'Keep living your truth': Magic Johnson tells son EJ it's what he loves about him most

EJ Johnson is 31 and his famous parents, NBA vet Earvin "Magic" Johnson and wife Cookie, took to Instagram to mark the special occasion with a wholesome show of support.

"Happy Birthday to my son, EJ!! I love your pure heart and creativity! Keep living your truth, it’s what I love about you most! Have a great day❤️" Magic wrote on Monday. The Lakers legend shared a pair of photos of the two of them, with EJ wearing his signature glam ensembles.

"my @ejjohnson_! You are my great love!" added EJ's mom, Cookie Johnson, who shared a baby picture of EJ along with some of his recent looks. "I pray that the Lord will have favor on you and bless you abundantly in your 31st year. Love you sweetheart, Mom."

Followers immediately took to the comments section of the posts to praise the family's "unconditional love."

"I take my hat off to magic for standing by his son," one user wrote on Magic's post.

"God bless you for allowing him to live in his truth. Be his protector from this cruel world!" wrote another.

"This is a true example of unconditional love really don’t know even as a Pastor if I could pull this off🙏🏾💪🏾" added a third.

EJ, who has become a fashion icon with his glam androgynous style, is the middle of Magic's three children and first with Cookie, with whom he also has a daughter (Elisa, 28). EJ was outed as gay by TMZ in 2013 before starring in the E! reality series "Rich Kids of Beverly Hills" from 2014 to 2016, which further delved into his private life.

While many speculated that his sartorial selections meant he was transgender, EJ shut that down in 2019. The reality star, who underwent gastric sleeve surgery in 2014, told E! News that he once thought about transition surgery but decided against it because he's "very happy" as himself and likes how fashion allows him to experiment with different styles.

"I can be [masculine], I can be [feminine]. I can do whatever I want with it and work with it," said the star of "The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder." "If I want to [dress in drag], then I’ll do that. But I don’t want to do that all the time."

His father — whose HIV diagnosis and activism changed the face of HIV/AIDS — has been among EJ's most vocal supporters, although the basketball star at first struggled with learning about EJ's sexual orientation.

In a 2018 episode of "Red Table Talk," EJ and Cookie shared how the NBA Hall of Famer first reacted to EJ coming out to them just before leaving for college. Magic said "hurtful" initial words to his son, but after a conversation with Cookie, who told Magic that his reaction "wasn't right," the Lakers legend came around.

EJ told the panel that the day after he came out to his parents, his father came to his room and said, "We’re going to get through this, and I just need time" and the two began to cry.

In a Variety interview last year, the "They Call Me Magic" star said that not everyone has been so accepting of his acceptance.

"You get the other side, too," Magic said. "A lot of people don’t love that I love my son."

Johnson said that EJ "changed" him because of how proud EJ is of who he is.

"As I grew older, as my wife talked to me, I couldn’t [judge EJ]," the athlete-turned-businessman said. "I had to accept who he was and who he wanted to be. He actually helped me get there. Because he was so proud. Cookie said, ‘Look in the mirror.’ I said, ‘You’re right.’ Because I’m proud of who I am. And he got it from me.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.