Earvin Magic Johnson has earned many great accomplishments over the span of his life; five NBA championships, three league MVP awards, three Finals MVP awards, 12 All Star appearances and induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, just to name a few from his playing days.
Now, well into the post-playing stage of his career, he received yet another honor. Sports Illustrated honored him with the of 2014 Sportsman of the Year Legacy Award. The award puts him in a class of his own, as he is just the second person (and first athlete ever) to receive the honor.
Johnson has, since retiring from the NBA, gone on to great success outside of basketball. He has many successful business ventures and is a part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It is, of course, his more than two-decades-long commitment to promoting, supporting and advocating the fight against HIV/AIDS that has garnered him this honor.
The only other person to receive the award, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister to former US President John F. Kennedy, founded the Special Olympics. She received the honor in 2008.
Her son, Special Olympics chairman Timothy Shriver, compared Johnson’s work to that of his mothers in a recent Sports Illustrated article about the award.
When my mother founded Special Olympics, she envisioned a world where people of all abilities could be accepted – a world where no one would suffer stigma and marginalization. My mother chose to channel her energies into creating a better world for people with intellectual disabilities. Magic likewise bravely chose to turn personal adversity into positive action, and for that I commend him, and I am proud to add my congratulations on this extraordinary recognition of Magic Johnson’s achievements both on and off the court.”
That’s high praise coming from the 35th President’s nephew.
Peter Guber, the Golden State Warriors owner and business partner with Johnson in both his chain of movie theaters and the LA Dodgers, congratulated him on Twitter for receiving the honor from Sports Illustrated.
congrats to dear friend & longtime business partner @magicjohnson on receiving @SInow sportsman of the year legacy award…
— Peter Guber (@PeterGuber) December 11, 2014
Here is a sample of Johnson’s acceptance speech Wednesday night.
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Michael Brumagin writes the Tweet of the Day for SheridanHoops.com and is also a correspondent for BleacherReport.com. Follow @mbrumagin