealing that he had tested positive for. Like a date, date. She has always been a woman of charitable interests. And he's gonna be just that. But I also knew that Earvin didn't understand. Magic Johnson's parents, Earl and Christine Johnson, were both African American. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}10 Things You Might Not Know About Jimmy Butler, Nat Sweetwater Cliftons First NBA Season, The True Story of the Michael Jordan Film Air, Michael Jordans Two Requests for The Movie Air, What Sonny Vaccaro Did After Nike Air Jordan Deal, Get to Know NCAA Tournament Star Caitlin Clark. "The worst thing about it is I knew I was going to hurt her," he says. 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. Public perception about the disease at the time was widely regarded with ignorance. Johnson and Cookie have one son, . Youve made me a better man, person, husband, father, and businessman. He said, Yeah, by the way, give me your number. Im like what? He also became part-owner of the minor league Dayton Dragons and the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. E! 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. There were mixed reviews about his comeback, with several players uncomfortable with the idea of playing alongside an HIV-positive athlete. In 1992, the Johnsons welcomed their first child, E.J. Now they have been married for thirty years. ", "I didn't have time to get mad about whatever happened, you know, or start asking questions. The two contested back-to-back NBA finals in 1984 and 1985, their differing personas Bird, the insular, precision shotmaker and Johnson the flamboyant superstar making the rivalry all the more intense. The state-mandated integration of education brought its own tensions: playground fights and bullying. After an agonizing wait, the couple soon got some wonderful news. For the second time in his pro career, the Lakers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers for the championship title. When Magic informed Cookie that he had likely contracted the disease via sexual contact, she was more concerned about his well-being. 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. Updated by the minute, our Dallas Cowboys NFL Tracker: News and views and moves inside The Star and around the league . Johnson says he told her, "I can understand if you want to leave me because I'm now turning your life upside down," he says. At the time, many people thought the virus mostly affected homosexuals or intravenous drug users. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. He dreamed of the NBA from a young age. 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.
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