Magic Johnson is among four NBA players who became millionaires.
He is joined by LeBron James, Michael Jordan and the late Junior Bridgeman. On a recent episode of his podcast, Los Angeles Lakers teammate Byron Scott detailed how Johnson always had visions of becoming a billionaire.
Scott said they would often have discussion about life after basketball. Scott wanted to be a coach, which he did with the Brooklyn Nets. So did Michael Cooper, who led the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA.
Scott said Johnson countered with this, "I wanna be a billionaire," Scott said. "He was like, `Man, they gave the wrong brother some money. I'm going to make this money work. I'm gonna be an entrepreneur.'"
Johnson has a role in several businesses, including ownership with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Commanders.
"He said this 40 years ago," Scott said. "You've taken that mindset into business."
Johnson told Scott he was always plotting his next move while playing in the NBA. He learned along the way while working alongside team owner Dr. Jerry Buss.
"Everything I learned on the court, I applied in business," Johnson said. "The same discipline, the same work ethic, same focus. You've got to have strategies and then you build this successful company and then you got to protect your brand and grow it just like we grew the Laker brand.
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
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