A clash of great minds. While he was a wizard on the court, Magic Johnson has been equally brilliant in his time away from the hardwood. In over 2 decades, he has built up a stellar resume in the post-basketball landscape. However, what remains impressive is his commitment to the community. As much as he flourishes, he wants to uplift the people along, simultaneously. That is how the Los Angeles Lakers legend found himself in the Windy City with some of the nation’s brightest.
“I want to thank Illinois State Treasurer Michael W. Frerichs for inviting my business partner Jim Reynolds and I to the “For the Long Term – Chicago Forum” in Chicago today! It was an all-around great meeting of the minds.”
But, there was one name in particular that the greatest point guard of all time had to acknowledge. “And look who I ran into; Ariel Investments Founder, Chaiman, Co-CEO and CIO John W. Rogers Jr., one of the greatest businessmen in the country! He has an amazing business partner, and my fellow NFL owner Mellody Hobson at Ariel Investments. He and Mellody have been doing great things around the country!”
Alongside the tweet, the 5x NBA Champion would post a picture with Rogers Jr. Of course the location for the entire meeting is one Magic is wholly familiar with. It is the same city where the 3x NBA MVP would play his final game before the HIV diagnosis in the NBA Finals. His opponent? Arguably the greatest resident in the city’s history – Michael Jordan.
Magic Johnson expands into Chicago
Just a few months ago, the Hall of Famer was the keynote presenter for another big-time meeting in the Windy City. The two-day event for the Chicago City Treasurer’s Office third annual Building Wealth Today for Tomorrow Career Fair and Financial Empowerment Summit had brought Earvin to the area.
As a business mogul, who took a less than $100 million NBA paycheck and turned it into a billion-dollar empire, there are very few who can realistically lay a claim to finding enough success to be the keynote presenter over the basketball legend.