Magic Johnson entertained and inspired on the Trask Coliseum floor on Thursday night, flashing his famous smile, wrapping his long arms around children, endearing as ever. He shared tales from his Hall of Fame basketball career, shed light on his multimillion-dollar business empire, told how he rebounded after learning he'd contracted HIV in 1991.
The former Los Angeles Lakers point guard, a five-time world champion, stepped down from the stage early, walked among the rows of middle school students seated on the Trask floor. He talked about growing up poor in a large family in Lansing, Mich., and urged the students not to let similar situations keep them from having dreams and reaching them.
"I had the peanut butter, but I didn't have the jelly," Johnson said. "We had the Kool-Aid but we didn't have the sugar."
Johnson came to UNC-Wilmington to kick off the Wilma Daniels Distinguished Lecture Series. Members of both the men's and women's basketball teams were in attendance, and security was tight in and around Trask.
At a brief press conference before the 45-minute lecture, he explained how he avoided the financial mistakes so many professional athletes make after hanging up their sneakers.
"The downfall for professional athletes is material things," Johnson said. "You have to get a really solid team of people around you, and understand that you have to invest your money, save your money and apply yourself like you did as a professional athlete ... I always wanted to be a businessman."
Johnson reflected on spending his childhood summers around Tarboro and Rocky Mount, and a narrow loss to North Carolina that his Michigan State Spartans suffered in 1978-79, the season he led them past Larry Bird and Indiana State in the national finals.
How he cried when then Lakers general manager Jerry West handed him his first pro uniform, and how his father helped him ‘negotiate' his first professional contract for $400,000.
A fierce competitor, Johnson said he doesn't know how to relax and loves staying on the go. He recently sold his five percent ownership in the Lakers, then turned around and joined an ownership group that paid a professional sports record $2 billion to purchase the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball franchise.
Johnson, 53, connected with everyone in the crowd, young and old, at some point, telling the college students what he looks for when hiring employees and how a former receptionist now earns a seven-figure salary running one of his companies.
"She had hustle. She was committed to the company, committed to the brand," Johnson said. "The grade point average is great, but I want the one who has common sense, who can perform under pressure. The one that is hungry, the first one there and last one to leave."
Johnson is proud that he's invested in the urban community with his businesses, training and hiring employees to work in his movie theaters or coffee houses. His first movie theater was built in between territories of rival gangs, but he met with leaders of both sides and maintained the peace.
"What a journey I've been on," Johnson said. "An amazing run. Success, going through tough times, I've never forgotten where I've come from. That's the most important thing in life. Always come back and help the community."
Written by Brian Mull for StarNews Online
