Earvin “Magic” Johnson: The Supreme Businessman

Former NBA star looks to bring pro football back to Los Angeles.

By: Taren Vaughan

Nowadays, it’s simply not enough for professional athletes to just merely dribble a basketball or throw a football. Aside from the numerous endorsement deals that many of them get, these already millionaires are not satisfied with just one source of income. They are now searching for multiple ways to make their bank accounts increase. From launching rap and acting careers to opening up their own restaurants, many have tried to claim the status of notable businessmen. But only a handful of them have found lasting success in it. And in this bunch lies one former NBA star that has made his mark not only on the court but in the business world as well. And it’s not Air Jordan by the way.

NBA commentator and HIV activist Magic Johnson has managed to take the business world by storm and is continuing to take on new ventures as we speak. From movie theaters to restaurants, Mr. Johnson has tried his hand at a number of different things. And so far he has seemed to have the “Magic” touch.

Take Magic Johnson Enterprises for example. The company was started by the former NBA star 25 years ago and has continued to grow rapidly before our eyes. Not to mention the company has a net worth of approximately 700 million dollars. That’s way more money than he ever made shooting jump shots. Although based out of Beverly Hills, California, Magic Johnson Enterprises has reached several areas of the country. One of its main cash cows is the ever so popular Magic Johnson Theaters that gross millions of dollars each year. Despite all of the success he has had business-wise, there have been a few flops here and there for Mr. Johnson. Remember his late night television show? You may not have seeing as though it didn’t last too long. However, it did pull in viewers while it was on air during the late ‘90’s. So what if Magic wasn’t the next Montel Williams? Who really needs a TV show when you already have a company generating millions of dollars?

Now that he has virtually tried everything out there, Johnson has his heart set on bringing a professional football team back to one of the most popular cities in America. Doesn’t seem to be out of his league at all I must say. Many have come to the table with interest in doing so as well. But the offer seems to be leaning in Magic’s favor.

The question now is exactly how successful could Magic potentially be with this venture?

Chances are that he could do one hell of a job with it. For starters, the location of the team couldn’t be any better. Seeing as though the city of Los Angeles is a hot spot for tourists, flooded with thousands of Hollywood celebrities and is home to some of the current popular professional teams, I don’t think an NFL team would have a problem pulling in a substantial amount of cash. And I’m sure this is something LA residents have been waiting for to surface for quite some time now. It was all about finding the right person to carry out the job with perfection. So do you believe in Magic? Does he have it in him to bring about a successful NFL team to LA? With his track record, he could very well pull this one off with ease.