How can someone so intense smile so much? From the smile that was as large as piano keys to his 6-foot-9 frame to his dizzying triple doubles during prep school, the super-talented Earvin Johnson was transformed into a larger-than-life star when a local reporter, who witnessed a game where he scored 36 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and had 16 assists, adorned Johnson the sobriquet that he is still defined by: “Magic.”
Magic’s effervescence and undeniable charisma on and off the court would not only catapult him in the coming years into rarified air, it would help Magic negotiate seemingly insurmountable obstacles that would have defeated a lesser man.
