Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson brings 10,000-megawatt smile and inspiration to UIC Chair Chats

Even after earning NCAA and NBA basketball championships, an Olympic gold medal and retiring after a 13-year Hall of Fame career, Earvin "Magic" Johnson knew he still had one goal to keep.

After two years at Michigan State, where he led the Spartans to a championship in 1979, Johnson left to become the NBA draft's No. 1 pick - chosen, thanks to a coin flip, by the Los Angeles Lakers.

His mother and several sisters, who are educators, kept urging him to return and finish his degree, he told UIC Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda on April 10 as the latest guest of UIC's Chair Chats series at the Dorin Forum.

"My mother kept emphasizing, 'Hey, it's great that you're in the NBA and doing what you're doing, but I want you to go back and finish, and I promised her I would, so that was the reason I went back," said Johnson. "Who would have ever thought that going back would also help shape me to become a CEO in my businesses, so it really helped me out a lot."

He eventually earned an honorary doctorate in business from Michigan State.

The Chair Chats series has included talks with Hall of Fame basketball coach and Chicago native Mike "Coach K" Krzyzewski and Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key adviser to seven U.S. presidents, gathering well-known leaders on campus to share ideas and inspiration.

And it was inspiration Johnson brought to UIC along with his trademark 10,000-megawatt smile.

Having long ago traded in his purple Lakers jersey for designer business suits, the 66-year-old 6-foot-9-inch entrepreneur told audience members that hard work, dedication and pursuing his dreams serve as his mantra. Johnson, now a grandfather, maintains an athlete's schedule, going to bed at 8 p.m., then waking up at 4 a.m. and starting every day with two hours in the gym.

Johnson has continued to make history as a co-owner of teams in the NFL, MLB, WNBA, Major League Soccer, the National Women's Soccer League and eSports. His investment company fosters economic empowerment in urban communities through sports, real estate, infrastructure, financial services and consumer brands like SodexoMAGIC, UIC's dining and food services partner.

Along with his mother, Johnson credited his father for serving as a positive example early on as a man who worked two jobs his whole life. He remembered when he was young asking his father for spending money.

"I followed him, and he raised the garage door and said, 'I want to introduce you to Mr. Lawnmower, Mr. Rake and Mr. Shovel. If you want some money, that's how you are going to get it,'" said Johnson. "I'm so happy both of them were able to instill that type of work ethic in me."

At one point during the discussion, he stood from the chair where he had been sitting on stage facing Miranda. He walked to the edge of the stage, asked for the house lights to be turned on, then directed the UIC students in the audience to stand. He spoke directly to them with words of encouragement.

"Here's a kid that looked just like you, grew up much like you, so don't tell me that you can't reach your goal and dream," said Johnson. "Education, education, education. Love yourself and don't let nobody define what you can become because it's up to you."

Miranda asked Johnson about his role as an advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention following his HIV diagnosis. His public announcement in 1991 helped shift global perceptions of the disease.

"I had to educate myself," said Johnson. "I was able to go around the country to affect change."

UIC third-year student Pablo Dinverno from Joliet said that even though he was born after Johnson retired, he learned about his career because Johnson was his father's favorite player. Dinverno said there was no way he was going to miss Johnson and even wore Johnson's number 32 Lakers Jersey, championship ball cap and Lakers purple sneakers.

"I was star-struck, I couldn't believe it," said Dinverno, double-majoring in business administration and history. "It reaffirmed what I already knew, it's important to get this degree, and you've got to keep pushing even though it's hard, you have to love it."

Jordan Opoka, who will graduate from UIC next month with degrees in psychology and criminology, will remember Johnson's inspirational words when he receives his diploma.

"I think it was really great and really inspirational and motivational," said Opoka, of La Grange.