Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr.is an American retired professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Associationfor 13 seasons. After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Lakers. He won a championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his rookie season, and won four more championships with the Lakers during the 1980s. Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBasketball Player
Date of Birth14 August 1959
CityLansing, MI
CountryUnited States of America
Some people are going to have to grow some tough skin they hadn't had to grow before. Pat is a direct guy. That's going to really be different than everyone is used to. And he's going to say it in a way they're not used to a coach saying it and right in their face. ... He just wants you to play the game the right way.
I think the game itself has gotten better over the recent years. The reason why is I think the players are now taking the game a little bit more seriously and really trying to win the game.
He told me to go for it, ... He told me he'd be coming to some of our games to check me out.
And the road games would have been worse.
If you come to me and say, 'Hey look I'm a racist,' or 'I discriminate against blacks,' or 'I don't like you because you're African American,' I respect that. I can respect you more by doing that. But don't smile in my face, shake my hand, and then you don't really respect me, or want me to be around, or come to your games as the owner of the Clippers.
I never think that there's something I can't do, whether it's beating my opponent one on one or practicing another hour because something about my game is just not right.
I love to be in the ballpark. I love to just go in and enjoy a great baseball game, a great pitchers' duel.
The only time I think about HIV is when I have to take my medicine twice a day.
We're not letting you just come into our community anymore without a partner or without one of us being a partner in that deal,
Believe it or not, I was once just like you, ... I was sitting in a school just like this. I had dreams and goals just like you and never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be Magic Johnson.
We were doing inventory and I said, 'Okay, I know the inner city. I know how we do when we go to movies. These hot dogs are going to be gone the first week.' (They say,) 'No way, no way. We don't sell that much over at such and such.' What happens? We open on a Friday, the hot dogs are gone by Sunday? by Sunday!
But right now, that's not happening. God is blessing me, so we're going to continue to do what we're doing,
No doubt about it, the landscape and your opportunities are so much greater here in the U.S. than in any other country, and if you come up with a great idea, and then put a great business plan with it, and you can get the capital, then the sky's the limit,
I am so blessed and lucky to be able to find something I truly love and I'm passionate about and that I'm having so much fun doing,