“To always stand up for what is right, that’s the real magic”: Magic Johnson on new docuseries They Call Me Magic

They Call Me Magic is the new Apple TV+ docuseries following the life and career of Earvin “Magic” Johnson, the NBA basketball player who shot to fame in the 80s for his prowess on the court but also for speaking out about his HIV diagnosis during the AIDS crisis. In comes in the wake of the phenomenal success of Netflix’s The Last Dance, which focused on Michael Jordan, capturing that same blend of vivid sports drama brought to life through unseen archival footage and eminent talking heads, here including Snoop Dogg and Barack Obama, as well as candid narration and interviews from the subject himself.

The Upcoming had the pleasure of hearing from Johnson about the series, his life and his career at the press conference ahead of the show’s launch.

Congratulations on this truly amazing, fascinating, entertaining, heartfelt and just really, really honest docuseries!

Thank you for that. I’m so happy with the product and the doc series. And, you know, it’s just amazing, when Michael Jordan was done with his Last Dance, my phone just started ringing from all over the world: “When are you going to tell your story? We want your story”. And so now we get to do it on Apple TV+, so thank everybody who participated. And they got to tell their own version of how they felt about me or the event around me, and so I’m happy about it.

How did you know that now was the moment to tell your a story and to participate in a series that would give more insight into who Earvin “Magic” Johnson was and is?

Well, I think, because I hadn’t told my story. Some people had tried to tell my story, but it didn’t come out to be the truth. So now I get to tell the truth on my own journey, from where I grew up in Lansing, Michigan, all the way to Michigan State where I went to college, and then to Los Angeles, playing for the Lakers, and then becoming a businessman, but also announcing HIV 30 years ago. And then my son, EJ, you know, when he came out that he was a gay man, and so on, and on and on – there are so many facets of my life. And how did I go from the basketball court to the boardroom, you know, all those different things? I just kept reinventing myself. But people are gonna just see the highs and lows of my life. And now was the perfect time because the world was ready for it.

Deciding to tell and share your personal and professional story, what did you discover most about yourself?

I guess I pretty much knew everything about myself. I think it was more, what I found out is what people felt about me, about how I play basketball, about how I am as a man, a husband, a father, a businessman, all those different things. I think it was more of that – that I was surprised about how they felt about me. And so, that’s what surprised me. But me telling my life story and telling my journey, I wasn’t surprised. I mean, I think I’m surprised at the level that I’ve been able to grow. I never thought I would be where I am today; I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be known around the world, that I would win all those championships with the Lakers, that I would become this successful businessman. You just can’t think that big – so that’s what I’m surprised about.

Throughout your whole career, your name has been linked to the concept of showtime. They Call Me Magic seems to strengthen this idea, showing the audience how strong your relationship with cinema and show business is. Your docuseries confirms that we’re now living in the golden age of epic, sport-based storytelling. As a businessman, top-level sportsman and movie lover, what makes these types of projects so successful in modern society today?

Well, I think it’s easy, because the world loves sport, and it gets us through our everyday walk in life. And then when you can reinvent yourself and become a businessman from playing on the basketball court – people love that as well. And then people love a comeback story. So when I had to retire from the Lakers, because I announced HIV, then I was able to play on the dream team in the Olympics. What a comeback story, right? And people always love when you give back – I’ve put so many students through college and affected so many communities, poor communities and cities here in America. So, when you think about everything that people love, I’ve been about those things [laughs]. So, I think that’s why people love Magic. And they’re gonna love They Call Me Magic, my doc series. And I’ve travelled around the world, so when you think about it – I’ve been to Europe so many times, I come every single summer – I think people love the fact that I travel like that, and they just get to get inside my world, and it’s not a perfect world by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s been a good world.

How long did it take for you to get comfortable with the fact that you’re a role model for more than just sports?

Oh, wow, what a great question. I would say I’m still not comfortable with it. I mean, you understand that you are a role model but you always want to do things the right way, and I’m always conscious of what I do and how I do it – also, I know it can affect a lot of people, the decision making that goes with that. So, I will say this, I’ve enjoyed being a role model; I make sure that I try to leave a lasting impact on people’s lives. And, just like in this doc series, you’re gonna hear a lot of NBA guys talk about how I was the catalyst for them becoming businessmen. I love that – you love opening doors for other people and showing them that you can be successful away from a game that they love to play. So yes, I enjoy being a role model. Sometimes it makes you uncomfortable because you want to make sure you’re doing everything the right way.

In 1979, the NBA was not the league it is today. When did you understand that your style of play was becoming the face of the NBA, and more than just basketball for the league?

Oh, wow – I would say when Larry Bird and I met for that first championship in 1984, and to see the viewership, how everybody in the country wanted to see this game and see this series. And it was amazing. And then in ’85, we played again, so people tuned in again, to watch the Celtics and Lakers, but mainly to watch Larry Bird versus Magic Johnson. And so we were able to really make the league what it is today. And you’re going to hear from Michael Jordan, him saying just that, how he said: “People say I changed the league. But”, he said, “I didn’t change it. Magic Johnson changed it”. You’re gonna hear this in the doc series. So it’s amazing to hear him say that. I think that Larry and I actually, together, changed the league and then Michael Jordan was able to take it to a whole other level. So it was just great.

Looking back, what’s the legacy you left for basketball that makes you proud?

I would say the winning mindset, winning attitude, making your teammates better. I would say loving the game, loving to compete. I played with passion and joy every single night. I left it all on the court. I never cheated the game. And even today, I still love watching it. And so, yeah, I left my mark with winning, with playing it the right way, playing the game the right way. And then the no-look passes [laughs].

The subtitle of this is “The Real-Life Story”. What do you believe your fans will learn about you that they didn’t know before?

That I’m an emotional guy, that I really love my wife and my family, that I messed up on one of the biggest deals in history [laughs], not signing with Nike and getting that stock back in 1979. So there are a lot of things. You’re gonna see how I grew up; so my parents get to tell you, as well as my brothers and sisters, how I was as a brother, how I was as a kid – those are things that have never been told, especially by those people who are my brothers and sisters and my parents. And then you get to hear from my teammates, and that’s really important. And so there’s a lot of stories and footage that has never been seen before, and I think Apple TV+ has done an amazing job of acquiring that footage so that we can use that content in this doc series.

Thinking of footage that has never been seen before, you saw some of the clips in the series yourself for the first time – like the coin toss between Chicago and the Lakers. Which clip from your past was the most meaningful for you?

I will say since first seeing that coin flip – I had never seen that, so to be able to see what actually happened, because I only heard that the Lakers had one but never seen it live, I mean, to see the footage of it, right? It blew me away just to see both general managers of the Lakers and of Chicago – they were getting ready, the commissioner, and then how the Bulls caught, I think it was tails, on and on – how it all went down blew me away. So I was really happy to see something that I’ve never seen in my entire life. And you’re gonna see a lot of different things like that, that have never been seen before, footage, stories you’ve never heard before about me, just different things that happen along the way. And you’re gonna say, “Wow”, and then it’s gonna make you cry, it’s gonna make you laugh, gonna make you think. So that’s why I love this doc series.

Your career is full of triumphs and successes, on and off-court. What have been your biggest challenges?

On the court had always been to just win more championships, just to beat my two rivals, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. I was never able to beat Michael Jordan in the NBA Finals – we only played one time, and he won. But to be able to beat my two rivals, to be able to compete at a high level and win championships. And then off the court, I think it was more was I gonna be here 30 years later, right? When I announced HIV, at that time, it was a death sentence. And to know that I’m sitting here, talking to all of you, doing this interview, 30 years later – I think that’s the blessing. So that’s been my biggest challenge in life, just being here, being able to do this doc series. And the other side of that was to become a businessman. So those two things.

The Last Dance was a huge success two years ago. Did it influence in any way how you and the team worked on this series to tell your story?

I think it didn’t affect how we worked on it, but it did affect that we came out with it, because, again, because of that success – people want it more. And the next guy they wanted was Magic Johnson. So that’s why we were able to put this together and do it. We saw what happened with Michael and it was such a beautiful story about the Chicago Bulls and what happened with Michael – I just wanted to do it my way, in terms of with my family involved, with how I grew up. Every element of my life is in this doc series. And we could actually have done four or five more episodes. I mean, it’s amazing, and I’m happy and I’m proud of it and I hope that everybody enjoys it like I have enjoyed it.

Having been given the name Magic, what does magic mean to you now?

Magic means to me that you can affect somebody’s life in a positive way – that’s the real magic. In the poorest communities here in America, helping those people who can’t help themselves, speaking for people who don’t have a voice, empowering communities that need to be empowered, that deserve to be empowered; to make sure that you send kids who deserve to go to college, that don’t have the financial means to go but they have the grades to go. Making sure that I educated people about HIV and AIDS, especially in a black and brown community here in America. So all those things – that’s the real magic: putting people to work every single day. That’s the real magic. To always stand up for what is right, that’s the real magic. To just tell the truth, that it hasn’t been easy being magic. People always say, “Man, I want to be like you”. I don’t know if you really want to be like me [laughs]. Can you go through these phases and face adversity and come back from it? Right? And with all the expectations? With that name “Magic” came expectations. Do you really want to deal with those type of expectations? And so, I’m just happy it all turned out great, and that we’re doing it and that people are really going to get to know what makes me tick. And the difference between Earvin and Magic is explained in this, too, and that has never been told either.

Basketball player, husband, father, health campaigner, businessman, a man of many occupations: 50 years from now, if someone asked, “Who was Earvin Johnson Jr”, how would you like that question to be answered in one sentence?

Oh, in one sentence! I don’t know if you can answer Magic Johnson in one sentence! But I will say this: winner, competitor, a man who deeply cared about his community and the people who live in that community. How about that?

Good! If you have to pick just one of your greatest moments from your basketball career, which would it be?

That’s easy: the dream team and Barcelona winning the gold medal, playing with Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. Doesn’t get any better than that.

Who do you consider the rivals you respected the most and why? Can you name three players you played with or against and tell us what quality you envied on the basketball court?

That’s easy: Larry Bird – his shooting ability and his basketball IQ. Michael Jordan – the way he could jump and just float in the air and create so many beautiful shots, and how he could dominate on the court. And then the last guy, I would probably say, is Kobe Bryant, and his mindset. So those are the three guys, I would say, those are my three guys.

When you grew up, what were your dreams? And how many of them have you fulfilled? Which dreams are still open?

I would say I fulfilled a lot of them. I wanted to play in the NBA, I wanted to become a businessman, I wanted to be in a position to take care of my family. I’ve always dreamed of marrying my college sweetheart. I’ve wanted to travel the world, I’ve done that in a big way. I wanted to own my own house, I wanted to help people. Wow – when I think about all the things I dreamed about, I’m actually doing them! And dreams that I have that I haven’t accomplished yet…? And I met all the presidents, so I’ve done that, and worked with the presidents here in the United States. I toured with Michael Jackson – I love Michael Jackson. always wanted to tour with Michael Jackson, and I did that twice. Wow, what dream do I have left? I guess really just to keep doing good and bringing people together and trying to make a difference in all communities, and making America better – just, how can I do that? That’s it. That’s probably my dream today: how can I bring people here in America together? And how can we stop some of the things that are going on – homelessness, the poorest communities – how can we make them better? So that’s it.

Thank you so much, Magic, for those dreams – for the dream of watching this and learning about you and the inspiration that it is and what it means to so many people and for being with us here today. It’s a huge honour, it’s a huge pleasure and congratulations once more.

I appreciate you having me on. Stay safe. Thank you.

Sarah Bradbury

They Call Me Magic is released on Apple TV+ on 22^nd April 2022. Read our review of the show here.

Watch the trailer for They Call Me Magic here: