Earvin “Magic” Johnson had just finished kicking off the 137th Rose Parade with a word of welcome and his famous big smile, when he climbed into the back seat of the 1940 white Lincoln Continental Cabriolet marked “Grand Marshal.”
Just around 8 a.m. on Jan. 1, Johnson, 66, and his wife, Cookie began their 5.5-mile journey that is the Rose Parade in Pasadena, chatting with each other and waving to the crowd from the car’s back seat.
“This is one if the greatest moments of my life. Just like winning a championship,” said Johnson as he rode off into the parade.
The top of the convertible was on to keep out the intermittent rain, but the NBA legend had to reach out the window for fans to see him. He was going to sit in a back bench seat specially attached atop the rear, but that was called off due to the inclement weather. Driver Brett Furrey of La Canada Flintridge said he made the 6-foot-9 Johnson more comfortable sitting in the regular back seat by scooting up the front seat as far as it would go to allow him more leg room.
The Hall of Famer legend Los Angeles Laker basketball star who led his team in the 1980s to five NBA championships and recently received the Presidential Medal of Freedom had become a very successful entrepreneur in his post-basketball years.
He owns a portion of the champion LA Dodgers as well as other professional sports teams. As CEO and chairman of Magic Johnson Enterprises, he’s directed investments into clean energy, healthcare and restaurants.
He cut his teeth in business in the 1990s by investing in movie houses named the Magic Johnson Movie Theaters, that were later sold to Loew’s Cineplex Entertainment in 2004 and then taken over by AMC. Many in L.A. remember his first, the “Magic Johnson Crenshaw 15” in Baldwin Hills, a black community.
In 1991, Johnson shocked the world when he announced he had tested positive for HIV, the virus that can lead to AIDS, and was retiring from the NBA.
Attempts to return to playing for the Lakers did not go well, as some players said they feared if he was cut on the court, his blood could transfer the virus to players on the court. He told ESPN he had contracted HIV from heterosexual sex with women.
Despite the noise, he played in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game and was awarded the MVP trophy, scoring 25 points.
Johnson weathered that storm at a time when HIV-positive was a huge stigma. Johnson vowed to fight the virus, never had AIDS, and has stayed healthy. He participated in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, leading the so-called “Dream Team” made up of NBA players to a gold medal.
His announcement helped advance a wave of public empathy for people living with HIV, and coincided with advancement of new drugs that keeps HIV-positive patients from getting AIDS and remaining healthy, living a normal life.
In October, he joined with venture capitalists and a company called Alchemy to fund and build in-house pharmacy programs, expand patient care and improve outcomes for those with HIV.
“Investing in Alchemy is deeply personal, not only as a person living with HIV, but because I’ve witnessed firsthand the devastating impacts of HIV in our communities,” wrote Johnson on his company’s website.
Johnson combined personal interests with his philanthropic spirit when he stepped in to help victims of the January 2025 wildfires in Altadena and the Palisades. Johnson, along with Dodgers chairman Mark Walter and 2028 Olympics organizer Casey Wasserman, formed LA Rises to help with the fire-zone rebuilding efforts.
Johnson is focusing on rebuilding Altadena, where generations of black homeowners lost their homes.