Magic Johnson’s $620 million fortune was in danger when wife Cookie separated from him
Magic Johnson was the smiling face of the NBA in the 1980s.
Earvin Johnson became “Magic” to the world for a reason. The swashbuckling guard rocked the NBA with his flashy plays and his penchant for creating opportunities out of thin air.
Magic’s infectious laugh and personality accentuated by the bright lights of Hollywood soon became a spectacle. “Showtime” was Magic and no one can say otherwise.
The NBA star was a young man from Lansing who had a nimble step.
Also read: The $600 million Lakers exec chose Magic Johnson for his smile and style, according to Jeanie Buss
Naturally, personal life and publicity intersected in Magic’s life. The young phenom’s relationship with his high school sweetheart, Cookie, was a matter of public knowledge.
Due to the high-profile nature of the relationship, controversy was never far from Magic. Post-retirement, with Magic building an empire of their own, intrigue peaked at one point around the pair.
Apparently, the duo had been apart for a couple of weeks. The reason for the same was unknown to the public and the story fizzled out once the couple reunited soon after.
Until Cookie Johnson spilled the beans.
What did Cookie Johnson reveal about her two-week split with Magic Johnson?
According to for Cookie, an incident that took place the night Magic received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was the trigger.
Here’s what he had to say about it, according to HuffPost.
“As a marriage transitions and the journey continues, what happens is sometimes the wife and kids move this way and, you know, your husband is working… I wasn’t working on at the time, so it was all in motherhood,” says Cookie. “On his part, he was building his business as it got bigger and bigger, and his ego got bigger and bigger. So, everything became work for him.”
Mrs. Johnson further added.
“There was a big party… I was dancing with some girls… It was like, ‘I don’t want you to dance with me. I want to dance with these people here. That affected me, because she had been boiling, boiling, boiling, boiling anyway. And I lost it.
Cookie also later said that this also led to their first public fight with each other, something that was followed by a breakup. But luckily, the couple got back together just two weeks after the fact and have been working hard on their marriage ever since.
Saved by the skin of your teeth, Magic Johnson.
One more misstep at a bad time, and not only would you have lost the love of your life, but also about half of your $620 million net worth.
Also read: “Michael Jordan didn’t trust Magic Johnson, he was jealous!”: David Falk explains why MJ didn’t like the Lakers icon
