By Rachel Williams, NACAC Communications

Los Angeles (Sept. 26, 2024) — When Earvin “Magic” Johnson was in the ninth grade in Lansing, Michigan, his college counselor changed the trajectory of his life.

“My counselor [Ms. Bird] pulled me aside and said, ‘You’re a great basketball player, but no one will ever know because you’re reading below your grade level. I’m going to come up with a plan — you’re not going to like it — but if you do what I say, we’ll catch you up.’”

After morning and evening tutoring sessions and summer school, Johnson’s reading level was back on track, as were his dreams of playing college basketball and in the NBA.

Johnson told this story during his keynote speech to more than 7,000 college admission counseling professionals at NACAC Conference 2024 in Los Angeles.

“Somebody like you helped me to achieve my dreams. I’m here to thank you,” said Johnson. “If it weren’t for my high school counselor back in Michigan, I wouldn’t be here.”

Johnson went on to win the basketball state championship while on the Everett High School team and played two years of college basketball at Michigan State University. Michigan State won the 1978-79 NCAA championship, and Johnson was named Most Outstanding Player before being drafted in the 1979 NBA draft. He won five NBA championships between 1980 and 1988 while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.

“After defying the odds and bringing that school [Everett] to a championship, the greatest moment was walking across that stage with a scholarship,” said Johnson, who was the first in his family to attend college.

Even while achieving success as an entrepreneur and businessman, Johnson remembered the impact of Ms. Bird, his professors, and other academic advisors who helped him along the way. When he was first drafted to the Lakers, he identified his first business opportunity: to buy a radio station in Denver, Colorado.

“Guess who I called first when I bought that radio station? Ms. Bird,” said Johnson. “I wanted her to know that all her work had paid off. All that time invested in me.”

Beyond the basketball court, Johnson has found purpose in investing in inner cities across the country, especially Black and brown under-resourced communities like the one he grew up in.

“When I go to inner city schools to speak to students, I don’t talk about basketball,” he said. “I talk about education, education, education.”

After his speech, Johnson was joined by NACAC CEO Angel B. Pérez onstage, where they talked about his relationship with his son, EJ, and his wife, Cookie; his battle with HIV in the public eye in the early 1990s; his thoughts on changes happening for student athletes in the NCAA; and his advice for counselors advising student athletes today.

“Don’t treat them differently,” he said. “Just because they’re good on the court, they still need to be good in life. When ego gets them, remind them: There are a lot of broke athletes out there. If you don’t want to be like them, then listen to me.”

Keynote speaker Earvin “Magic” Johnson with NACAC CEO Angel B. Pérez onstage at NACAC Conference 2024