Before+the+NBA

__ Personal Life as an Adult __ Magic Johnson got married to Earlitha Kelly in 1991. They had a son, Earvin III. In 1995 they adopted a daughter named Elisa. Magic has a son, Andre, who he had in a previous relationship in 1981. Andre currently works for Magic Johnson Enterprises. (Magic Johnson Enterprises is Magic's business.) His Enterprises include "four AMC Magic Johnson movie theatres, over 100 Starbucks locations, a range of Burger King franchises in the South and thirteen 24 Hour Fitness Magic Sport centers." I got this from http://espn.go.com/nba/player/bio/_/id/2334/magic-johnson. Magic recently bought the Los Angeles Dodgers. You can see him with his family.

__ Growing Up and Teen Years __ Earvin Johnson, was born on August 14, 1959 in Lansing, Michigan. He was the 6th of 10 children of Earvin Sr. and Christine Johnson. He was given his nickname, "Magic," when he was 15 and a sophmore at Everett High School. Sports writer Fred Stably Jr. of the Lansing State Journal give it to him after a great performance. As a senior he led his team to a 27-1 record and state title with outstanding statistics of 28.8 points per game and 16.8 rebounds per game. Below, you see him in the State Championship as a senior.

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__ College Career __ When he chose college he wanted to stay close to home. He chose Michigan State University in his home town of Lansing. As a freshman he led the Spartans to their first Big Ten title. It was the first time they won over 20 games in school history. He was unable to make it passed the Elite Eight though. The next year he had a similar year in individual stats. This time the Spartans won the national championship. That championship was the first game with Larry Bird and Magic. They became huge rivals in the NBA. MSU beat the Sycamores 77-64. The game had the highest TV rating for a college basketball game ever. He was voted Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. He then declared for the 1979 NBA Draft.