By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
The former basketball player, ‘Magic’ Johnson, who is 64, has been declared a billionaire by the business magazine Forbes.
His wealth is estimated at US$ 1.2bn (£990m) and he joins an exclusive group of sports billionaires, namely, NBA players Michael Jordan and Lebron James, and golfer Tiger Woods.
Amongst other investments, he has stakes in several sports teams, including MLB Los Angeles Dodgers.
Johnson commented, referring to turning down shares he was offered in NIKE at the beginning of his career:
“When you don’t come from money…..I didn’t even know what stocks were…. So I passed on the stocks.”
However, sport is certainly big business!
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘