Airborne with Magic Johnson

Magic in the Air: Head to head w/MJ

I Got the Magic Stick!
 May, 1996. Following a grueling E-3 show, my boss and I are waiting to board a commuter flight from LAX - SFO for meetings with software developers, when there in the conjoined boarding area is The Magic man, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, - in line to board at the very next gate.

Yes, he'd made the announcement of his HIV condition about 5 years earlier and was now retired, but even out of uniform to see that face, and that smile, was like a radiant blast of L.A. sunshine.

Magic Johnson: A Love Supreme

My boss had lamented in the cab that she didn't make time to get a picture taken with Sonic the Hedgehog at the SEGA booth, for her kids, so I urged her to hit up Magic for the goods. "Drive for the lane, shoot and score an autograph!" I pushed, so she'd have a trophy for her young son, a wild NBA fan. No NBA captain, she mustered a Hello, but didn't have the guts to request an autograph

Yours truly was less bold than that, just staring slack-jawed at the Magic Man.  He boarded his flight, and that was that....

I've always been a Celtics fan.

But I will not deny the incredible natural talent, the on-court leadership, and the warm personal appeal of this giant.