Who is Cookie Johnson? All about Magic Johnson’s wife as he praises “best friend”

A successful businessman, a basketball icon, and a doting husband, Magic Johnson has once again proved the latter to be his all-time mood. Attending the HollyRod Foundation's 2025 DesignCare Gala, the iconic baller gushed over his wife of 34 years, Cookie Johnson.

In a conversation with US Weekly Magazine, Magic was quoted as saying,

"She’s my best friend besides being my wife."

He further added,

"Cookie is a caretaker and she takes care of myself, our kids, our grandchildren and all of her friends. She’s a woman of God, and it’s a blessing."

A former professional basketball icon known for leading the Los Angeles Lakers during their '80s winning streak, Johnson has always been all praise for his wife, Cookie.

He even reportedly said the following to PEOPLE magazine back in 2016:

"The reason I live today, and the reason I work as hard today, is for my wife and my family."

Who is Cookie Johnson?

Born in Huntsville, Alabama, Cookie Johnson was born as Earleatha Kelly. It was her mother, Cora, who originally nicknamed her 'Kookie' after a character from Edd Byrnes' 77 Sunset Strip drama series.

Cookie and Magic met at a party during their college days at Michigan State University in the 1970s, where Magic was 'enamored' by her dancing. He is reported to have said,

"I never asked her to dance. I just watched her dance, and I said, 'I've got to get to know that woman."

The couple dated on and off before eventually getting married in an intimate setting in 1991.

A long road to the altar

Cookie Johnson and Magic's romance has been through its fair share of tests. Over the decades, their relationship saw breakups and reconciliations before they finally said, 'I do.' Magic even reportedly went as far as breaking away from the engagement owing to 'cold feet.'

In the Apple TV+ docuseries They Call Me Magic, Cookie recalled telling Magic (sic),

"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."

However, soon after the wedding, Magic broke the news of his being HIV positive to Cookie, who was pregnant with their first child then. In their appearance together on the Gayle King Show, Cookie Johnson reportedly 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."

The episode aired in November 2021,

Many Roles to Play

Cookie Johnson is an accomplished businesswoman and philanthropist in her own right. She has served on the board of the Magic Johnson Foundation, established to raise awareness about HIV, since its inception. She also launched a denim line, CJ by Cookie Johnson, inspired by her own experience of struggling to find jeans that fit her body type perfectly. Not stopping at that, she released her best-selling memoir, Believing in Magic, where she detailed how she supported Magic when he announced his HIV diagnosis.