Earvin Johnson Jr. was born in Lansing, Michigan to General Motors assembly worker Earvin Sr. and school janitor Christine.[15] Johnson, who had six siblings and three half-siblings by his father's previous marriage,[16][3][18] was influenced by his parents' strong work ethic. His mother spent many hours after work each night cleaning their home and preparing the next day's meals, while his father did janitorial work at a used car lot and collected garbage, all while never missing a day at General Motors. Johnson would often help his father on the garbage route, and he was teased by neighborhood children who called him "Garbage Man".[19]