Winning Time Season 2 – What Happened To Magic Johnson's Son Andre In Real Life

HBO's fictionalized version of the Showtime Lakers features the birth of Magic Johnson's firstborn son Andre, which is loosely based on real life.

Summary

• Winning Time season 2 depicts Magic Johnson's entry into fatherhood with his ex-girlfriend Rhonda, who is loosely based on Melissa Mitchell.
• The first episode of Winning Time season 2 shows Magic's legal team's initial efforts to dismiss his son Andre, but Magic really flew out to see Andre on the day he was born.
• Magic Johnson supported Andre financially and offered him business opportunities after he grew up, eventually leading him to become an executive at Magic Johnson Enterprises.

HBO's new season of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty sees a fictionalized version of Magic Johnson becoming a father to his firstborn son Andre. Winning Time season 2 depicts the earliest moments of Magic's entry into fatherhood alongside his parents and the mother of his child, Rhonda. Before Winning Time season 2 premiered, it was unclear who Rhonda was meant to represent based on Magic's true life story but with the birth of Andre, it's evident that Rhonda is loosely based on Magic's ex-girlfriend Melissa Mitchell.

In Winning Time season 2, episode 1, Rhonda names Magic's first son Andre, which is one of the hard-to-find historical accuracies in the dramatized HBO series. The episode demonstrates initial efforts from Magic's legal team to dismiss the child altogether so that he can continue to focus on his celebrity and basketball career. In reality, Magic did actually fly out to see Andre on the day he was born even though he and Melissa were no longer together in February 1981, while he was sidelined with a critical knee injury.

Magic Johnson Helped Raise Andre Johnson & He Even Played Basketball

Although Magic Johnson's basketball career and commitment to the Lakers often took priority, he was still able to be a supportive father to Andre. Magic helped Melissa raise him when and how he could, providing financial stability for her and Andre as the young man grew up in Lansing, Michigan. While Magic wasn't able to offer a consistent fatherly presence through Andre's formative years, he was not neglectful of his firstborn son and was able to provide him with business opportunities as Andre matured.

Andre Johnson had garnered interest as a basketball player at Waverly High School in Lansing. Several curious parties were interested in seeing what potential for the game Magic's son might have, which set an unreasonably high standard for Andre throughout high school. Andre transferred after his freshman year, where he was a decent guard averaging twelve points and six assists per game, to Everett High School in Lansing. He decided to focus more on his academic pursuits at Everett than his basketball game.

Andre Johnson Became A Marketing Director At Magic Johnson Enterprises

After graduating from Santa Monica Community College with an associate's degree in business management, Andre soon began learning the tricks of his father's trade as a businessman. Magic grew into a sharp-minded owner of several franchises and businesses after his NBA career and coached Andre not on crossovers but on handshakes. Andre left his job at Elektra Records to become the Vice President of Business Development at Magic Johnson Enterprises between 2004 and 2010. He became the Executive Vice President of Business Development at SwimWin Sports in 2022 and currently co-hosts the podcast "Please Elaborate" with Mike Dupree. In the fictionalized world of HBO's Winning Time, however, he is still a newborn baby.

Source: ESPN