Magic Johnson

Obama Disses Michael Jordan: 'Nobody...Is a Bigger Icon Than Magic Johnson'
By Tim Graham | November 28, 2013 | 5:12 PM EST

Washington Post reporter Philip Rucker sympathetically noted that a "battered" President Obama "grew introspective" on his West Coast fundraising tour for Democrats. At NBA legend Magic Johnson's house, Obama said he talked with David Remnick, the editor of The New Yorker, who's traveling with the president. Obama said Remnick, who was a sports reporter earlier in his career, asked him, “So, what about Magic? What does this mean to you?”

Obama seemed to completely dismiss Michael Jordan and his "hometown" Chicago Bulls by saying there's "nobody" who is a "bigger icon" than Magic:

Obama Skips Congressional Conference Call on Syria, Talks Jobs With Magic Johnson
By Noel Sheppard | August 30, 2013 | 12:32 PM EDT

The United States is about to start a war with Syria, yet President Obama still had time Thursday to meet with NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson to discuss - wait for it! - jobs.

Johnson announced the news on Twitter, and even called the current White House resident "the smartest and most powerful leader in the world":

MSNBC's Toure Neblett Deceptively Edits Magic Johnson Comments About Football Player's N-Word
By Noel Sheppard | August 3, 2013 | 4:25 PM EDT

As NewsBusters has often reported, the folks at MSNBC have a disturbing habit of deceptively editing videos to radically change their meaning.

Maybe that's where MSNBC's Toure Neblett learned this, for on Friday, he dramatically edited a Magic Johnson tweet about Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper:

NBC's Lauer Frets: Gay Athletes Staying in Closet 'Says Something About the Times We're Living In'
By Kyle Drennen | April 5, 2013 | 6:03 PM EDT

On Friday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer accused American society of being intolerant of gay athletes: "There are no openly gay players, but there are lots of gay athletes in major sports, and the fact that they still feel as if they'll be ostracized if they come out is – says something about the times we're living in." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Lauer made the comment in reaction to a story about the son of former basketball star Magic Johnson coming out as gay. In that report, Willie Geist proclaimed: "Magic has been a champion of causes within the gay and lesbian community for decades....with the support of such a beloved icon, there is renewed hope that this will help break the taboo of open sexuality in the sports world....There remain no openly gay players in any of the major professional team sports. But Magic said in that interview yesterday he expects that to change and soon."