Magic Johnson, born on August 14, 1959, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. He gained the nickname “Magic” during his sophomore year at Everett High School in 1974 after a dominant triple-double of 36 points, 18 rebounds, and 16 assists. The nickname quickly caught on, as Johnson was a standout at Everett High School.
The origins of Magic Johnson’s nickname date back well before Winning Time episode 1’s story, as it began when he was in high school. In an Apple TV+ teaser, Earvin “Magic” Johnson explains that the whole “Magic” name came about after a reporter saw him play. Johnson became a household name in America while he was in college due to his captivating style and headline-grabbing nickname.
Earvin was first called “Magic” when he was a star at Everett High School. A sports writer named Fred Stabley Jr., a sports writer for the Lansing State Journal, gave the nickname to him after he saw him score 36 points, 18 rebounds, and 16 assists in a single game. Johnson was an intense competitor who led his high school team to a state championship.
In 2024, Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard in the NBA. Johnson attended Everett High School in Lansing where he earned the nickname “Magic” as a sophomore. Later, he played for Michigan State University, leading the Michigan State basketball team to a state championship.
📹 Magic Johnson on his nickname’s origin
📹 Magic Johnson on whether he’ll change Commanders’ name
TODAY’s Craig Melvin sits down for an exclusive interview with the NBA legend Magic Johnson about his vision for the next …
Change the name back to Redskins! We know it was all politics! ☝️That word was never used to insult someone.The American College Dictionary (1956 ed., p. 1016); The Grosset Webster Dictionary (1957 ed., p. 1016); and Webster’s New International Dictionary, Unabridged 2nd Edition (1957 ed., p. 2088) all define “redskin” as a “North American Indian,” again, with no indication that the term was considered offensive.Dec 1, 2013☝️ the ones who fought and complained to have the name changed weren’t even true natives 😤 it was all about removing that Indigenous Brother from the teams Logo☝️they probably felt like he looked too much like Frederick Douglass with a perm😂😂😂😂😂😂 To be a Redskin means to be Strong, Fierce, a Warrior💪🏿HTTR!!
Please, please change the name. Commanders is a stupid name! When I hear Commanders all I can think of now is Dan, the destroyer, Snyder. Change the name, build a new stadium, and wipe away Snyders legacy of horribleness. Washington Warriors sounds good. You could actually have the song, Hail to the Warriors to the same tune.
Love Magic, but I always get lost when the desire is to put people in position that “Look Like Us” That is the type of racist attitude that needs to end. POC can not be get away with being the racism that they fought against. Why cant Magic be Magic and not a “Black Man” ? Love Magic and happy that he is a new owner of the team. But the interviewer needs to check himself. POC need to check them selves with this BS of “We want people that look like us”
He has to stop with this, “I’m a proud black man”, “Blacks can do anything” mentality. So how can we get more blacks into ownership? Hmmmm. Good question. Let me lay it down for you. You can do one of two things: A. You can be very very lucky and be an exceptionally gifted athlete like me who earned millions to play the game and millions afterwards promoting the game and get a good business career going. B. You can go to school, get your degree, get into the business world and excel and one day, with money and luck, you can be an owner. You don’t “give people a chance” to be an owner. Any color. That right is through hard work and lots of money. Don’t make this about race like the media is trying to push.
As along time Washington fan, all I can say from living in and out of the Washington DC (DMV) area, Dan Snyder took, which was the 2nd Most Valuable team in the NFL the Washington Redskins and turned them into a laughing stock called the Commanders. There are many people who still want Redskins Merchandise it is crazy how much there still is a demand for it and in liberal Washington DC I still get compliments for wearing Redskins stuff. The Reality is a lot of fans left the team after the name change and have become Ravens fans as Baltimore is only a 1 hour + commute from Washington DC. Josh and Magic have a lot of work ahead of them, they are better off changing the name again because there are fans like my Dad who refuse to buy Commanders stuff, because it’s associated with Dan Snyder. I even after work travel to see what they have at some of the sports stores and many of them still have tons of Commanders and Football Team stuff because no one wants any of it, The most popular name suggestion that I support which has been a long time fan favorite has been the Washington Warriors, and yes you have the Golden State Warriors in the NBA. But like Hoda, Al and Stephenie have pointed out it is super common to have 2 teams in completely different sports having the same name. Historically it was common for the football 🏈 and baseball ⚾️ team to have the same name be in the same city and many of the early NFL 🏈 did so as baseball ⚾️ was more popular back in the 1920s & 1930s when many of the early teams like when Washington was founded initially as the Boston Braves name after the Boston Braves Baseball team who are currently in Atlanta GA.
Anything is better than “the Redskins”. Even “the Washington Football Team”(some real creativity went into that one). But still… “the Commanders”? Then there’s “the Bullets”, that one didn’t age too well. So the they change it to “the Wizards”? What does DC have to do with wizards? The Mystics, Defenders, Go-Go? What is it with Washington & these team names? At least the Capitals, United, & Nationals make sense.
Think they are throwing that owner statement around a bit too much. He owns %5 of a team valued at $6 billion. Not taking anything away from him, but that fact that the interviewer is asking Magic questions like he’s the sole owner is the very reason they added Magic to ownership team. 4% doesn’t buy much power at the table. How bout taking that 4% stake and putting it into your people economy. Tried that with the movie thing. Mofos always want to sit at zaddies table and claim their mark and the communitah is still phuced up. Unreal.