Magic Johnson is an A+ dad.
The basketball legend appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Wednesday, and he got candid about his son E.J.'s coming out to him. It's clear from his sweet words that Johnson couldn't be prouder of the 24-year-old. He praised his son while offering some sound advice for parents of LGBTQ children.
"I think it's all about you not trying to decide what your daughter or son should be, or what you want them to become," Johnson told DeGeneres. "It's all about loving them no matter who they are, what they decide to do. And when my son came out, I was so happy for him, and happy for us as parents — and we love him, and E.J. is amazing."
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E.J. Johnson has earned fame in his own right — he starred on E!'s Rich Kids of Beverly Hills and eventually scored a spinoff, EJNYC. As The Grapevine notes, E.J. wears clothes designed for both men and women and has described his look as "gender fluid" on Instagram. He also discussed the possibility of transitioning during an EJNYC episode, saying he'd considered it but ultimately didn't "feel incomplete in that way."
"So you've got to support your child, because there are so many people who try to discriminate against them, so they need you to support them," Magic Johnson said on Ellen. "Because if you don't support them, who is going to support them and love them?"
Johnson also discussed one of his biggest regrets — not accepting an offer to own Nike stock — and the possibility of him holding public office. (It's not something he's interested in; he told DeGeneres he'd rather help other people get elected.) Check out the interview below.