While Magic Johnson is not a rapper or a hip hop entertainer, he has influenced the culture ever since its inception. Magic Johnson has been the ultimate “from nothing to something” story throughout his career, both in basketball and business. Growing up in a large, less fortunate, family, Magic Johnson used basketball as an outlet and ended up leading the Los Angeles Lakers to several championships throughout the 1980s.
Magic Johnson, while still able to compete as one of the NBA’s best players, was forced to retire when he revealed he suffered from HIV. However, Magic Johnson returned to compete in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game and would soon return to playing basketball. Things were not the same, as the teammates during Johnson’s initial run were either traded or retired. As a result, the Lakers were not championship-caliber and Johnson soon retired for good.
In the time since his second retirement, Magic Johnson has established himself as a businessman, owning a stake in the Los Angeles Lakers and several movie theaters around the country. Alongside his theaters, Johnson owns stakes in several restaurants. In 2010, Magic Johnson took over VIBE magazine, having a direct impact on the hip hop community, now on a daily basis, through the online version of VIBE. Adding to his business portfolio, Magic Johnson has now added another professional sports franchise to his list. A Magic Johnson-led ownership group is currently in the process of purchasing the L.A. Dodgers of the MLB.
