Magic Johnson

In 1977 Earvin “Magic” Johnson won a state championship with Everett High School in Lansing, Michigan, and was named a McDonald’sMcDonald’sMcDonald’s is a publicly traded restaurant company headquartered in Chicago, known for hamburgers, fries, drive-thrus and its franchise network. Its origins lie in the restaurant opened by Richard and Maurice McDonald in 1940; Ray Kroc expanded franchising from 1955. It operates across more than 100 countries, with the great majority of restaurants run by independent operators.Open the full entry All-American.⁠[1]

Johnson earned All-America honors at Michigan State and won the 1979 NCAA national championship with the team.⁠[2][1]

With the Los Angeles Lakers, Johnson won five NBA championships, in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988; he was NBA Finals MVP as a rookie in 1980 and again in 1982 and 1987, and he was named regular-season MVP three times, in 1987, 1989 and 1990.⁠[1][2]

He was a 12-time All-Star (1980 and 1982–1992), a two-time All-Star Game MVP (1990 and 1992) and a nine-time All-NBA First Team selection (1983–1991), and he led the league in assists four times and in steals twice. He finished his career with 17,707 points, 10,141 assists and 6,559 rebounds, averaging 19.5 points, 11.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game, and retired as the NBA’s all-time assists leader.⁠[1][2]

In 1987 Johnson formed Magic Johnson Enterprises, which provides entertainment, products and services for multicultural communities and describes itself as a “catalyst for fostering community and economic empowerment.”⁠[3]

In 1992 Johnson won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the U.S. men’s basketball “Dream Team.” That year he received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award and the NAACP Image Award’s Jackie Robinson Sports Award, and in 1993 he won the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.⁠[1]

In 1995 Johnson’s Johnson Development Corporation partnered with Sony Retail Entertainment to open a 12-screen Magic Johnson Theatres multiplex in Los Angeles.⁠[3]

In 1998 Johnson Development partnered with StarbucksStarbucksStarbucks is a publicly traded coffee company headquartered in Seattle, founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker and Zev Siegl. Howard Schultz subsequently developed its coffeehouse model and international expansion. It operates company-owned and licensed coffeehouses and sells packaged coffee through partners. Its shares trade on Nasdaq under SBUX.Open the full entry to create Urban Coffee Opportunities, whose first store opened that year in Ladera Heights, California; Johnson sold his Starbucks shares in 2010.⁠[3]

Johnson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002 and 2010 and into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.⁠[1]

In 2006 Magic Johnson Enterprises partnered with Sodexo to form SodexoMagic.⁠[3]

In 2012 Guggenheim Baseball Management, whose ownership group included Mark Walter, Johnson, Peter Guber and Stan Kasten, acquired the Los Angeles Dodgers for $2 billion; the deal closed as of April 30, 2012, and was funded on May 1, 2012.⁠[4]

In 2014 Johnson became the controlling shareholder of EquiTrust Life Insurance Co. In 2020 EquiTrust provided $325 million for Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program loans to minority- and women-owned businesses.⁠[3]

In 2020, after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers, Johnson resumed his role as chairman and chief executive officer of Magic Johnson Enterprises.⁠[3]

On July 20, 2023, the NFLNFLThe NFL (National Football League) is a U.S. professional American football league of 32 clubs. Founded in 1920 as the APFA and renamed in 1922, it is organized into the AFC and NFC, with the season culminating in the Super Bowl.Open the full entry approved the acquisition of the Washington Commanders by a partnership led by Josh Harris, and the transaction closed on July 21; Johnson is a member of the new ownership group.⁠[5]

On February 11, 2026, Andreessen HorowitzAndreessen HorowitzAndreessen Horowitz (a16z) is a venture capital firm founded in 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. It invests from the seed stage through the growth stage and provides operational support to its portfolio companies.Open the full entry (a16z) released an interview with Johnson conducted by Chris Lyons, president of a16z Halo; the a16z website titled it “How Magic Johnson Built a Billion-Dollar Portfolio in 30 Years,” and the YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry video is titled “Inside The Life of Silicon Valley's First Athlete Investor | Magic Johnson.”⁠[6][7]

The interview traced Johnson’s 30-year path from athlete to businessman, covering deal-making, lessons from his mentors Michael OvitzMichael OvitzMichael Ovitz is an American Hollywood agent and businessman, a co-founder of the talent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA), which he chaired from 1975 to 1995, and was once regarded as one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood. He briefly served as President of The Walt Disney Company from 1995 to 1996, and his severance gave rise to shareholder litigation lasting nearly a decade; he later headed Artists Management Group and turned to technology investing and advisory work.Open the full entry and Jerry Buss, why boring businesses can make strong investments, his ownership stakes in the Dodgers, the Commanders and the Los Angeles Sparks, and what the next generation of athletes and entertainers should know about equity, building teams and taking risks.⁠[6]

Championships Johnson has won as an owner include the Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA titles in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2008, the Los Angeles Sparks’ 2016 WNBA title, the Dodgers’ World Series titles in 2020, 2024 and 2025, and LAFCLos Angeles Football ClubLos Angeles Football Club (LAFC) are a Major League Soccer club whose regular home is BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. The club won its first MLS Cup in 2022.Open the full entry’s 2022 MLSMLSMajor League Soccer (MLS) is a top-flight professional soccer league comprising clubs in the United States and Canada. Play began in 1996, and the league has 30 clubs divided between Eastern and Western Conferences in 2026.Open the full entry Cup; he is also an owner of the esports organization Team Liquid.⁠[1]

Johnson’s other honors include LA Businessman of the Year in 1994, the 2003 BET Humanitarian Award, the 2014 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Legacy Award, the 2019 LA Chamber of Commerce Civic Medal of Honor and NBA Lifetime Achievement Award, and honorary degrees from Michigan State University and Xavier University of Louisiana; he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.⁠[1]

Magic Johnson Enterprises: Official website: https://magicjohnson.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[3]