*Magic Johnson’s success on and off the basketball court is nothing short of a blueprint on the right way to elevate.
As many reasons bear responsibility, the former Los Angeles Laker partially owes his success to gang members who helped him on his journey to helping his community as a whole grow in a positive fashion. All in the name of making his community better with people from the neighborhood. All people from the neighborhood, including some of the most infamous LA-based gang members all over Los Angeles.
“I went and sat down with [leaders of both] the Bloods and the Crips,” Johnson told Jalen Rose in a New York Post interview in 2021. “I said, ‘Listen, can’t be no violence here. Matter of fact, I’ll hire some of you guys and put you to work.’ You know what? I hired 10 out of the gang. Both gangs, 20 gang members, and 15 of them stayed permanently. And it’s really changed their lives.”
Johnson’s gang alliance lined up with his overall vision towards a successful transition into the business world with smart investments towards building state-of-the-art facilities and start businesses that would resonate with the people in the neighborhood. For the former Dream Team member, it boils down to mentorship and teamwork, two essential factors in starting, maintaining, and expanding a business.
With a solid foundation comprised of guidance and collaboration, possibilities were infinite businesses bent on going beyond the next level. In Johnson’s eyes, that meant being around the right people as far back as his early days in the NBA. True to form, the three-time MVP found a great starting point in the late Lakers owner, Dr. Jerry Buss.
Scroll to continue reading
Learning from Buss was one of the smartest moves Johnson made as he gained the insights and knowledge he needed to shape his approach to business.
“I made sure that I told Dr. Buss, ‘You, as an owner of the Lakers, you have to be my first mentor. Teach me business.'” Johnson shared. “And sure enough, he explained the business to me. And so, I owe him a lot for helping me while I was still a player, you know?”
Buss was only the first step in Johnson’s business evolution. Assembling a top tier team around him was the something the sports legend made his business, with selecting the best professionals to bring their unique skills and expertise into the mix.
The result: a noticeable presence and reputation as a certified force.
“And then I put a team around myself. Michael Ovitz — who was the most powerful agent probably ever in the history of agency, who started and built CAA — he said to me, ‘Do you think you’re the best basketball player?’ I said yes. ‘Then you got to get the best people around you,'” Johnson said. “The best managers, the best agents, the best accountants. Those who don’t need your money.'”
Examining Johnson’s path to post-NBA greatness, Basketball Network notes “the vibrant charisma and magnetic personality that defines him” as keys to his success, in addition to Johnson’s “engaging demeanor and ability to connect with different types of people.”
“As of 2025, Magic reportedly boasts an impressive fortune of $1.6 billion, a testament to his savvy and entrepreneurial skills,” the site voiced, touching on Johnson’s “ownership stakes in professional sports teams, investments in real estate, insurance companies, technology firms, and much more.”
Couple this with inspiring others in inner cities to aim high, with his journey from basketball superstar to successful businessman serves and Johnson can rightfully come to mind among business greats.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB: How Did He Do That? Magic Johnson Now Worth 30 Times More Than Income He Pulled in During NBA Player Days
