NBA Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson and his wife, Cookie, took to social media to wish their son, EJ Johnson, a happy birthday and to show continued support for him.
On Magic’s Instagram account, he posted a picture of himself with EJ and offered the 31-year-old encouragement as he told him to “keep living your truth.”
“Happy Birthday to my son, EJ!! I love your pure heart and creativity! Keep living your truth, it’s what I love about you most! Have a great day❤️”
Another beautiful Instagram birthday tribute, from EJ’s mother, garnered nearly 16,000 likes and hundreds of comments.
“Happy birthday, my @ejjohnson_! You are my great love! I pray that the Lord will have favor on you and bless you abundantly in your 31st year.
Love you sweetheart,
Mom”
In 2022, Magic discussed his relationship with his son in the Apple TV+ docuseries “They Call Me Magic.” He admitted that he struggled with accepting that EJ was gay. Although close friends of EJ knew of his sexual preference, his parents were unaware. Magic recalled that Cookie knew before him and had to convince him to speak to EJ about it before he departed to attend college in New York at NYU.
In an interview with Variety, the Los Angles Laker legend said, “I had to accept who he was and who he wanted to be. He actually helped me get there. Because he was so proud. Cookie said, ‘Look in the mirror.’ I said, ‘You’re right.’ Because I’m proud of who I am. And he got it from me.”
“He changed me,” Magic stated. “He was so proud. This dude here is just so proud of who he is.”