Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Magic Johnson celebrated his 60th birthday on Wednesday, and in doing so assembled various “top-60” lists that ranked favorite TV shows, film, travel locations and athletes who became entrepreneurs in their post-playing days, among other topics/subjects.
Johnson, who of course was the conductor of Showtime for the L.A. Lakers as they won five championships, has carried his on-court success into the business arena. His portfolio has included multiple Starbucks locations, movie theaters and other ventures.
Beyond becoming a Lakers icon, Johnson has been sought out by current and former professional athletes for business advice. In ranking his top 60 entrepreneurs who also were athletes, Johnson included fellow Dodgers co-owner Billie Jean King and SportsNet LA analyst Nomar Garciaparra.
With the rankings done alphabetically, King and Garciaparra checked in at Nos. 4 and 41, respectively.
Top 60 athletes turned entrepreneurs: pic.twitter.com/1jrHxaHpHg
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) August 13, 2019
King, along with partner Ilana Kloss, joined the Dodgers ownership group in September 2018. They joined Mark Walter, the Guggenheim Partners, Stan Kasten, Johnson and others that purchased the team from Frank McCourt in 2012.
King and Kloss are not only former tennis champions but also social activists, particularly in the city of Los Angeles. They co-founded the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, which addresses inclusion and diversity issues in the workplace.
The couple also are founding board members of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and they serve on the executive committee of the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF).
Garciaparra, who spent three of his 14 Major League seasons with the Dodgers, founded the Garciaparra Baseball Group (GBG) Training Academy along with his brother, Michael, and partners, Paul Rappoli and Trolia, to develop youth and high school players.
The group has aided SportsNet LA in clinics they’ve hosted for local kids and operates multiple teams throughout the greater Southern California area.
In late 2018, the Dodgers ownership group (through private investment firm Elysian Park Ventures), Garciaparra and former MLB prospect Aaron Trolia announced the launch of E|L1, which aimed to solve the challenges youth athletes and their families face.
Powered by E|L1, the group opened the first Dodgers Training Academy in Redondo Beach. E|L1 relies on an approach that includes credible instruction by former professional athletes, ongoing immersive training for coaches and managers and educational seminars for parents and guardians—all at an affordable cost.
“E|L1 is a player-first organization that values personal development just as much as training and winning, and believes that youth of all ages and skill levels should have greater access to the game,” Garciaparra said.
“As a former youth athlete and parent, I know the industry is broken. We are launching E|L1 to help kids learn for those who’ve lived it at the highest levels, and set a new standard for excellence in instruction.”
