Who Are Magic Johnson's 3 Kids?

Magic Johnson is a legendary basketball player, successful businessman, and passionate philanthropist, but the role he's perhaps proudest of is being a dad. While celebrating Father's Day in 2019, Johnson revealed on Facebook just how important fatherhood has been to him, writing, "It's a privilege to raise, love, and nurture another generation of leaders and we should not take our job lightly." He's also frequently underscored the importance of dads by crediting his own pops, Earvin Johnson Sr., with making him the person he is today. "I carry and uphold his values of discipline, focus, attention to detail, drive, and passion with me every day," he wrote on Instagram.

While folks likely recognize Johnson's middle child and namesake, Earvin "EJ" Johnson III, from his stint on an E! reality show, the NBA MVP actually has three kids. His eldest is businessman Andre Johnson and his youngest, Elisa Johnson, has been busy pursuing her passion for fashion. Here's everything we know about Andre, EJ, and Elisa Johnson.

Earvin "Magic" Johnson met his future wife, Cookie Johnson, through a mutual friend back in the late 1970s when they were both attending a Michigan State University party. They would eventually marry in 1991, but not before they took a break from their romance. During this time, Johnson began dating Melissa Mitchell. Although little is known about Mitchell, she and Johnson had one son together, Andre Johnson, born February 20, 1981.

Unlike his younger siblings, Andre has kept much of his life under wraps — perhaps because he's been so busy hustling. Up until 2021, he and Mike Dupree hosted the "Please Elaborate" podcast, in which they spoke about everything, including news, sports, fashion, and music. Once the show went on hiatus, Andre pivoted to another venture in 2022, becoming the executive vice president of business development at SimWin Sports, a virtual sports metaverse that also allows betting. As of 2025, Andre's Instagram profile also links to what appears to be yet another business, a company called screenskinz, which allows customers to DIY screen protectors. Before that, Andre worked as head of business development at content studio The Virtual Reality Company and vice president of business development at game technology company Mythical Games.

As if that weren't enough, Andre also makes time to volunteer, working with inner-city youth participating in the Teens Exploring Technology (TXT) program. Andre has been a mentor at TXT since 2014, whose mission is to "inspire boys from disadvantaged communities to become leaders and technology entrepreneurs."

We may not know a lot about Andre Johnson, but even his limited social media presence makes it clear that he's a proud family man. Magic Johnson's eldest son tied the knot with Lisa (Meyers) Johnson in 2010, and they have two kids together: Gigi and Avery. While celebrating a milestone anniversary in 2025, Andre revealed on Instagram that his love story was actually quite similar to his father's. "Who knew that me convincing you to meet me for dinner as a friend would turn into 15 years of love, life, and partnership," he mused.

Andre and his family also remain close with his dad and siblings, regularly spending time together. Indeed, Andre showed off just how important Magic is in his life while celebrating the NBA MVP's birthday in 2025. "Thank you for showing us that it's not only important to be a blessing to your family, but your community and everyone else you come in contact with," he enthused on Instagram.

Given their strong bond, it came as no surprise when, in 2023, Magic announced on Instagram that Andre would join Magic Johnson Enterprises as its executive vice president of partnerships and community. "Andre is a great addition to the team and will help facilitate our expansion into new industries and work with our existing partners," Magic praised.

Earvin "EJ" Johnson III was making headlines before he was even born. In November 1991, Magic Johnson announced that he was retiring from the NBA, was H.I.V. positive, and had gotten the virus from a partner who was not his wife. These revelations thrust him and his family further into the spotlight, including their unborn son. At the time, Cookie Johnson was two months pregnant with EJ and there were concerns that both she and her child may also be carrying the disease. Luckily, they both tested negative and EJ was born on June 4, 1992.

After being exposed to the media his entire life, EJ agreed to appear on the small screen in the E! reality show "Rich Kids of Beverly Hills." What started as a handful of cameos in the inaugural 2014 season soon turned into EJ becoming a full-fledged cast member. That, in turn, opened the door to work as an E! News fashion correspondent, a small part on Prime Video rom-com "With Love," and a major role in the 2022 Disney+ reboot of "Proud Family," dubbed "The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder." However, EJ wasn't simply chasing fame. He quickly put his newfound platform to good use, becoming an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and urging his followers to support his favorite causes, including the Human Rights Campaign and Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

More than two decades after Magic Johnson's sexuality made headlines, EJ Johnson had his own eerily similar experience. In 2013, TMZ published photos of him holding hands with a male friend and, deciding to own the narrative, he came out publicly. As EJ later told The New York Times, news that he was gay may have surprised the public, but it wasn't a revelation to his family.

Shortly before heading off to New York University to study hospitality and event planning and design, a 17-year-old EJ told his parents he was gay. Both struggled to accept it initially, with mom Cookie Johnson admitting to Oprah that EJ's proclamation clashed with her faith. "That was a very, very hard thing for me," she recalled. After praying for guidance, she concluded that "this child is innocent. He was like this when he was a baby. It can't be wrong." As for Magic, EJ told Variety, "He just was rattling off about things that weren't particularly nice." For his part, the MVP explained to The New York Times that he was simply trying to warn his son about the potential struggles he might face. "His family and those that know him would always love him, but there would be people that don't know him and may not approve," Magic reasoned. Ultimately, it took him about two months to come around. Now, their bond is as strong as ever. "He saw me grow into myself, and we've really come full circle with each other," EJ told People in 2014.

EJ Johnson's passion for fashion began when he was just 4 years old. He would raid his mom's luxury closet to play dress-up, joining a long list of celeb kids who love to wear their parent's clothes. Cookie Johnson was all for it. She soon taught her son about her favorite brands, but for EJ, it was about more than just labels. As he once told ESPN, "It's not really just the clothes that I'm wearing, it's definitely a part of, you know, how I express myself."

That means choosing pieces that show off the mood he's in at any given time. Indeed, EJ has become famous for his gender-bending fashion, but as he told E! News in 2019, that doesn't mean he plans to transition, despite considering it after seeing Caitlyn Jenner's transition. "I feel like this is the body I'm supposed to be in," he shared, but added that he won't be toning down his wardrobe anytime soon. "I can be butch, I can be fem, I can do whatever I want," he mused.

Around the time he turned 18, EJ also started experimenting with beauty and pushing the boundaries of how much makeup is acceptable for a man to wear. As he told GQ, being able to express his feminine side rather than hide it made him feel much happier. His hope is that people eventually become less judgemental. "If you see someone doing something you've never seen before, that shouldn't be weird," he reasoned. "It may not be for you, but don't demonize it."

Elisa Johnson was born on December 21, 1994. When she was just three days old, she was adopted by Magic and Cookie Johnson. She was instantly a part of the family, telling CR Fashion Book, "I never felt out of place growing up." Following in her famous father's footsteps, she began playing basketball at a young age and had her sights set on joining the WNBA (à la Caitlin Clark) all the way until she got to high school. That's when she began to discover her love of fashion and, eventually, Elisa decided to turn that into her career, enrolling in the Fashion Institute of Technology to study business. During her final semester in 2017, she took things a step further and signed with Wilhelmina Models, all while building a portfolio as a fashion influencer on Instagram.

Fascinated by all facets of the industry, Elisa also launched her own website, Selected by Elisa, in 2020 to highlight Black-owned fashion and beauty brands she loves. As she explained to CFDA, "If this site even makes one person feel seen, or provides them with resources that help them, then it's worth it." As for her own top style inspiration, she doesn't have to look further than her older brother. "[EJ Johnson] is the one person who I can think about when I want to be fully confident," she told W magazine, revealing she often tells herself, "Do it like EJ."

The Johnson family is made up of passionate advocates, starting with Magic Johnson, who has supported the fight against HIV/AIDS ever since his own diagnosis in 1991. Meanwhile, EJ Johson has devoted his time to supporting LGBTQ+ initiatives, and Cookie Johnson works with the LadyLike Foundation, which strives to educate and empower inner-city women. Over the years, Elisa Johnson has contributed her time to both of her parents' causes, teaming up with her mom to support LadyLike and telling CR Fashion Book, "It's really important to me to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS, so I hope I'll be able to help educate people about it."

However, she was also adamant that she wanted to find a way to give back that was all her own. As she told W magazine, that led her to use her own life experience to help kids in need. Similarly to how Paris Hilton became an advocate for kids in residential facilities based on her own traumatic childhood, Elisa decided to draw on her roots and work with adopted and foster children. Although she's the first to admit her experience was unique and she was blessed with incredible parents — "My background is different than anyone else's background" — she's sure just listening and talking can go a long way. "I know what it's like to feel sometimes like you're not whole, that something's missing," she explained.

In December 2018, a 23-year-old Elisa Johnson rented an Airbnb with nine of her friends in California's San Fernando Valley. Their fun getaway turned into a nightmare. Early on Sunday morning, two armed men broke into the home and held folks at gunpoint while they stole between $30,000 and $40,000 worth of jewels, cash, and tech (per TMZ). At the time of the break-in, Elisa was in her bedroom and was able to exit through a sliding glass door at the back of the house, which allowed her to get away unseen. Not long after, she took to Instagram Stories to post (per People) "God is so good."

Elisa didn't share any more about the terrifying incident until April 2019, when she posted a since-deleted photo to Instagram showing several long scars running horizontally across her abdomen. It was then that she revealed the full extent of her injuries, writing (per People), "I escaped from a home invasion and in the process I was left with intense scarring on my stomach." Elisa added that she had felt insecure about herself ever since, but she was slowly embracing her body and learning to love it, just the way it is. "I now realize these scars are a part of my journey, and tell the story of who I am," she mused.

Magic Johnson is a multi-time MVP who became a billionaire in 2023, but his kids are adamant that their childhood wasn't informed by fame and fortune, making them anything but nepo babies. "I had a totally normal upbringing — my dad was just my dad," youngest child Elisa Johnson told CR Fashion Book in 2016. That being said, her father was one of the greatest athletes to ever play in the NBA, so there were some unusual circumstances to contend with. "People would come up to us a lot and ask for photos, or we would need security for certain trips," she recalled, but rather than it being a nuisance, she saw it in a positive light. Indeed, most celebrity kids find out their parents are famous later on in life and Elisa was no exception. "As a young girl, I was proud because I thought my dad was a superhero," she mused.

Middle child EJ Johnson seconded his sister's claims, telling E! News in 2019 that starring on the network's "Rich Kids of Beverly Hills" reality show actually gave viewers the wrong idea about him and his family. "People just assumed that all my friends were, like, super-duper wealthy," he explained. In truth, that was EJ's first time being surrounded by others his age who were just as privileged. "That was different to me," he claimed, adding, "I've had friends over the years from all different kinds of socio-economic statuses."