Magic Johnson and Cookie Johnson first met at Michigan State University in the late ’70s

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Magic Johnson has been married to his wife, Cookie Johnson, for over three decades.

Although the former professional basketball star is famous worldwide for leading the Los Angeles Lakers during their 1980s Showtime era, he has always maintained that Cookie has been the source of meaning in his life. After meeting at Michigan State University in 1978 and dating on and off for over a decade, the couple got married in 1991 and later welcomed two children.

“The reason I live today, and the reason I work as hard today, is for my wife and my family,” Magic told PEOPLE in September 2016.

On Nov. 7, 1991, nearly two months after getting married, Magic announced his HIV diagnosis and retirement from the NBA. He told PEOPLE in the same 2016 interview that he gave Cookie the option to walk away from the relationship — something that Magic recalled was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. However, she remained by his side, with Magic crediting her loyalty for saving his life.

“I think that if Cookie had left, I’d probably be dead now — no question about it,” he said.

So, who is Magic Johnson’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Cookie Johnson and her relationship with the NBA legend.

She was born in Alabama

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Cookie was born in Huntsville, Alabama, as Earleatha Kelly. She is the middle child of two siblings, an older sister and a younger brother. According to AL.com, she was named after her father Earl, and her mother, Cora, who originally nicknamed her “Kookie” after Edd Byrnes’ character from the 77 Sunset Strip series.

She later changed the spelling to “Cookie,” and her family eventually moved to Michigan when she was 6 years old.

“Detroit is my home,” Cookie told the outlet. “But Huntsville is where my roots are.”

She met Magic in college

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Magic and Cookie met as students at Michigan State University in the late ’70s. Magic, a freshman, was already a well-known local athlete when the two crossed paths at a party on campus before Christmas break.

“I never asked her to dance,” he said in his 2016 interview with PEOPLE. “I just watched her dance, and I said, ‘I’ve got to get to know that woman.'”

Before leaving the party, he asked for her number and called her consistently throughout the break. They began dating when school resumed the following semester.

She and Magic got married in 1991

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The longtime couple wed in an intimate ceremony in Lansing, Michigan — Magic’s hometown — on Sept. 14, 1999. Their road to the altar was not an easy one, though. Over the course of their decades-long relationship, Magic and Cookie broke up and reconciled several times before Magic proposed.

He almost broke off the engagement as well because he had some hesitations and doubts about marriage. Cookie opened up about the difficult moment in his 2022 Apple TV+ docuseries They Call Me Magic. She recalled telling him: “Well, you know, after all we’ve been through, that’s not … I can’t do that. So, if you’re gonna break the engagement, we’re breaking up.”

Magic Johnson and Candy Johnson.MAGIC JOHNSON INSTAGRAM

Magic and Cookie were able to work through their differences and have now been happily married for over 30 years. The NBA star celebrated their 32nd anniversary with a sweet Instagram Reel showing photos of the couple over the years.

“Today and for many years to come, I celebrate my wife of 32 years, Cookie Johnson on this very special anniversary,” Magic captioned the post.

“I appreciate your everlasting love and encouragement you give me each and every day,” he added.

She shares two children with Magic

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Cookie gave birth to the couple’s son, Earvin “EJ” Johnson III, in 1992, and in 1994, the couple adopted their daughter, Elisa Johnson. Cookie is also stepmom to Magic’s oldest child, Andre Johnson, whom he welcomed in 1981 with ex-girlfriend Melissa Mitchell while he and Cookie were on a break.

The family is known for their public appearances together on the red carpet. E.J. also starred on season 4 of E!’s Rich Kids of Beverly Hills and his own spinoff series, EJNYC.

She and Magic were born the same year

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Cookie is six months older than Magic — she was born on Jan. 20, 1959, and Magic was born on Aug. 14 of the same year.

In 2019, the two hosted a weekend-long party for their joint 60th birthday in St. Tropez, France, featuring celebrity guests like Jennifer Lopez, Spike Lee and Angela Bassett and her husband Courtney B. Vance.

Cookie shared a glimpse of their festivities on Instagram, writing, “What an incredible start to celebrating our 60th birthdays yesterday, I can’t wait to see what Earvin has planned for tonight!!”

She takes an annual yacht trip with Magic

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Magic and Cookie are known for their annual lavish yachting trips with famous friends, such as Samuel L. Jackson and LL Cool J. In 2021, the group traced a route from Greece to Italy, stopping at ports in Capri, Sorrento and Sardinia.

Their 281-foot yacht was decked out with seven guest suites, a gym, a hair salon and two massage rooms. It also featured a full bar and a party deck.

“A beautiful day in Zakynthos, Greece overlooking the city with two of our best friends on this earth who we love dearly,” Magic captioned a photo on Instagram of himself, Cookie, Holly Robinson and Rodney Peete.

In July 2023, the couple chartered a 296-foot superyacht with their friends Jackson and Judge Greg Mathis, and their respective wives. The group visited ports in Italy, France and Greece. While in Capri, they enjoyed dinner with Michael Jordan and his wife, Yvette Prieto, at the world-famous Da Paolino Ristorante.

Before the trip was over, Magic surprised Cookie and her friends with a photo shoot in Santorini, Greece. All the women donned “flying dresses,” which featured long, dramatic trains.

“My wife Cookie looks absolutely STUNNING in her gold flying dress!” the basketball commentator wrote on Instagram alongside a series of photos.

She was by Magic’s side when he was diagnosed with HIV

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Shortly after Magic and Cookie tied the knot, Magic announced that he tested positive for HIV during a press conference. Cookie was pregnant with their first child at the time.

“There was no greater pressure than driving home to tell her,” Magic later told CBS Mornings‘ Gayle King in a joint interview with Cookie in November 2021.

She proceeded to be tested for HIV herself. Magic said he was “scared to death,” adding, “The key moment was when Cookie took the test, and the results came back that her and the baby was fine.”

Cookie was terrified by Magic’s prognosis. “It was, ‘You’re possibly going to die.’ And that trumped everything,” she said.

“At that time, people weren’t educated, so they thought you couldn’t touch people. You couldn’t hug people. And I didn’t want people to treat us like we were lepers,” Cookie told King.

“It was difficult. We cried for a couple of days just holding each other,” Magic told PEOPLE in 2016. “[Cookie] thought it was a death sentence because that’s all we knew.”

Joining her husband at the press conference, Cookie wore a symbolic white suit.

“I wore that white suit for a reason,” she said in the CBS Mornings interview. “I didn’t want to wear anything dark or black because to me, it’s what it symbolized. And the white suit, to me, symbolized brightness, like a future basically [and] positivity.”

Magic and Cookie faced the diagnosis together, with Cookie serving as a support system for the former Lakers player. Magic is now an HIV activist and spokesperson and has been praised for helping to combat the stigma surrounding the disease.

She was supportive when her son EJ came out as gay

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EJ initially came out as gay to his mom in his early teens before coming out to Magic about a year later.

Cookie said accepting her son’s sexual orientation in light of her Christian faith was “a very hard thing for [her],” as she told Oprah Winfrey in 2016.

After much thought, she decided, “‘This child is innocent. He was like this when he was a baby; it can’t be wrong. It can’t be wrong.’ “

She told Winfrey, “This was one of those moments where I had to go directly to God, and I prayed … and the answer I got back was love. And he said, you know, ‘I give you all great gifts, and the greatest of that gift is love.’ “

“And so, that’s when I knew I could love my son and support him on who he was, and I was okay with it,” she concluded.

EJ came out publicly in 2013 and has openly discussed gender identity and sexuality. As he entered the spotlight, his love for gender-fluid fashion stirred curiosity about the possibility of transitioning. In a conversation on E!’s Just the Sip podcast, EJ said he doesn’t see himself transitioning in his future.

“I’m just very comfortable in my own skin. I like my body,” he said.

Gabrielle Union has since credited Cookie as a role model in her quest to support her stepchild Zaya, Dwyane Wade’s child from a previous relationship, who came out as transgender.

She said Magic and Cookie “were the first people we called” and that they showed them the way.

“They gave us the blueprint,” Union said of Magic and Cookie. “And literally, every step of the way, in my career, in his [Wade] career, they have been there.”

She’s a best-selling author

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Cookie shared the story of Magic’s HIV diagnosis from her perspective in her 2016 best-selling memoir, Believing in Magic. In it, she detailed how she supported Magic after his diagnosis and shared how his health battle shaped their marriage.

She’s a philanthropist and businesswoman

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The same year he was diagnosed with HIV, Magic founded the Magic Johnson Foundation to help raise awareness of the disease and educate people on prevention and treatment. Cookie has served as a board member since its founding and often speaks to women’s groups, community events and local schools about HIV/AIDS, according to her website. She is also an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community and uses “her voice & platform, through speaking engagements and supporting organizations that relate to that community.”

In 2009, Cookie launched a denim line, CJ by Cookie Johnson, which she was inspired to launch from her experience of struggling to find jeans that suited her body type. When she realized countless women shared her experience, she set out to create jeans that fit women whose bodies existed outside of the fashion industry standards.

As evidenced by her Instagram, Cookie is passionate about several other causes, including Feed the Children, and advocates for them through various events.