2024 on the professional front had a lot of success for Earvin Magic Johnson. From adding another team to his portfolio to bagging another ring to his esteemed resume. But 2025 has started on a note, that even the Lakers’ icon didn’t believe was a possibility. Johnson was in Washington earlier, well not for his NWSL team Spirts, but to celebrate his individual success, and witnessing the prideful moment was his daughter.

On Saturday, Magic Johnson was one among 18 who were being honored with the highest civilian award in the US. Yes, President Joe Biden honored the 5x champion with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Accompanying him to the White House for the event was Elisa Johnson. She shared a couple of snaps on Instagram from her time there, one including Johnson walking the corridors, possibly towards the ceremony.

“I am so humbled and overwhelmed with emotion right now. It is an absolute honor and privilege that President Joe Biden selected me for the esteemed Presidential Medal of Freedom award,” the Lakers icon shared on Instagram. “Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that this kid from Lansing, MI would one day grow up and receive one of the highest civilian awards of the United States.”

The honor is presented to individuals ‘who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors’. A crucial force behind the Lakers’ showtime era, Johnson took his influence beyond the court to advocate HIV and start the Magic Johnson Foundation to support the underserved. In recognizing the efforts, Biden and the NBA star even shared a hilarious moment.

Thanks to his 6’9″stature, Johnson had to squat down for the president to place the medal around his neck. The NBA icon’s elation was visible as he savored the moment. But the 5x champion expresses the honor isn’t all his.

“This award is not just mine; it belongs to everyone who has helped me become the person and businessman I am today—my parents Earvin Sr. and Christine, wife Cookie, my kids Andre, EJ and Elisa; my brothers and sisters, friends, mentors, and colleagues. It also belongs to everyone who has dedicated themselves to the causes of freedom, justice, and equality.”

While Elisa Johnson was a proud daughter today, her stance to take the course of her life in her hands and use her platform for good has left Johnson with the same sentiment.

Like father, like daughter, Elisa follows Magic Johnson in business and community good

The 30-year-old is not just an influencer. She is also a businesswoman and fashion designer who started her own luxury label. With the initial investment from the 3x Finals MVP, Elisa kick-started her own eye ware brand, Elisa Johnson Co. Though there was initial back and forth between the father-daughter duo, the former gave in after seeing the efforts and he is beyond proud of his little one today.

“Happy 30th birthday to my beautiful daughter, Elisa! Its been a joy to see you become the woman and entrepreneur that you are today. I can’t wait to see how God continues to bless you! I love you! ❤️” She has had enough support to build her own name, away from the tags of Johnson’s daughter and EJ’s sister. “I felt like I was always that person. And so to do this, Elisa Johnson Co. is my own thing,” she says. But Elisa isn’t stopping there.

To offer the black community a voice, the 30-year-old also launched editorial & shopping platform Selected by Elisa, where her aim is to ‘amplify black achievements in fashion, beauty, advocacy, and beyond’. Carving her own path, Elisa is, but she isn’t deterring from her father’s views and beliefs.