Former NBA legend Magic Johnson is a father of three and shares his kids with his wife, Cookie, and ex-girlfriend, Melissa Mitchell. Details about his family explored.
Magic Johnson, one of the greatest players in National Basketball Association history, led the Los Angeles Lakers to five championships.
He played point guard for the team for 13 seasons and won five NBA Championships in the years: 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988.
In 2023, Forbes Magazine declared NBA Hall of Famer Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson a billionaire. His financial status makes him the 4th athlete to become a billionaire in the world.
Aside from basketball career, he has made insane wealth from businesses and investments.
Away from his career, and insane surge in his net worth, he is a father and a proud one to be precise. Here’s everything we know about his children.
How many children does Magic Johnson have?
Aside from Magic Johnson being known as a legendary basketball player and business magnate, he is a proud father.
The retired point guard has three children; two sons and a daughter whose names are Andre Johnson, Earvin “EJ” Johnson III, and Elisa Johnson.
He shares his children with two women; his first with his ex-girlfriend, Melissa Mitchell, and his second and third kids with his current spouse, Cookie Johnson.
Johnson welcomed his first child, son Andre, 42, with ex-girlfriend Melissa Mitchell in 1981, while he and his wife were on break.
Magic and Cookie gave birth to the couple’s son, Earvin “EJ” Johnson III, 31, in 1992.
In 1994, the couple adopted their daughter, Elisa Johnson, 28.
The family is known for their public appearances together on the red carpet. E.J. also starred on season 4 of E!’s Rich Kids of Beverly Hills and his spinoff series, EJNYC.
Over the years, Magic and Cookie have been open about their responsibilities as parents — like when Magic told Ellen DeGeneres that he was “so happy” when their son EJ came out as gay.
“It’s all about you not trying to decide what your daughter or son should be or what you want them to become,” he said. “It’s all about loving them no matter who they are, what they decide to do.”
Magic and Cookie have shared lots of fun moments with their family over the years, including a July 2023 yacht trip with their children and grandchildren in the Mediterranean. The NBA legend shared a photo on Instagram of the group posing on the deck of their boat as well as a snap of himself and Cookie standing together.
Here’s everything to know about Magic Johnson’s three kids.
Who is Andre Johnson?
Andre Johnson is the eldest child of former NBA icon Magic Johnson.
He was born on February 20, 1981, to Magic and his then-girlfriend, Melissa Mitchell.
Andre, the most private of all of the legendary basketball Hall of Famer, has built a career in business and entrepreneurship — he even worked for his father’s investment company, Magic Johnson Enterprises, according to Men’s Health. In 2022, he became an executive vice president of business development at SimWin Sports, a digital sports league.
Andre is also a co-host of the podcast Please Elaborate, on which he and Mike Dupree discuss current events and culture.
He’s a father, raising two children with his wife Lisa, whom he’s been with since 2010. The family of four showed off their Halloween costumes on Instagram in 2022, with Andre dressing as Uncle Drew.
Who is EJ Johnson?
EJ Johnson is the first child between Magic Johnson and his wife, Cookie.
He was born on June 4, 1992, in Beverly Hills, California, United States.
His real name is Earvin Johnson III. EJ was named after his father and grandfather.
Of all of Magic’s children, EJ, 31, is the most famous. He’s an American television personality and socialite.
EJ publicly came out as gay in 2013, though he came out to his family several years earlier. Since then, he has starred on two reality shows: Rich Kids of Beverly Hills and EJNYC.
He has also been open about how having a famous dad has impacted his personal life. In 2018, EJ told Red Table Talk‘s Jada Pinkett Smith that he had encountered a lot of men who were only interested in meeting Magic and his proximity to fame.
“It’s always been a struggle. There’s so many factors,” he said. “First of all, the celebrity thing — who are you here for, are you dating me or are you trying to date my dad? These men either just want to be there for one thing and then don’t want to stay for the real relationship part, or they just want to ride the wave and be bougie and go out and have their picture taken and do all of that.”
Who is Elisa Johnson?
Elisa Johnson is the youngest child between Magic Johnson and his wife, Cookie.
She was born on Dec. 21, 1994. Magic and Cookie adopted Elisa when she was just 3 days old.
In a 2016 interview with CR Fashion Book, Elisa recalled that her childhood with famous parents was as normal as it could be. “I was born and raised in Los Angeles,” she said. “My parents adopted me when I was 3 days old, but I never felt out of place growing up. I was completely immersed in the L.A. lifestyle for all of my childhood and teenage years: shopping, eating on Sunset Boulevard, occasional trips to Malibu and hanging out with all my closest friends. Now, I’m living in Manhattan and I love it because everything is so much more accessible.”
Elisa joined her brother EJ on Rich Kids of Beverly Hills, appearing as a friend of the cast. In the years that followed, Elisa became passionate about advocacy, just like her parents — Magic has been an advocate for HIV/AIDS awareness since opening up about his own HIV diagnosis in 1991.
“It’s really important to me to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS,” she told CR. “I hope [in 10 years] I’ll be able to help educate people about it. The biggest stigma with my age group is that people believe that it can’t happen to them, which couldn’t be more untrue.”