Even though he couldn’t play on the court anymore, Johnson never truly left the public spotlight. For awhile he even had his own talk show, The Magic Hour, albeit for only an eight week period.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAtmgxwBUQg
Johnson’s brief stint in television was simply a precursor to his desire to remain a public figure. His entrepreneurial skills are almost as impressive as his basketball moves. Johnson owned a variety of Starbucks coffee shops, Fatburger restaurants, and 24-Hour Fitness centers. His ownership portfolio is as diverse as it is broad, and nearly all of Johnson’s ventures have been successful.
After that Johnson returned to his first passion, basketball. Johnson was a part-time owner of the Los Angeles Lakers until selling his share of the team in October 2010. He also sold a large portion of his other small businesses and currently has his mind set on several long-term goals. Johnson has expressed his desire to bring a professional NFL franchise back to Los Angeles, and has been in talks as a potential shareholder for a L.A.-based team.
Johnson is also working on a venture capitalist project to help the city of Detroit, Michigan, which has suffered the worst of the United States’ economic woes these past few years. Johnson has been working on turning Detroit back into a powerful, work-producing city that can be proud of the jobs it creates and the people that it helps. Johnson’s efforts in Detroit are largely investment based, and revolve around reviving a once proud city.
Johnson is currently working for ABC as an analyst for the NBA. He is regularly seen doing interviews with some of the league’s biggest names for ABC’s NBA Sunday Showcase.
While it is always easy to look back 20 years later and analyze a person’s life, it is important to realize just how far Johnson has come in the last two decades. The announcement of his retirement was far more than a basketball player calling it quits. However, at this point it is obvious that that day ended up being the major fissure in the two different halves of Johnson’s life.
On this day in Nov. 1991, the basketball career of Magic Johnson effectively ended, but the Johnson that we all see today was born. Today’s Magic Johnson still has the same electric smile that could light up a room. His charm is just as infectious as it was 20 years ago. But Magic Johnson the man is much different now, and the world is better for it.
Johnson has become one of the top activists for HIV awareness and research. He has been named entrepreneur of the year and has earned a reputation as a man with a heart and mind that is determined to make the world a better place.
For any basketball fan Magic Johnson has become much more than just a former player. While his no-look passes and orchestration of the Lakers’ Showtime offense made him legendary on the court, his 20 years off the court and his commitment to the community has truly made him an immortal figure in the global community, and a powerful symbol of hope.
For those looking for more stories and anecdotes on Magic Johnson on this anniversary of his retirement I would strongly encourage Bill Plaschke’s recent article in the L.A. Times on Johnson.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxBM3dTPc_k
