Has there ever been a professional athlete who has been more admired, attained more cultural cachet and procured more respect after he retired than Earvin “Magic” Johnson?

With his place in Los Angeles Lakers and NBA lore as firmly entrenched as the bronze statue that sits outside the Staples Center in downtown L.A., the man simply known as “Magic” has accomplished more in the business world than anyone could have ever fathomed, perhaps not even Johnson himself.

What other former athlete gets invited to the White House other than to receive congratulations for a championship?

Take a look below at the Earvin evolution from being merely another prep b-ball phenom from a Midwestern auto manufacturing town into an internationally-idolized business magnate.

– terry shropshire