Earvin Johnson III was born on June 4, 1992, in Beverly Hills, California, to Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Earlitha "Cookie" Johnson (née Kelly).^[1] He has an older brother, Andre, and a younger sister, Elisa. He was raised in the Pentecostal Christian faith.^[2] Johnson attended New York University, studying hospitality with a focus on event planning and design.^[3] Johnson is gay and announced it to his family at the age of 17 and announced publicly in 2013 after a report by TMZ published pictures of him holding hands with a male friend. He was supported by his family in his decision to come out publicly.^{[4][5][6][7][8]} After his decision, Johnson left the West Angeles Church of God in Christ, the church in which he grew up, due to their views on homosexuality.