Five-time National Basketball Association champion and Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson will be keynoting next week’s Global Gaming Expo, the show organizers announced today, to discuss his career in business and his views on legalized sports betting.
The former Los Angeles Lakers point guard accumulated three MVP awards, nine NBA Finals appearances and 12 All-Star appearances in 13 seasons before unexpectedly retiring after it was discovered he had contracted the HIV virus.
Johnson will deliver a 30 minute address to the gaming industry on Thursday, October 5th at 9:00 am to discuss his career transition from athlete into business executive and how he translated his success on the court into other aspects of his professional life.
In the years since permanently stepping away from basketball in 1996, Johnson has taken on a variety of philanthropic and business endeavors, most notably HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness.
In February 2017, he was named the Lakers’ president of basketball operations. He also holds an ownership stake in Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers, the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, and a future Los Angeles Major League Soccer team.
He will also participate in a 15 minute conversation with American Gaming Association chief executive Geoff Freeman on the future of sports betting in the United States and its potential to be accepted into the mainstream sports world, both of which will be marquee topics at G2E 2017.
“Magic Johnson’s experience on and off the court has helped shape his successful business career,” said Freeman. “I look forward to talking with him about the future of sports betting.”
G2E, co-produced by the AGA and Reed Exhibitions, will be hosting a plethora of informational sessions pertaining to sports betting. These will focus on business and market opportunity aspects of the activity’s potential expansion and a look at how states are gearing up to implement it should the opportunity ultimately arise.
