Magic Johnson

Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. reinvented the point guard position with a 6'9" frame, a court vision that bordered on clairvoyance, and a smile that made basketball feel like joy incarnate. His rivalry with Larry Bird — beginning in the 1979 NCAA championship game and continuing through the 1980s Lakers-Celtics wars — saved the NBA from the brink of irrelevance and turned it into a global entertainment powerhouse.

Born in Lansing, Michigan, in 1959, Johnson earned his nickname as a high school sophomore for a 36-point, 16-rebound, 16-assist performance that left a sportswriter searching for words. He led Michigan State to the NCAA championship in 1979, then was drafted first overall by the Los Angeles Lakers. His Showtime Lakers — fast, flashy, and irresistible — won five NBA championships in the 1980s.

Johnson's 1991 announcement that he had tested positive for HIV was a watershed moment in American public health. At a time when the disease was heavily stigmatized and associated with death, Johnson became the most visible face of HIV in the world. He proved that an HIV diagnosis was not a death sentence, educated millions about the disease, and went on to build a business empire worth over $1 billion — including movie theaters, Starbucks franchises, and ownership stakes in the Lakers, Dodgers, and LAFC.