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Ocean Views Make $7.6 Million Estate A Slam-Dunk For Magic

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By RUTH RYON, Los Angeles Times

Published: November 24, 2007

LOS ANGELES - It took a year to find it, but Los Angeles Lakers legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson and his wife, Cookie, purchased what they call their "vacation home" in time for Thanksgiving.

And they found the $7.6 million home in Orange County.

Why Orange County? "Because he likes Dana Point better than Malibu," said Shelley Brown, who represented the Johnsons through Prudential California Realty, Beverly Hills.

The couple, who live in the Beverly Hills area, bought a newly built home in a gated community with a private beach, located between a cove and a five-star hotel. The 7,700-square-foot home has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a deck, a wine cellar and a home theater. The three-story Mediterranean also has an elevator and a pool.

From almost every window, there's a view of Catalina Island, the coastline or the ocean. So mesmerizing is the sight of sunlight on the saltwater that, when he saw it, the basketball great was moved to say something that had not been voiced in the couple's vacation-home hunt.

"We walked in, and he said, 'This is it,'" Brown recalled.

He may have found his Southern California vacation home, but there's no guarantee that he'll have much time to use it.

"He's a very busy man," Brown said. "He's still involved with the Lakers and has a Starbucks and other businesses."

The former basketball star became part owner of the Lakers in 1994, the same year he became head coach. After playing with the Lakers from 1979 to 1992, he became a sportscaster on NBC-TV and a studio analyst on TNT.

Plenty Of Green Space For Golfer

Professional golfer Corey Pavin and his wife, Lisa, are on the ball in Brentwood on the west side of Los Angeles, where they just purchased a meticulously renovated 1961 home for $3 million.

The one-story home has three bedrooms and four bathrooms in nearly 3,000 square feet. There is a water feature inside the house that leads visitors to the back yard and its private gardens.

The Oxnard-born golf star, 47, has 15 PGA Tour victories, including the U.S. Open in 1995.

In 2006, he set a PGA Tour nine-hole record of 26 at the U.S. Bank Championship.

The Pavins also have homes in Dallas and San Diego.

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