Movie (well, docuseries)-making “Magic.”
Legendary basketball player Earvin "Magic" Johnson, who earned the moniker “Magic” for his superior talents as a high school baller, debuted the first episode of his Apple TV+ series “They Call Me Magic” Saturday at Austin’s South by Southwest festival. The four-part project, directed by Rick Famuyiwa (“Dope," "The Wood”), streams starting April 22.
The series features famous fans like Snoop Dogg (who shows off his Lakers arm tattoo), Samuel L. Jackson, Jimmy Kimmel and former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Filmmakers also talked to several athletes, including Johnson's Lakers teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – whom Johnson annoyed by playing Parliament-Funkadelic on a boom box – Larry Bird and Michael Jordan.
The series chronicles Johnson's upbringing, his high school and collegiate playing, his time in the NBA, as well as his pivot to business and philanthropic efforts. The docuseries also tells the story of how Johnson and his wife, Cookie (they've been married since 1991), weathered broken engagements and Johnson's HIV diagnosis.
In the documentary, Cookie says she believes her husband's God-given purpose was to be the face of HIV in order to help people and save lives.
Johnson, 62, agrees, he told USA TODAY on the red carpet of Saturday's premiere at Austin’s ZACH Theatre.
"I never go backwards. I always go forward. So yes, it's my purpose," Johnson says. "And I'm glad I've been the face of HIV for now 30 years. (It's) because of my wife's support, and my parents' support, and my kids that I'm still here 30 years later. I'm so blessed to have her as my wife and my partner, business partner and partner in crime."
The docuseries revisits panic in the NBA about Johnson's 1991 diagnosis among some players. Eyes were on him if he got a cut during a game.
Sportscaster Jim Hill, who has covered Johnson's career and is a close friend of the athlete, did a Q&A with his pal after Saturday's screening.
"What I remember is that we were very ignorant of the disease. We were dumb about what was going on," Hill says. "We had no idea. We thought we were going to lose him. And we were trying to prepare ourselves for losing someone who meant so much to us personally and professionally. But one of the things I remember him saying was, I'm going to beat this.' And when he said that, that made everybody kind of sit up straight."
Johnson explained that his docuseries was inspired by another one about a famous athlete.
"When Michael (Jordan) did 'Last Dance,' my phone just started ringing, and they said, 'When are you coming out with yours?,'" he says.
Johnson watched the series' premiere of his show for the first time with Saturday's audience.
"I knew that if I had seen it before – if I was a part of the team making decisions – we would've never been to this point. I'm such a perfectionist," he said. "I like to do everything the right way, and I probably never would've been happy."
After watching the premiere, Johnson had no complaints.
"I was up there laughing and almost crying at the same time," he said, explaining he was especially touched by comments from his family, Bird and Jordan.
Looks like the project is a slam dunk.
