{"id":860437,"date":"2025-07-05T23:12:19","date_gmt":"2025-07-06T04:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/05\/73yo-business-icon-behind-billionaire-magic-johnson-earns-heartwarming-tribute-amid-iconic-honor\/"},"modified":"2025-07-05T23:12:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-06T04:12:19","slug":"73yo-business-icon-behind-billionaire-magic-johnson-earns-heartwarming-tribute-amid-iconic-honor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/05\/73yo-business-icon-behind-billionaire-magic-johnson-earns-heartwarming-tribute-amid-iconic-honor\/","title":{"rendered":"73YO Business Icon Behind Billionaire Magic Johnson Earns Heartwarming Tribute Amid Iconic Honor"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Almost 3 decades away from the NBA hardwood and Magic Johnson is still winning. The only difference? That number 32 jersey has been replaced by high-end custom-tailored suits, and the arena is no longer the Great Western Forum but the entire business space. From professional sports teams to restaurants and from movie theaters to financial services, Johnson is everywhere. No wonder he recently received an honor, recognizing his contributions to entrepreneurship and business leadership. And the one to present Buck with this honor? One of the first in the business space to have faith in Magic.<\/p>\n

That person is 73-year-old Ken Chenault, a name that holds serious weight in corporate America. But for Magic, it\u2019s not just about business. It\u2019s personal. Just last year, the Lakers icon revealed something deeply touching\u2014Chenault and American Express were the first major backers of his business ventures after he publicly announced his HIV diagnosis. \u201cI will always hold deep gratitude and love in my heart towards him for believing in me and helping jumpstart my business career,\u201d <\/em>he shared on Instagram.\u00a0And now, Chenault has recently bestowed the 5x NBA champ with a major honor.<\/a><\/p>\n

The update came from Magic Johnson himself in a post on X. \u201cA big thank you to one of the founders of the Boca Black Executive Leadership Conference John Utendahl and former American Express CEO Ken Chenault, for presenting me with the Boca Founders Entrepreneur Award at the 26th Annual Boca Black Executive Leadership Conference,\u201d <\/em>he wrote. And what significance does it hold?<\/p>\n

\n

ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Boca Founders Entrepreneur Award is an honor presented at the Boca Black Executive Leadership Conference, an annual event that recognizes and celebrates excellence among Black leaders in business, finance, and entrepreneurship. Now in its 26th year, the conference serves as a prestigious gathering for executives, innovators, and thought leaders, and the award highlights individuals who have made significant entrepreneurial contributions and demonstrated leadership that inspires economic and social advancement in the Black community. And Magic truly deserves the recognition.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

A big thank you to one of the founders of the Boca Black Executive Leadership Conference John Utendahl and former American Express CEO Ken Chenault, for presenting me with the Boca Founders Entrepreneur Award at the 26th Annual Boca Black Executive Leadership Conference. I\u2019m very\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/SfWPomThnZ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 1, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

And Magic Johnson didn\u2019t stop there. He gave a nod to Utendahl\u2019s remarkable rise from Wall Street to building the Utendahl Group, one of the top African American-owned investment banking firms. But when it came to Chenault, his words became even more heartfelt. \u201cKen Chenault is my hero and one of the smartest men in America. He is an astute businessman and someone who helped me 33 years ago, changing the course of my life,\u201d<\/em> Buck wrote. However, this was just the surface of how deeply Johnson respects Chenault.<\/p>\n

\n

ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Magic Johnson picks 73YO businessman as his presidential candidate over Stephen A. Smith<\/h2>\n

You may want to sit down for this one, because Stephen A. Smith might\u2019ve just stirred up his biggest headline yet. The always opinionated First Take<\/em> host surprised just about everyone last week when he floated a serious possibility: running for president in 2028. And no, this wasn\u2019t some over-the-top sports take. Smith doubled down, saying, \u201cI have no choice.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Now, just as that bold statement had people buzzing, none other than Magic Johnson jumped into the mix with a lighthearted jab. \u201cIs it true that my boy Stephen A. Smith is running for President? ????????????\u200d\u2642,\u201d<\/em> the NBA icon posted on X. Yep\u2014he went there. But wait, there\u2019s more. Magic Johnson didn\u2019t stop at poking fun. He actually had someone else in mind for the job.<\/p>\n

\n

ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"article-image\"<\/p>

\n

via Imago<\/p>\n

<\/g><\/clipPath><\/defs><\/svg><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the aforementioned X post, where Johnson praised John Utendahl and Ken Chenault, he wrote, \u201cKen is so smart he could be the Mayor of NY, the Governor NY, or the President of the United States \u2013 that\u2019s how brilliant he is.\u201d <\/em>So there you have it\u2014Magic Johnson\u2019s presidential nod goes to 73-year-old Chenault, not Stephen A. Smith. Honestly, with that level of respect, it\u2019s easy to see why.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Margarett Ramage
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Almost 3 decades away from the NBA hardwood and Magic Johnson is still winning. The only difference? That number 32 jersey has been replaced by high-end custom-tailored suits, and the arena is no longer the Great Western Forum but the entire business space. From professional sports teams to restaurants and from movie theaters to financial<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":860438,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1846,378],"tags":[6140,8652],"class_list":{"0":"post-860437","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-behind","8":"category-business","9":"tag-behind","10":"tag-business"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=860437"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860437\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/860438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=860437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=860437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=860437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}