Magic Johnson: Winning Mindset, Mentorship, and Building Legacy Beyond the Game

This man is one of the greatest leaders in our country. No, I didn't shrink. This is Magic Johnson. This is Mr. Magic Johnson. And this man is a champion, a winner at every level in life, in love of God, in leadership, in all of it. I cannot be more thrilled and honored. This moment on the Sean Callaghan Blinded Podcast with Magic Johnson was a remarkable moment. You got to watch this entire thing. Any final message, sir? No, first, God is so good. Thank you for what you're doing for everybody out here to help you grow, to help you understand that you can take your life, your business to a whole nother level. Please continue to pray and ask God to help you out. May God bless all of us and continue success. And this man is one of the greatest leaders in our country. God bless everybody. Thank you, Mr. Magic. And beat Larry Bird two out of three. That's right. Beat Larry Bird two out of three. That's right, Larry. Straight to camera. That's right, Birdman. If you want to be successful, then you got to think that you can be successful and that you can do it. Well, let me tell you this story that very few people even know. So I'm probably saying this for the first time. So this is great. So here we are with another spectacular guest on the Sean Callaghan Unblinded podcast, where we on the Unblinded podcast are helping people see what they don't see about having to grow their financial abundance, time, freedom, magic, and impact in a space of integrity, growth, and possibility. And let's introduce our guest, Tink. Today on the Sean Calgian Blinded podcast, we welcome a living legend, a visionary, an artist, a master whose life is a symphony of triumph and transformation. He is a sunrise that broke through the fog of limitation, illuminating courts and communities were the brilliance that could not be contained. Where others saw boundaries, he saw blank canvases, turning hardwood into a stage where hope soared, and every past became a brushstroke of possibility. His journey is the epic tale of a young dreamer from Lansing, Michigan, who rewrote the laws of gravity, not just with his leap, but with his spirit, lifting teams, cities, and hearts to heights one thought unreachable. In the crucible of adversity, he became the alchemist, transmuting challenge into gold, setbacks into comebacks, and silence into the war of millions. Off the court, he is the architect of new worlds, building bridges where walls once stood, planting seeds of opportunity in fields where others saw only stone. His legacy is not just measured in banners or medals, but in the constellation of lives he's touched, each one a star, shining brighter because of his light. Today we honor not just the legend, but the force of nature who reminds us that true greatness is not what we achieve, but what we awaken in others. Let's welcome to the Sean Callaghan Blinded Podcast, Magic Johnson. Thank you. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you. And thank you for that intro. Wow. Mike Tyson and Magic Johnson say wow their intros. Back to back wow. Two for two. Yeah. Thank you for that. And we mean every word, though, and that wasn't created through AI. That was created with intentionality and heart for the honor and privilege of having you here today. Thank you. You stand for so many things. Such a unique champion, legend, master person of impact. What would you say is something, though, just for a little fun entry to start with, that a lot of people don't hear from you that you wish the world knew more about about you. I would probably say I'm emotional. you know and cry at movies and things that really touched my heart people really don't know that about me you know and so I would say that's probably the main thing is that I'm still an emotional guy even though I'm tough and I'm strong and those things that my dad passed on to me but probably one of the most emotional guys that you'll run into. Wow. And what are some of your favorite movies? Well, they're all going to be shoot them up, bang them up now. So the number one movie of my life is Godfather. That's probably, I've seen the Godfather probably a million times, one, two, three. And I think it's the best in terms of well-written, the actors, director. I mean and and when you think about the Godfather it just was just amazing movie and Even if you watch it For me a million times. It's still great. It's still fantastic. It's still amazing. So That's my number one movie of all time And what do you take away from the Godfather? I think people could take away more from the Godfather. I think the strategy I like the strategy like you know from the dad pass it on to Michael I mean and it was never about I just want to kill somebody you know or I want to you know control gambling or this or that it was always a strategy to it and and I love when he said no to it was strategy for him saying yes and it was strategy for him saying no and then he and then he told you the reason why he said no and I think that's powerful. Well thank you. How should I refer to you? I feel like pulled towards Mr. Johnson I know that was would you prefer Mr. Johnson, Magic, how do you how should I refer to you? Whatever comes out your mouth. I'm fine with Magic is fine. Okay thank you thank you I always want to be deferential to your incredible Thank you. Why have you been so successful off the court? So many incredible athletes, people of impact. Because what this show is all about is how people can increase with integrity, their financial abundance, their time freedom, their building of impact. You've done all those things so incredibly, both on the court and off the court. And so many times players don't have that translation from on-the-court leadership and success off the court. And so many people say that you're every bit as successful off the court and you're impacting your business career as you were as an incredible legendary basketball player. Why do you think that is? Well, because I understood what I knew and what I didn't know, right? And so I know the pick and roll. I know the no-look pass. I know the hook shot. I know defense, offense, pick and roll. But what I didn't know was business. So what I decided to do was to make sure I got mentors to help me to learn business, also help me to understand how they became successful. I love meeting with people and understanding their journey. I'm attracted to knowledge. So I've always have been a guy who loved to learn and loved to improve and get better. So I asked Dr. Buss, who was the owner of the Lakers, to become my first mentor because I looked up to him and he decided to do that. And he really gave me a lot of great information and nuggets to take away. And he opened up the Laker books to me when that was unheard of and showed me all the revenue streams of the Lakers. And then he told me listen, it's not going to be easy You got to put the work in and the time and I said hey If that's what it's gonna take for me to be successful in business. I'm willing to do just that and So I was meeting with him all the time lunch Dinner see what people don't understand is you got to put that time in It's not gonna come easy to you. So you have to say to yourself okay, I'm willing to put the time in and willing to go where I have to go. See, that's another thing. A lot of breakfasts, a lot of luncheons, a lot of dinners you don't want to go to. Being in New Jersey in the winter, having this conversation with you, right? So I was willing to put in the work and the time because I took that from basketball. and and so once I got to understand how to start a business then I took off from there and I think I'm successful because of the fact that I've been a winner my whole life I don't know nothing but winning and so that helped me to understand that I would do whatever it takes for me to win in business and then And then I said, what's missing in urban America? Let me start where I grew up, right? And so I started there, and I knew that we were short on housing. We were short on retail. We were short in terms of places that people can go to have a meal or to go to the movies. So I just started in those areas where there were heavy demand, but nobody was meeting the demand. And so that's why I jumped into urban America. Yeah, that's powerful and inspiring for sure. And we have the blessing and privilege of interviewing, I do, coming up shortly, Mr. Buss's daughter. Jeannie Buss, we're out in L.A. in a week. I love Jeannie. We grew up together, basically. And she'll probably tell you that, too. Yeah, we'll look forward to it. And I did a lot of homework coming in, so I did hear that Mr. Buss was a mentor of yours. And if you were to share with people in the audience, because what this show is so much about is what you just perfectly captured, is the fact that we don't know how to do things, right? You weren't born knowing how to do a no-look pass. You're genetically gifted for sure, but you learned how to do things. And we're going to talk about Pat Riley in a little bit, if that's okay with you. But what is it do you think that people struggle with? I had this conversation with Mike Tyson the other day, and he and Customato. So how did you find your way to trusting Mr. Buss's advice and guidance? He's your employer, right? How did that work and what were the friction points around that? With him and maybe even bridging into Pat Riley, please, about people struggle to listen to him. There's Daniel, Mr. Miyagi, and the Karate Kid, right? He's fearful that Mr. Miyagi's using him and arming him. How did all that work out for you? Yeah, that's a great question. probably a question I've never really received or gotten from anybody else. Number one, you first got to understand that you belong in the room. A lot of times what happens is we're already defeated before we even get in the room because we, oh my God, do I really belong there? Do I have what it takes to become a business person? And I think that's number one. Number two, the trust issue, the trust will come as you meet with people. As I met with Dr. Buss, he was sincere. I saw that, right? He really wanted to help me. So once you see that a person is sincere and they really open up to you and say, hey, I really want to help you reach your goals and dreams, right? Then that's where the trust, you say, you take that deep breath and say, okay. now I can open up to that person and and sure enough there will be tests along the way right to make sure that person really believes in you and really want to help you and every test he was testing me I was testing him and then all of a sudden we let those guards down and then we just really became first great friends forget owner and player so we were that first but then we became friends off the court and then mentor and student after that so there were steps to that relationship that we took and listen I trust very few people right but you know those who are in my circle that i do trust it's a reason why i trust them right and and vice versa there's a reason why they trust me but you said something that started to show off integrity right you you talked about that being a big part of your show yes sir well that's a big part of trust right it's a big part of us understanding that once a person have that and you see that in that person right and then you build your brand that way see I've always built my company my brand with with that we're gonna lead with that we're gonna lead with hey we believe in excellence best-in-class we're gonna lead with I'm a man of my word so I told you I was showing up here I'm here that's right that's that's that's who I am and you were here early that's right I'm a disciplined man I get up every morning at 4 o'clock without a clock right and I go to the gym and then I'm in the office all day so that's who I am and so that's who I am as a ball player but also that's who I am as a CEO and a businessman so and when I shake your hand, I'm going to tell you what I can do. Also, I'm going to tell you what I can't do. And I think that goes a long way as well. So my, whether it's clients, customers, or my partners, they trust me because of the fact that I'm going to shake their hand and say, I'm going to do these 10 things, but really I'm going to do 15. Because I believe in one word, over deliver. So I want to over deliver. I think you've done a pretty spectacular job of that your whole life. Very clear. Thank you, certainly, Magic, for that. So where did that come from? We're going to keep this super tight on appropriate timing. Got a few topics to go still, but the power of this, I win. I'm going to win. And I know your dad is a mentor. I'm not sure I saw that. Pat Riley, Chuck Daly. I love to talk a little about the Olympics and the complexity of that in a few. But where did that, like, I win. I'm about excellence. I'm about discipline. Where did that come from? I think first it had to come from my father. It passed on. Then from there, it went from my coaches that I played for. Whether it's junior high, high school, Coach Fox, Coach T. Coach in college, and then Pat Riley. And so my father always said, you got to do everything the right way. And he didn't let me slide on that. You know, I remember a story that really changed my life forever. So my father had two or three jobs because he had 10 kids to support. So we had a trash hauling service. We would go pick up people's trash before. Now they got all the companies that do that for you at your home. So it was snow. I mean, Michigan, we get a lot of snow and it's cold. So my job was to get all the loose trash around the barrel. and then put it in put it on the truck so this day was so cold I did a half job right and I didn't chop the ice up and get the trash out of the ice and put on the truck so I ran to the cabin I jump in oh man it's warm by the time I got comfortable my father opened that door pick me up with one hand took me back to to the ice and said, son, if you do this job halfway, you'll do everything in your life halfway. You'll practice halfway. Everything at school, you know, your homework, you're going to do halfway. And he said, you got to learn to do everything the right way. So get a shovel, chop that ice up, get that trash out of that ice and put it on the truck. That's when I became a perfectionist like my father. That means I do everything the right way. And and so that's where it came from. And then my coaches pushing me. See, a lot of players don't want to get coached hard today, but I love being coached hard. So because of that, again, they helped me to develop not only on the court, but off the court as well. So that's why I'm a worker today. My father, my coaches, if you give me assignment, trust me, it's going to get done. in a timely fashion. As we all grew up, remember, we couldn't just look at our father like our kids today can say, well, why? We couldn't say why. Somebody tell you to go get that trash or go take it out. We had to get up and go take that trash out or something's going to happen to us. That's right. Now today, my grandkids always want to leave with why. I said, you lucky my parents wouldn't lie today to hear you say that. It even happens to you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I had to tell them, I said, listen, I'm going to make you a deal. I said, I'm not going to do something to you. I get in trouble, right? Child abuse, child abuse. But no, I just let them know that, listen, you want what you want, right? And I don't never question that. And I try to buy you the toy that you want, this, that you want, the sneakers that you want. And I don't question that. And I don't want you to question me. So when I ask you to do something, please do it. And see, my parents never said please. They had a bell waiting. So can I jump into, we have three quick clips. that I think will be positive for today. So let's hit our first clip. I think it's 1980. And something happened in 1980. Okay, let's see. Let's see what happened. Here's the man of the hour, Magic Johnson. Magic, what do you have that makes you perform like this in these championship games? Well, I love to win. And I guess that's the thing. I go in, Bangle. We can win any game. I'll play despite, you know, green one then. And we want to say, hey, we did it for you, Big Thug, because you got us here. and we don't want to take that away from him. It's over, and the most valuable player is Project Johnson. You know that guy? I know that guy. Pat Riley, Lakers, AD, Kareem, Standards. Please share. What's that all about? Well, when you think about that clip, number one, we were in the finals. game five against Philadelphia and my idol. I idolized Dr. J. That's crazy that I idolized the man, and now I'm playing against him in the world championship. Crazy. So Kareem springs his ankle in game five. That was a big game because the series was tied 2-2, so we had to win that game, which we did, to go back to Philly. So we're up 3-2, but Kareem has been pronounced that he's not going to play in game six. So once they announced that, we got to the airport, and I saw all my teammates' heads were down. I said, what's wrong? Didn't you hear Kareem can't play? I said, so what? We're going to win anyway. And they were like, go sit down, rookie. What are you talking about? We can't win and beat Philadelphia without Kareem. I said, we're going to win this game without Kareem. And so I had to do something because sometimes you got to do something to shake up the atmosphere, the, you know, make sure that they know that I was serious about what I said. So I asked the stewardess, could I go on the plane first? Because Kareem sat in 1A, that's his seat, right? And so I sat in Kareem's seat and as every Laker came by, I said, never fear magic is here so so they start laughing like you just did yeah and I said I got five hours to work on that mindset and attitude because your audience got to know that they got to have a mindset and an attitude of winning if you're going to be a business person if you want to start off being an entrepreneur if you want to be successful then you got to think that you can be successful and that you can do it. And so I knew that if we went back and we had a mindset of that we're defeated before we even played the game, they were going to blow us out by 50 points. But if we had that mindset of we can win, we can still beat them, that we had a chance to win. And sure enough, I talked to them. By the time we landed in Philly, we played the game the next day. I had their mindset. They were ready. and we end up winning now if i'm gonna say all that i gotta bag it up with action so i became the first rookie in nba history to be named finals mvp i scored 42 points 15 15 rebounds seven assists in that game and we end up winning and so i became the first rookie ever to be named nba nba finals mvp so playing center playing a doujibour not being there yeah well i play center guard and forward so crazy you know i i believe that you have to have a winning mindset but why do you think that you had that belief different from most other players like what was it and we talked a little bit your dad and the whole thing but why was it different for you why does it always seem to be different for you where that happened guys ah we're not gonna win you're like you're a think that's different for you even among the most elite masterful athletes on earth who had to have incredible mindsets too why as a rookie already were you different well it's all about to be preparation it was i was always prepared for those moments i live for those moments and um and if i feel if i'm prepared and if i understand how we're going to win it's not just we're going to win you have to have strategy behind that right and so how are you going to do it so like i told our teammates we're going to be faster than them they're going to be bigger than us but we got to run them and run them and run them and that's what we did and that's that was our advantage the fact that we were smaller and quicker than them and we used that to our advantage to win the the game. So yeah, it's something that you can just say, oh, we're going to win. No, you got to have strategy behind it. And then the number one thing, you got to execute on the strategy. See, people got to remember business is about execution, right? And so you got to execute in business. And if you can do that, you give yourself a chance to win. How did Dr. J relate to you after that, during that, after that? You know, he's this superstar. You're this emerging superstar, but a rookie. How did that feel for you? How did he react towards you after you guys won? Well, let me tell you this story that very few people even know. So I'm probably saying this for the first time. So this is great. So I'm making a decision at Michigan State. We had just beat Larry Bird, that dude I hate. And the NCAA finals and that game is still the number one watch college basketball game in history Indiana State versus Michigan State. So now I'm making the decision to turn pro. So I needed somebody to talk to. So I asked my coach I want to call Dr. J. He was like what? Can you give me Dr. J's number? I want to call them because I want to ask them what went in for him to make the decision to turn pro and leave college early. So he ended up finding a number. He called Philadelphia They gave him Dr J personal number I called him up and we talked about it I said I trying to make this decision whether to leave Michigan State or turn pro He said, I'm going to do you one better. Guess what he said? I'm going to fly you out to Philadelphia. What? We're playing in the playoffs. I want you to come stay with me. What? What? I'm like fainting right now. I'm like going crazy. I'm going to stay at Dr. J House. During the playoffs. Yeah, exactly. I ran in. I told everybody, oh, I'm staying at Dr. J House, you know. And so sure enough, flew to Philly. He put me up at his house. You mean like we were running around talking about you coming here today. And so he gave me so much information. I watched him play against the Hawks in the playoffs, and then I flew home. And now six, eight months later, I'm playing him in the NBA. Is that a trip or what? I should have told you to stay in college. You're going to have a ring. And then I'm beating my idol in the championship. So I don't know how he felt. Did you guys ever talk about it? Yes, we did talk about it. And it was like a trip for him. I just hosted you at my house. That's bad matters. I want to win. Let me tell you this about me. I don't care who I'm playing. I can be playing my mother, my daughter played point guard for local high school. my wife tells me, play her one-on-one, you'll help her get better. I said, no, because I know who I am. I said, no, I don't want to play her one-on-one. But when your wife tells you to do something twice, you better get to it, right? You better get to it. So I said, okay. We go to 10. I let her get to 9. That was hard for me. That was real hard. But I let her get to 9. And then I crushed her from then on. My wife was so mad at me. She's like, you could have let her win. No, I can't let nobody win. It's not who I am. It's not in my DNA. I'm not made up like that. Wow. Well, super. And I only feel like contextualizing this in my listening. So before I went blind, just real quick, I was a Division I college recruit in baseball and football. I was a four-year Division I starter at Columbia University. I was captain of my team senior. So I have a listening for what you're sharing. I had incredible mentors athletically. So long before business, my background was built on sports. So these stories, these dynamics, these elements, I was a three-sport player in high school, and I was one top ten hitters division in the country my junior year. So I receive it and I'm present to it for what you're talking about, the mastery, the competitiveness, the spirit of it all. But more than that, you didn't let that hold you back. See, I came because I'm impressed with that. Thank you. That you got what I have, right? that gene of we're gonna win despite and you're winning right now despite of that yeah you allowing but you're sharing it and so that's a that's a powerful tool when you can share that with other people in terms of trying to help them to become successful so god is really blessing you and you blessing other people that's what it's about amen uh and i feel like you're saying mr johnson right now so that's amen mr johnson and um and for fun i believe that influence is the only human attainable superpower that's what dr buss had right that's how he caused yeses made that's what you do off the court and on the court he calls yeses in leadership so for fun um i have a million dollar bet out that i can't be at influence on neutral set of facts that i challenge everybody out there for charity so i love competing so i amen to that and i think that so much of business now and so much of sports and so much of all these challenges you have in the world because people don't do what you did. We just step on that court and say, we're going to go in and put yourself out there as that man in the arena. And that's why it's so inspiring to have conversations with just a champion like yourself. So thank you for that. And can we step into, you know, actually, if you don't mind, Pat Riley. So I did a lot of research, five championships together. You know, he's somebody who speaks a lot about mindset, had a lot of conversations. Same type of question. How was that evolution, the doubts, the challenges, the trust build? You know, his methodologies were unique. I've heard there was moments of, you know, maybe not seeing things fully eye to eye. But, you know, what do you feel you're sharing, please, about Pat Riley and coaching, mentorship, and leadership from that perspective? Well, he coached me hard. And, you know, when you're going after the same goal and you have the same mindset, you're going to bump heads. That's just a natural. But in a good way. I understood who was the leader, right? And I understood my role. But I love Pat and still do. Pat's one of my best friends today. But when he coached, he made it difficult because he stayed on top of you to be great. He knew that he had to push me every single day. And what he did was he held me to the standards of two guys, right? Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. And so he said, listen, I'm never going to let you take a day off or take a game off. I'm always stay on top of you because I'm holding you to those two standard right there and that was the measuring stick for me Right, and so there was a number that he always had and all three of us played over 700 That was like amazing if you got over 700 and so He made me so mad one day So here we are with Chicago and Boston played before the Lakers. So when I got to the arena, their game was over. And we're getting ready to get started a couple hours from now. So Pat's on the board. He's writing up the game plan. And see, he knew what buttons to push with me. So he said, he's talking to an assistant coach named Bill. Bill, did you see what Larry Bird did tonight? man 45 points 20 rebounds nine assists oh man that bird is something so he knew I was sitting in my seat I'm getting mad now I'm steaming okay so about 20 minutes later he said Bill Flath women bulletin material Michael Jordan just scored 55 points So he knew, oh, I'm mad now. I got to go out there and get a big triple-double. We got to win. So he knew sometimes it's what he said about those guys that would motivate me, right? And so what made him so great as a coach, he knew every single guy and what button to push with every single guy to make them go to their highest level, all right, and make sure that they understood that if you're going to play for the Lakers and we're going to win the championship, you've got to be the best sixth man, the seventh man, the fifth man, on and on and on, best point guard. Kareem, you've got to be the best center. James Worthy, you've got to be the best small forward. On and on, he just points to everybody. and everybody got to accept their role. He believed in that, right? And he believed in family. He preached family and team. Nothing goes outside the family. If we have an argument, it stays within the family. If we have a disagreement, it stays within the family. And so, but his main thing was, we're going to be the best conditioned team in all the NBA. And guess what? We work. That's awesome. We're going to be mentally and physically tough. And guess what? We were. That's how we're going to win the championship, and that's why we were in the finals. Guess what? Nine times in 12 years. Crazy. Crazy. And beat Larry Bird two out of three. That's right. Beat Larry Bird two out of three. That's right, Larry Bird. Straight to camera. That's right, Birdman. That's right. And two out of three in the NBA and the NCAA championship, too. So when you have him on the show, you run this tape back to him. You know, let him see it. that the magic man had three out of four. Three out of four. Excuse me. Three out of four. Because of the college. That's right. So thank you for that. We had Mike Arruzzioni from 1980 Miracle on Ice team playing Herb Brooks on a couple months ago. And it's just the patterns. Mike Tyson and Customato. Yourself, Pat Riley. Mike Arruzzioni, Herb Brooks. It's the same things over and over again. That dynamic. It's just so powerful. So can we show you a second quick clip? Okay. Yeah. This is going to be now Chuck Daly stepping into the Olympics and bringing together the greatest, I believe, the greatest sports team ever assembled. And P.S., I'm very integrous. Basketball is my third favorite sport. I played a little basketball growing up and then I transitioned to wrestling in high school. But I do believe, I was a huge Knicks fan back in the day, Patrick Ewing, that this is the greatest sports team ever assembled on the court of players. I authentically in any sport ever believe that. please How did that feel for you When in for your country? That was nothing but God really All that I had been through to be able to be on that stage with those other nine guys who that team is the only team that every single guy is in the basketball hall of fame that that's amazing no team no other team can claim that crazy right and so with me being out of basketball have been retired to be able to come back and represent my country, represent, you know, the NBA, the United States, and then play with two of my heroes, too. All of those guys are my heroes, but I always, on my bucket list, I've always wanted to play with Larry and Michael and get a chance to play with both of those guys. Oh, my goodness. I just fell to my knees crying, saying thank you to God for allowing me to open up that door for me to be able to play in the Olympics and Just to make sure that see two things happen It wasn't for me. It wasn't just about the gold medal. It was about also showing people that you can be strong and Still with something yet. You're dealing with an element. You can still be successful in life and So you're showing everybody right now. You didn't, you, you, being blind, you saying, hey, I can still do great things. And you're doing it. So right now you're a hero to so many people who watch this show, but also so many people who might not watch this show, who just meet you, just run into you. And you can change their life forever just by meeting you because of your walk in life. So my walk in life on that stage changed a lot of people's lives. and said, hey, if you're dealing with something, you can still be successful. You can reach the highest of the highest and win a gold medal despite me living with HIV see and so that a beautiful thing yeah and I thank you mr Magic Johnson I was a Columbia University at the time you know becoming captain or great during that 1992 timeframe and it was a complicated scary time in a lot of different ways for a lot of people and the resiliency, the power, the vulnerability for dealing with something that had the negative stigma that it did, it was so inspiring. And with great humility, I just throw out a concept. I believe that God makes all things work together for good. I heard you reference God. I wouldn't have said if you didn't. And I believe that that journey that you went through, and I'm sorry for all the pain and challenges that would have surrounded it, was an unbelievable blessing for so many humans on this earth for hundreds of different reasons. But really, I thank you. And that was one of the most inspiring moments in United States history and truly, I believe, world history. What happened in that team and what was going on personally for you and the complexities of the time. And thank you. And how did Chuck Daly, just to move back into leadership for a moment, how he put you guys together i mean every and hall of famer every person right how does that work because it's totally different than her brooks and michael ruzione because all those guys were were kids and the world changed and they could have professionals how did he handle all that and i've heard you compliment him so beautifully but what do you think he did so well with all that work. Well, I think Chuck, I mean, the architect of this whole dream team and him picking the right players with the right mindset and the right attitude. It was all about the team. He said day one, this is, oh man, awesome. When he walked into the locker room, he said, all right, you already know you're not going to get the same shots that you normally get. You're not going to get the same minutes. Most of you play 40 minutes or not. You're not even going to get close to that on this team. Most of you understand that you probably take 30 shots. You can take 20 to 30 shots on your team. You might get 10 shots, right? So you have to be okay with that. And then he said, Michael Jordan's going to be the captain of the dream team. Michael Jordan stood up and said, no, I don't deserve to be captain of the dream team. Larry and Magic should be captain of the dream team. Everything changed. Everybody had to leave their ego at the door at that moment and come to practice, to work hard, come to the games, to play as a team, and let's blow everybody out. And once... Don't forget that. And that's what we did, right? We put a show on. But let me say this what happened we didn't know we had this type of effect I remember one guy fouled Michael Jordan and he started crying in the middle of the game I can't believe I found Michael Jordan oh my goodness and Michael's sitting there we're all sitting there man he's really crying happy that he fouled Michael I mean but But we didn't understand the power of the Dream Team and that allowed us to really understand what these guys were feeling playing against us and finally meeting us for the first time in their lives. So we changed basketball forever. That's why there's so many international players into the NBA today because of the Dream Team. And what I'm hearing you say, received, thank you, is that Chuck Daly created just like really clear agreements with everybody. That's right. Had the right mindset, had the right players on the right seats on the bus, and everybody went along with it. That's right. Any friction points, any complicated moments, or it all sort of was pretty smooth? Yeah, it was smooth all the way. Chuck Daly was a straight shooter, so you respected that, right? And so he would come in and say, Magic, you're not going to start tonight. John Stockton, I got to get him some starts. So he's going to start tonight. No problem. See, when a coach is straight up with you and tell you the day before, then you got it. So Chuck Daly was always honest. He was the best dress coach because he could dress mad. His suits were incredible. Him and Pat Riley were incredible dressers. And so we understood that he had our backs too. because leaders, you know, once their employees or the people who work for them, once those people understand that the CEO or the president got their back, they'll go through a wall for them. And sure enough, we would go through a wall for Coach Daly, and I would go through a wall still today for Pat Riley because of the fact he always put me in a position to be successful, and he never lied to me. He always told me the truth. He was always honest with me. whether I played great or I didn't play great. And he was the same guy. See, a leader has to be consistent every single day. And that's what you are and that's what I am. That's why so many people listen to your podcast and follow you because you're consistent. And also, too, the integrity you talk about, well, you have it. So that's what it's all about, right? Just being who you are. And then we both understand our purpose. See, God gave us a purpose. So you're living out your purpose and I'm living out my purpose. And that's why I had the toy drive just two days ago. All those inner city kids who wouldn't have a great Christmas, I made sure they had a great Christmas by supplying toys to them. And Thanksgiving we did the same thing, making sure they had turkey and chicken and dry goods and on and on and on. Because that's my purpose. And so that's what it's all about. I just had a quick thought. I'm not sure if this will be helpful, if it's too late or not. But would you know what to do with an extra 10,000 toys? Oh, I know what to do with them. So we're going to provide an extra 10,000 toys. Oh, my goodness. Man, that's a blessing right there. I always know what to do with toys or food because there's so many people in need today. And you know what's beautiful is the fact that you and I are blessed beyond... We probably never thought we'd be in the position that we're in. My mom pushed a hot dog cart in Jersey City when I was a kid. And mine worked at the school cafeteria, so we understand. But here we are, and they all are proud of us, right? Our families, our parents are proud of what we're doing and what we have become. Wow. Amen. Final couple minutes here is what do you do from here? What happens? You have the blessing of living another hundred years on earth and a miracle happens. You have all that time. Between this day and that final day, what more happens for you? And if you think about it, what would you want to be remembered for? I'm going to be remembered for really the impact that I made off the court. and the jobs that I've given people, the scholarships. We've given over 10,000 minority student scholarships. A lot of them have the grades to go but don't have the financial means to go. The technology centers that we built in the poorest neighborhoods that kids can have access to a computer. I can keep going. Those are the things that I'll be remembered for. and I want to be remembered for. It's not everything else. There's always going to be guys winning championships in basketball or, you know, guys being MVP. But the impact in people's lives to understand that they need help and you're there to help them, you're there to hug them, high-five them, you know, that's what I want to be remembered for. and last but not least that I did everything the right way you know and that I never cheated somebody I never you know kids and people who want my picture or autograph I try to accommodate them always and so you know that's who I am I'm built like my mother and my father my mother gave back and she taught us how to give back and help thy neighbor and so I got that in me from her and her smile and then I got my work ethic and my strength and my toughness from my father and so that's the a beautiful combination and they both uh taught us to love the lord and to make sure that we give back and help and so nothing has changed. I'm still that guy. And I'm glad I married somebody who also believes in that too. Cookie believes in that as well, giving back and affecting change across this country of ours. Well, Mr. Magic Johnson, I hope this is not the end of the beginning and researching about you, your mission, your purpose, education, technology, and I read all about it. We have an AI company. I'm not asking for anything, but I want to give value, give value, give value, because you open doors everywhere, and we want to change the world. We want to solve problems that are enormous, have been unsolved. So I can't tell you how grateful I am that you blessed us and honored us with your presence, your mastery, your identity, the power of your identity. I am not confused. Thank you for bringing that to the Sean Callaghan Blondick podcast. May God bless you, and I hope every single dream you still have, which are so many for people and changing lives, comes true. Merry Christmas and thank you, sir. Well, Merry Christmas. Thank you, too, to everybody out there. Happy holidays. And listen, you know, it's hard for a successful person to still be willing to say, I want to help the world. And for me to come on this show, doing my research on you and what the show was all about, because I don't do a lot of podcasts. I hope they told you that. They did. But the only reason I'm doing this one is because our conversation wasn't just about leadership. It was about the Lord, about God. It was about giving back. And that's why I came, because the man that you are. Also, you said, you know what? I'm not going to let this stop me for being great. I mean, look, you are amazing. And you're doing amazing things. And yes, you had more hits and you were doing great there. But guess what? You said, you know what? I can have more hits with my podcast and my business, AI and the things that you're doing. So the greatness haven't stopped just because you're dealing with something. That's what I like about you. So you and I are going to do some things together. And I'm happy. Thank you for the gift of the 10,000 toys. And I'm going to tell you where, and you're going to see where all 10,000 went to, because I'm a man. You just don't give me something. I'm going to show you what I did with the 10,000, okay? And then we're going to do other things. I like the AI thing. We're going to do some AI together. All right? God bless you. I have a long way to go to earn your trust. I'm going to earn it. And I promise you that I'm going to make sure before I leave this planet, if I do earn it, that I will bring more value to your life than anything that we have thought about and talked about. I promise. You got it. Thank you, sir. And my promise is to, I've received that. Okay? God bless. Thank you, Mr. Magic Johnson. What a show. Thank you, son. I think we're going to take a picture. Go and get one straight like this, bro.