Philippine Digital Convention 2022
headline speaker Earvin “Magic” Johnson talked about his
journey from being an NBA Hall of Famer to philanthropist and businessman
PLDT Group’s Cathy Y. Yang talked to PH Digicon 2022 headline speaker,
Earvin “Magic” Johnson, about his life and legacy
After two years of holding the country’s most prestigious and
one of the most sought-after thought leadership events in the Asia-Pacific
Region virtually, PLDT Enterprise
held the Philippine Digital Convention
(PH Digicon) last October 27-28, 2022, face-to-face
at the Marriott Grand Ballroom with a simultaneous broadcast online.
Highlighting the 2-day convention was the live
interview with the legendary basketball icon Earvin ‘Magic’
Johnson who strongly relates to the PH Digicon 2022 theme of BOUNDLESS. Hosted
by PLDT Group Corporate Communications Head, Cathy Yap-Yang, Johnson
fondly shares, “When I think about Boundless, I think that’s Magic
Johnson!”
Raising awareness
In 1991, Johnson officially retired
from his basketball career following the
announcement of his diagnosis with HIV. In the
same year, he founded the Magic Johnson Foundation, one of the most
recognizable philanthropic organizations around the world today, which serves
as a single-disease organization that works to raise funds for community-based
organizations dealing with HIV/AIDS education and prevention programs.
Looking back, Johnson recalls the
stigma and discrimination that used to rule the disease and how people talked
in “hushed voices”. Now, people can openly talk about and discuss HIV/AIDS–all
in the name of raising awareness of the disease.
Johnson’s ‘retirement’ didn’t hold
him back to do what he loves most when he came back to play in the 1992
All-Star Game and won the All-Star MVP Award. He was also a part of the ‘Dream
Team’ that won the Olympic gold medal in Barcelona during the 1992 Olympics.
“When I look at our team and our
achievements, we changed the world when it comes to the NBA and when it came to
basketball,” he says. “What we were able to accomplish in Barcelona, the way
that the world accepted us, we’ve never seen anything like it. We won the gold
medal, but we changed the game of basketball around the world forever. And I am
happy to be part of that.”
Raising the next
generation of entrepreneurs
Johnson is also the founder and CEO
of Magic Johnson Enterprises, a global empire with a wide range of business
endeavors that range from sports ownership, food service, to media and
entertainment. He may have come a long way from bringing coffee shops and
cinemas into Urban America, but he remains committed to his mission of creating
jobs and opportunities for minorities and women-owned firms. When asked about
retirement, the NBA Hall of Famer laughingly replied, “I am not built to slow
down. I am a worker; I love to work, [and I bring] passion to my job every
day.”
To prepare the next generation of
dreamers and entrepreneurs, the NBA Hall of Famer, businessman, and
philanthropist advised them about having a positive attitude despite setbacks,
the importance of believing in one’s self, and having mentors–a role that he
continues to play for many businesses, athletes, and his fans.
“My life is boundless. When I think
of my journey, that’s the word I would use. I did everything that was not
supposed to be done. When I think about boundless, I think that’s Magic Johnson!
I was the first to go through a lot of doors, a man of color. Trust me, you can
do it. Everybody out there, you can do it, you can have it, you can go do it,
it’s all up to you.”
30 years later, after countless
successful ventures, he shared, “Today, Magic’s court is the business world.”
For more information,
visit https://pldtenterprise.com/.