The National Urban League and the Los Angeles Urban League will honor civil rights activist and media entrepreneur, Danny J. Bakewell, Sr., sports legend, entrepreneur and businessman, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and Los Angeles mayoral candidate and U.S. Congresswoman Karen Bass at their Community of Champions Luncheon on Friday, February 11.
The National Urban League and the Los Angeles Urban League will honor civil rights activist and media entrepreneur, Danny J. Bakewell, Sr., sports legend, entrepreneur and businessman, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and Los Angeles mayoral candidate and U.S. Congresswoman Karen Bass at their Community of Champions Luncheon on Friday, February 11.
Earvin “Magic” Johnson is a sports icon and is also the chairman and chief executive officer of Magic Johnson Enterprises, an investment conglomerate that provides high-quality products and services that focus primarily on ethnically-diverse and underserved urban communities.
Having left the basketball court for the boardroom, Johnson parlayed the skills and tenacity he acquired playing the game into a winning formula for his successful business ventures.
For the last two decades, Johnson has consistently turned heads with his unprecedented partnerships. In his early years as an entrepreneur, he forged an alliance with Sony Pictures to develop Magic Johnson Theatres.
In 1998, he teamed with Starbucks to become the only franchise in the history of the company, acquiring and eventually selling 125 stores in a lucrative move, which further solidified his position in the business world.
Both ventures served as catalysts for redevelopment in urban communities, and are widely recognized as the corporate blueprint for engagement and success with urban consumers across America.
Still a commanding presence in the sports world, Johnson made history in 2012, when he became co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, a Major League Baseball franchise that was purchased for an astronomical $2 billion dollars. It was the highest purchase price for any professional sports team at the time. He also co-owns the WNBA Los Angeles Sparks, Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Football Club, and eSports franchise Team Liquid.
Johnson continues to expand his influence through a number of other investments. He currently has controlling interests in EquiTrust, a $20 billion financial services company, and SodexoMAGIC, a food service and facilities management company.