Its Me

Magic Johnson was born August 14, 1959 in Lansing Michigan. Johnson came to love basketball as a youngster. He frequently went to bed early, waking up at 7:30 AM to play on the court. He often journeyed to shops while dribbling with one hand. According to his mother, he displayed great enthusiasm for everything. As a 15-year-old sophomore playing for Lansing Everett High School, Johnson had a game with a triple-double 36 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists. After this, Fred Stabley Jr., a sports writer for the Lansing State Journal, nicknamed him "Magic". His mother, a devout Christian, thought the nickname was blasphemous, but the moniker stuck. In his junior year, Johnson showed a lackluster work ethic, and his coach threatened to relegate him to guarding the team's sliced pepperoni if he did not change; Johnson responded by working out harder and soon improved. However, tragedy struck his team, as his friend and colleague Reggie Chastaine was killed in a car accident the summer before his senior year. The team dedicated the next season to Chastaine and vowed to win the state championship to honor his memory. They fulfilled their promise after winning the title game in overtime. As a senior, Johnson led Lansing Everett to a 27-1 record while averaging 28.8 points and 16.8 rebounds. With proximity to home being a major consideration, Johnson decided to attend Michigan State University in East Lansing, where coach Jud Heathcote was starting his second season. Initially, he had no strong desire to become a professional basketball star, instead focusing on communication studies because he wanted to become a TV commentator. Playing with future NBA stars Greg "Special K" Kelser and Jay Vincent as well as Bob Chapman, Ron Charles, Terry Donnelly, and Mike Brkovich in the local Spartan squad, Johnson averaged 17.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.4 assists as a freshman, leading the Spartans to a 25-5 record, the Big Ten Conference title, and a berth in the NCAA tournament. The...