s

n
o
s
John
KEEPING UP
WITH THE

TIME-TESTED. THERE WAS NO SCANDAL WIDE

ENOUGH TO KEEP EARLEATHA COOKIE
JOHNSON FROM SUPPORTING HER COLLEGE
LOVE, EARVIN MAGIC JOHNSON. OVER
THE PAST THREE DECADES, HER LOYALTY HAS
BEEN SURPASSED BY HIS DEVOTION. FROM
PHILANTHROPY TO BILLION-DOLLAR BUSINESS
DEALS, THE PAIR HAS HELPED REDEFINE
THE POSSIBILITIES OF BLACK WEALTH. EBONY
TALKS TO THE POWER COUPLE ABOUT
WEATHERING STORMS AND SHARING A PATH
TO FABULOUSLY EVER AFTER.
By A M Y E L I S A K E I T H / Photographs by A R T S T R E I B E R /
Styling by M A R I E L L E B O B O

O N M AG I C : H IS OWN
C LOTH IN G A N D AC C ES S O R IES
O N C O O K I E : KAU F M A N
F R A N C O J U M P SU IT; G E M M A
R E D UX H O O P S ; DAV ID
YU R M A N C U F F; STUA RT
WE ITZM A N SA N DA LS

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/ V I S I T E B O N Y. C O M

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TEAM PLAYERS:
The Johnsons are on
top of the world and
humbled by the journey:
Life is great, says
Magic reflectively. But
I still havent forgotten
where I came from.

IT WAS
AN

O N M AGIC : H I S
OW N CLOT H I N G
O N C O O KIE : SO N I A
RY K I E L CAR D I G AN ;
M AX M AR A TAN K ;
RO B E RTO CAVALLI
LO U N G E PAN TS;
M OVAD O WATCH ;
DAV I D Y U R M AN
BAN G LE

85-degree
Saturday morning in April when Cookie
and Magic Johnson were engaged in what
has become a relaxing weekend routine:
breakfast at a local Los Angeles restaurant, just the two of them.
And then boom! recalls Magic. His
phone began to buzz incessantly with
news alerts and tweets too numerous to
ignore. Gossip blogs and news commentators were reporting that Donald Sterling,
the owner of the NBAs Los Angeles Clippers, was caught on tape making racist
remarks, including a reference to an Instagram photo of Magic
Ive got to run home. Everythings
changed, Magic recalls saying in the
moment as his plans to take his wife to a
movieone of their favorite couples activitiesfell by the wayside. With one last
bite, he was off to be Magic the Elder
Statesman.
Days later, sitting in the Beverly Hills
office of Magic Johnson Enterprises Inc.,
the 54-year-old NBA legend-turned-businessman reflects on the week between his
EBONY interview and when news of the
tape first broke. While the situation had
little to do with him personally, Magic,
with his long history of being a trusted
authority in sports and business, personally stepped in as the ideal mediator. His
affable demeanor and megawatt smile
worked in tandem with his sage advice,
which kept players focused and helped
calm national outrage. Im glad that I
was able to stand up for our people and
be the voice, says Magic in retrospect.
But in truth, the media frenzy surrounding the incident that would later call for
the Clippers owners ouster brought out
the former star athletes competitive side,
which is never far away.

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V I S I T E B O N Y. C O M / J U L Y 2 0 1 4

I want to win. Thats what I do. Im a

winner, he says, beaming.
With a net worth of $700 million and
climbing, according to Magic, real estate
and brand partnerships have made him
one of the most successful men in America. A co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, creator of the Aspire cable network
and the man who wisely brought Starbucks, 24 Hour Fitness, T.G.I. Fridays and
movie theater multiplexes to the masses in

urban neighborhoods, theres no denying

Magics well, magic.
Dodgers president and co-owner Stan
Kasten marvels at his partners unparalleled fluidity in both sports and business,
Magic has managed not just to keep a
foot in both worlds but to dominate both
worlds, he says.
Despite his demonstrated success at
bringing multiple franchises to underserved communities, Magic still seems

amazed that many of the people he admires also are fans of his. When I first
started it all, I had to prove myself, he
recalls of his early days of business dealings shortly after his initial retirement
from the NBA. Fast-forward to now, and
its crazy; billionaires are coming to me!
Those billionaires are calling to partner
with Magic to buy the Clippersa move he
is still strongly considering.
Well have to see because the price

would probably be about $1.3 billion, he

says. We [the Guggenheim Partners]
have that. Thats not the issue. Its whether we want it. When we figure out if we
want it, well get a strategy, and then, well
go for it.
Former business partner and longtime
friend Ken Lombard says that over the past
20 years, Magic has perfected the art of
combining his authentic nature with his
eye for strategy in the boardroom. As a

business person, Earvin brings the same

tenacity, competitiveness and preparation
that he had on the basketball court.
Its no wonder, then, that the same dexterity and flexibility that made Magic a
winner on the court and in business would
have spilled over into his home life, too.
There as well, it is his sense of collaboration and fair play that has helped make
his family into yet another of his winning
teams.
JULY 2014

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99

Her time
to shine
F O R C O O K I E , sharing her husband with the world has been a fact of
life since they first met during their
freshman year of college in 1977 at Michigan State University. Ironically, after
14 years of dating on an off, followed by
the past 22 years of marriage, the tables
have turned. It is now Magic who has
had to adjust to sharing his wife with the
masses, specifically the women who cannot get enough of her jeans, CJ by Cookie
Johnson.
A businesswoman since her days as a
buyer at an Ohio department store in the
80s, Cookie, 55, also came out of retirement from being a full-time wife and
mom to finally pursuing her own dreams.
My goal was having my own company
and my independence, says the mompreneur who earned a college degree in
clothing and textiles retailing.
For the past five years, Cookie has
been devoting long hours to her premium

denim line for curvy women, now sold at

upscale department stores and on HSN.
Since the line launched in 2009, distribution at Nordstrom has increased by
400 percent, making CJ the go-to denim
brand for its well-endowed clientele.
Thus began the gradual change in
the couples dynamic. Because of her
increased workload and industry-related
weekend events, Cookie suddenly wasnt
always available to be her husbands go-to
confidante. When she took on this endeavor to start her own jeans line, it was
very difficult, admits Magic. A quick
timeout, however, got him back on track.
I had to step back, he says candidly.
Ive been gone my whole life, on the
road playing and for business. I said,
Earvin, its not about you. I just let her
do her thing, and Id be here waiting until
she came back.
Watching Cooks, as he lovingly
calls her, pore over fabric samples in the
showroom has had an unexpected upside.
Its so sexy, he says with a wink. It is
beautiful to see her become this brand;
this CEO. Now, whether its dinner-anda-movie date nights or a long weekend
at their Laguna Beach, Calif., vacation
home, Magic and Cookie revel in the

times when he can sweetly pat her bum

and they can hold hands, always with
interlocking fingers.

The flirty fun of sex is something these

two have rarely been asked about. Magics
1991 announcement that he contracted the
HIV virus all but halted the honeymoon
stage of their marriage, turning their sex
life into a subject of public discourse.
At that time, the Johnsons felt as
though they were staring death in the
face, while hoping that a cocktail of medications taken three times a day could cure
the incurable. Now, Magic is living proof
that with treatment, a long life after an
HIV diagnosis is achievable. But he works
at it. Every day, he runs six miles and completes a TaeBo workout, which resulted
in a recent 30-pound slim down. One pill
before dinnertime keeps all signs of the
disease undetectable.
In my quiet moments is when I cry inside to say, Thank you, God, that Im here
to see my kids, play with my grandkids,
Magic says tearfully, referring to his two

Revisiting

a love affair
T H E C O U P L E is also reconnecting
in new ways now that they are officially
empty nesters. Son EJ, 22, and daughter
Elisa, 19, both live in New York City.
The whole time weve been married,
weve had kids, says Cookie, her hand softly rubbing Magics leg. Now were back to
dating, which is great. I feel a little guilty
because were like, Yay, this is fun!
So are these two running around the
house naked like two teenagers? Almost,
but not quite. With a saucy smirk rarely
seen in public, Cookie says, Maybe once
we get rid of the company.
Grinning, Magic adds, Its not our style
to be naked, but [we get as] close to it as
we can. Were having a good time.

ON MAG I C : H IS
OWN CLOTH IN G

M A K E U P B Y S C H U R O N D . W O M A C K AT S C H U R O N W O M A C K . C O M F O R M A C C O S M E T I C S
H A I R S T Y L I N G A N D G R O O M I N G B Y TA R A C O P E L A N D AT K E N B A R B O Z A A G E N C Y U S I N G R U S K P R O D U C T S

Running things from

his home office or
in the boardroom,
Magic insists, I do
Earvin every day.

In my quiet
moments is when
I cry inside to say,
Thank you, God,
that Im here
to see my kids,
play with my
grandkids.
Magic

grandchildren by their elder son, Andre,

33, and his wife, Lisa. When he hears his
nickname, Pop-Pop, yelled out by little
Gigi, 5, and Avery, almost 3, Magic says
it is an even sweeter sound because of
all he and Cookiebetter known to her
grandkids as Nanihave gone through.
Ive always told Cookie, The only thing
I wanted was to grow old with you.
[Now] we just look at each other and
say how blessed we are.
Living each day to the fullest gives a
charge to the Johnsons, while looking
good is a way of life, spearheaded by
patriarch Magic.
We certainly do have a bond with
fashion, says son EJ, who has become a
celebrity in his own right thanks to Rich
Kids of Beverly Hills, the E! networks hit

O N C O O K I E : D IA N E VO N
F U R STE N B E RG S H IRT; C J BY
C O O KIE J O H N S O N WIS D O M
A N KL E S KIN N Y J E A N S ; M OVA D O
B R AC E L E T WATC H ; J IM M Y
CHOO ANOUK PUMPS; HER
OWN J E WE L RY

reality show on which he appears. Thats

something a lot of people dont know
about [my dad]: He has an incredible passion for fashion. From buying his kids
Cline and Herms accessories to splurging on the latest summer styles for his
wife, Magic is a generous shopaholic with
impeccable taste. The crisp aqua Polo
shirt, custom jeans and Gucci loafers he
wears during this interview are evidence
of a man whom EJ jokes is always doing
the absolute most.
As one of the few African-Americans
publicly embracing his homosexuality on
television, EJ has taught his parents the
value of just loving yourself, says Magic.
From encouraging young fans to be confident to securing a new deal as a style
expert on the network, EJ is carving out

his own niche outside the shadow of his

famous parents.
Elisa currently attends New Yorks Fashion Institute of Technology, where she is
forging her own path. Shes sassy, her
dad says, while admitting his baby girl gets
her headstrong personality from him. Like
EJ, she is using the familys love of fashion
as a road map for empire building. Sure,
Cookie would love for her daughter to
come on board as a designer-in-training at
CJ, but her mothers intuition tells her otherwise. Proudly, Cookie says, She knows
what she wants and goes after it.
Thanks to their Christian values, Andre,
EJ and Elisa are proof that the Johnsons
raised hardworking and grounded kids
while in the media spotlight that has
swallowed many celebrity children whole.
JULY 2014

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O N M AG I C : H IS
OWN C LOTH IN G
A N D AC C ES S O R IES
ON COOKIE:
TO M E P L E ATE D
CA F TA N ; H . STE R N
B R AC E L E T; O S CA R
D E L A R E N TA
B E LT; D O LC E
& G A B BA N A
STR A P PY SU E D E
SA N DA LS ; H E R
OWN R IN GS
Life goes in phases, says
Cookie, relaxing with
Magic and Gizmo, and
so does marriage.

Making Life Work

S TAY I N G I N T O U C H for the
Johnsons is not always easy, given everyones busy schedule. Still, bumps in the
road taught them to put each other first,
no matter what.
In the early days, Magic and Cookie
thought that the battle with HIV would
be the toughest obstacle theyd face.
With their relationship having withstood

102

V I S I T E B O N Y. C O M / J U L Y 2 0 1 4

For fashion credits,

see Where to Buy
on page 126.

illness, infidelity rumors and grueling

schedules, many ascertain that the couples love was unbreakable. As it turns out,
it was the more mundane turmoil they
faced with the simple life changes accompanying any marriage that brought them
to the breaking point a few times. With
a matter-of-fact stare from behind her
tortoise-shell glasses, Cookie admits, We
had our ups and downs. We had a period
where we were about to separate.
After Magic retired from basketball a
second time in 1996, Cookie was often left
alone to raise the two youngest children.

Launching multiplexes and solidifying

deals with Starbucks were around-theclock commitments that consumed her
husband. With child-rearing responsibilities, she found herself unable to contend.
There was a point where I was home
all the time; he was working, says Cookie
turning to look pointedly at her husband.
Sometimes you start growing apart a
little bit because hes seeing new adventurous stuff. Hes out in the world. Hes
growing. [But] Im stagnant. Im here
with the kids doing the same [old] thing.
During that time, she wondered wheth-

er divorce was eminent. Often, Magic

would come home from a long business
trip only to go head straight to play with
the kids. He recalls, Then one time she
said, What about me? I thought I was
doing everything she wanted me to do
with the kids. [She said,] No, me! Youve
got to date me!
Immediately, the couple recalibrated.
They began to carve out couples weekends without the children and became
even more dedicated to their annual
tradition of a month-long yacht vacation
to Italy. If I had kept going [that way]
and the kids left, we would probably be
divorced, says Magic. Now were so connected to each other, but it took that situation to bring us back.
As best friends and soul mates, there
are few things these two dont do together.
Cookie explains what made the difference:
Before, I was just a wife with kids; but
now because Im a businesswoman, he
knows I get it. So he shares information
with me, and I ask [questions], too, she
says of their discussions as a power couple,
a moniker shes not quite sure they deserve.
It humbles me because I dont think
of us that way, she says. Were just doing
our thing.
It is that elegant ease her husband loves,
especially when hes eyeing a new business
deal. She knows I have always wanted to
own an NBA team, but it just had to be
the right situation, says Magic of possibly
buying the much-talked-about team.
Adds Cookie: If he wants to buy the
Clippers, Im not messing with it. I have
the confidence to know that hes going to
make the right decision.
Holly Robinson Peete, a longtime friend
of the duo admits the Johnsons inspire
others in Hollywood. Theyre really a
power couple, she says, and yet you
still see how in love they are. With grace,
forgiveness and love, they represent everything that is real and authentic about
Black love.

When you are blessed, its

about how many people you
help achieve their dreams.
Magic

Eyeing the Future

A L A R G E PA RT of what keeps the
Johnsons grounded is giving back. When
you are blessed, its about how many
people you help achieve their dreams,
says Magic, who estimates that they have
given more than $15 million to HIV/AIDS
organizations alone. A financial snapshot
reveals that the Magic Johnson Foundation supports 150 student scholarships,
has built over a dozen technology centers
and has taken on education as a major
thrust with the Magic Johnson Bridgescape Academies, which provide students
who have dropped out or are at-risk with a
free path to earn a high school diploma.
Now that she has checked starting a
business off her bucket list, Cookie wants
to take on philanthropy full time next.
The only other thing I love to do is give
to others.
Magic admits he is too invested in the
thrill of business to think about slowing
down to focus on just one thing. Ruling
out politics (he is rooting for Hillary
Clinton for president in 2016), he is
much more focused on community building. No doubt they have talked about
retiring to travel the globe, but the
Johnsons are on a winning streak that
they dont want to break.
Speaking as if he were in a huddle,
wearing his famous purple-and-gold
uniform, he says, This is our time. This
is our window. Lets go for it. Were the
hottest brand in urban America. Cookie
knows shes along for the ride of her life
once again.
Hes brilliant in a different kind of a
way, she says trying to describe her husbands unique brand of enthusiasm and
optimism. Its like the no-look pass. Nobody knows how he does it, but it works.
Although, Magic knows exactly what the
key to his success is: Its Cookie.
Life may throw hectic schedules, sickness or even hardships at the Johnsons,
but they both know they are stronger
together than they ever could be apart.
People dont realize how much we lean
on each other because the one person I
know will give me her honest opinion is
my wife. Without exchanging words,
each can shed the titles and responsibilities to get back to just being Earleatha
and Earvin.
She just rubs my head, and she has
that special Cookie touch that makes
a brother say, OK.
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