Earvin `` Magic '' Johnson Jr. ( born August 14 , 1959 ) is an American retired professional basketball player and current president of basketball operations of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . 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 was a member of the 1992 United States men 's Olympic basketball team ( `` The Dream Team '' ) , which won the Olympic gold medal in 1992 . Johnson became a two-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame -- being enshrined in 2002 for his individual career , and again in 2010 as a member of the `` Dream Team '' .
Magic Johnson played basketball.