Earvin Johnson, Jr. was born on August 14, 1959, in Lansing, Michigan. He was born into a large family and was one of nine children (via Biography). His father worked at the General Motors plant and his mother worked as a school custodian.
Johnson earned his iconic name years before he would ever set foot on an NBA court; he even got it before he set foot on a college basketball court. Johnson was a stand-out at Everett High School in Lansing. Before his most famous moniker, he had several other nicknames, and most of them alluded to his immense height. According to Deadline Detroit, they included names like "Stretch," "Too Tall," and "Smokey Link," but when people got past his height, his undeniable skills are what earned him the nickname, "Magic."
The name was given to him by a local sportswriter named Fred Stabley Jr. Stabley wrote an article for Lansing State Journal about a game that had just seen Johnson unleash a magical performance in which he tallied 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 16 assists in a single game. Johnson was just 15 years old at the time (via Bustle).
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