The NBA in the 80s was dominated by Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers. The 5x NBA Champion had a dream run during that era. But despite all the attention that Magic had on him, he had already given his heart to his college sweetheart, Cookie Johnson. The couple got married in 1991.

Anyone who has been in a marriage for so long would surely have good advice to give. Magic Johnson’s good friend legendary actor Samuel L Jackson also shared this wisdom on the subject. Jackson has been married to LaTanya Richardson Jackson since 1980. The couples share a great friendship and are often seen on vacations together.

Recently the Johnsons and the Jacksons inspired a Hollywood power couple.

The Johnsons and the Jacksons share their wisdom

Holly Robinson Peete and Rodney Peete are now known for hosting a dating series, Queens Court. The couple shares good friendship with the Johnsons and Jacksons and looks up to them as inspiration for their own marriage. They recently revealed how good it was to have such experienced people by their side who also gave great advice.

“The Jacksons and The Johnsons are comparable to our North Star couples,” Holly stated. “They have taught us so much. Samuel and Tanya, Ervin and Cookie, are just amazing people and have taught us a lot about what you go through in relationships,” she added.

Holly explained how despite Rodney and her having learnt a lot on their own – being married for 30 years – it has been great to have good people who have also traveled the same distance or more. “It is always good to have people around you who can say, ‘Wait until you’ve been married for 40 years’ so that you can see what that milestone feels like,” Rodney said, “They’ve been through similar situations, and you find out how they dealt with that,” she said talking about their couple -friends.

Although Holly and Rodney might look up to Magic and Jackson, it was revealed by Johnson’s wife in her memoir that his ego was a big problem back in the day. The Johnsons have been together since college days, and Cookie revealed that the NBA legend had some issues which they learnt how to cope with.

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Magic Johnson and Cookie had a rough patch

In her memoir Believing in Magic, Cookie revealed that the 12x NBA All-Star was so consumed with being Magic Johnson that his ego affected the couple’s relationship – after being married for over 10 years at the time. What brought Cookie to the point of breaking down was an incident that happened after when Magic received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame back in 2001. She revealed her embarrassment during the afterparty when the NBA superstar refused to dance with his wife.

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The impact was such that the couple decided to part ways there. However, Magic Johnson later revealed that nearly losing his wife made him understand her value and eventually brought them closer.

It’s surely nice to see the two now friends with and inspiring more like them!