Earvin 'Magic' Johnson on the 1992 Olympic Dream Team: 'It was the best moment of my life'

The American basketball great and renowned businessman opened up to the BBC's Katty Kay about family, his health, and life's greatest moments.

Hoops legend and renowned point guard Earvin Johnson Junior is best known simply as "Magic" – a nickname he got back in high school from a sportswriter clearly struck by his talent. Johnson went on to compete in college basketball and entered the 1979 NBA Draft, and was picked by the Los Angeles Lakers. He won five championships with the Lakers and three NBA MVP trophies. Now retired from professional sports, the former Laker and US Men's Basketball Olympian has also been living with HIV since his diagnosis almost 33 years ago, which prompted his retirement. The then-US President George HW Bush said at the time, "For me, Magic is a hero, a hero for anyone who loves sports."

In the first episode of her Olympian-focused series of Influential, author and BBC special correspondent Katty Kay sat down with Magic Johnson for a chat and a little game of one-on-one. The two discussed Johnson's health, family, his businesses, his bedtime – and reflected on some magical Olympic moments. Kay's informal, unscripted style brought out many sides of the pro athlete known for his dazzling smile.

Even though it's been more than three decades since he was hand-picked by NBA commissioner David Stern for the 1992 US Olympic team, Johnson still lights up when talking to Kay about it. At that time, Stern's decision was groundbreaking, mainly because there was so little known about HIV at the time, including transmission.

"When I announced in 1991 I had HIV, people thought they could get the virus from shaking my hand," Johnson wrote on Twitter following Stern's death in 2020. "When David allowed me to play in the 1992 All Star Game in Orlando and then play for the Olympic Dream Team, we were able to change the world."

Johnson explains more to Kay: "Commissioner Stern was allowed to pick 10 of the best basketball players in the world. When I got that call, that I was one of the guys to play, I was screaming and hollering," he recalls. "It was the greatest moment of my life, especially having come off retirement and HIV [diagnosis]. It was such a great honour to represent my country, the Lakers, my family."

Johnson recalls the invitation coming with a promise to the commissioner: "Stern said, 'I'm glad you're happy, but there's one condition: You have to talk Larry Bird and Michael Jordan into playing!'"

After convincing Larry Bird (beleaguered with back pain) to join him on the Olympic team (Johnson says he promised to keep Bird's playing minutes to a minimum), he told Michael Jordan that he could play golf all day and that he would play cards with him all night. Bird was in, Jordan was in, and it was settled; the roster was stacked, and the Dream Team won every Barcelona Olympic game by at least 30 points.

"There will never be another team like the Dream Team," Johnson reminds Kay. "We won the gold and we had fun getting to know each other."

Despite the fondest memories of the 1992 Dream Team, life wasn't easy for Johnson following the announcement of his diagnosis, and his endorsement deals took a serious hit. 

"A lot of sponsors dropped me and they didn't want me to represent their company anymore," Johnson says, adding that he was built for the struggle given the enduring support from his parents. "Thank God my father built me to be strong. HIV was a death sentence [back then]… and here I am, 32 years later."

Not only is Johnson "one of the longest surviving activists," as Kay called him in this interview, but he's a renowned businessman, a billionaire at that, and a living mentor to young athletes. In addition to having stakes in sports teams (including the MLB team the Los Angeles Dodgers), Johnson has investments in companies of all kinds, including Starbucks and Burger King and the life insurance company EquiTrust. Kay asked him what advice he would share with young athletes, many of whom are still teenagers, getting ready to head to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

"First, enjoy it and live in the moment," Johnson advises. "Enjoy Paris, enjoy being [young]. Second, if you're earning money, please get yourself a business manager. I didn't know money growing up, and when I got to the NBA, I had to find people who knew about money. That's why I'm sitting here with you! I did something different than most athletes: I got a business manager to teach me. So my advice is, enjoy the Olympics, meet people from all over the world – and don't get ahead of yourself. Some athletes get burnt out… lean more on your parents as you achieve success and not away from them. And get a business manager!"

Kay asked about Johnson's transition from basketball player to businessman and his redefinition of himself – and he admitted that while being successful is a blessing, his days are long.

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"From a poor kid growing up, it's a blessing. I always wanted to become a businessman. To reinvent, redefine… Can everyone do it? No! They're not willing to put in the time. I wake up at 4am; I go to bed at 8pm!" he says with a laugh. "I want to be smarter every single day and I like to be around smart, accomplished people. I love rubbing elbows [with greatness]."

Indeed, Johnson counts the late great Jerry Buss (former owner of the Lakers) as a mentor as well as Joel Ferguson and Gregory Eaton, whom he credits for changing his life and making him the businessman he is today. And while he may be approaching his 65th birthday, Magic still glows like a boy when talking about basketball – how the game is changing, how he changed it – and who will shape its future. "Just like Larry Bird and I changed the men's NCAA tournament and changed the NBA forever, Caitlin Clark changed women's basketball forever and she's changed the WNBA. She's impacted the league already – and she's only played one game at the time of this interview!"

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