“You have to have an incredible work ethic and be disciplined.” This mindset allowed Magic Johnson to become arguably the greatest point guard of all time and it has also helped him become a billionaire. He learned all this very early on in his life. Who better as a support system than your mother when you are about to face a new challenge? Johnson, for one, was lucky enough to find this support. During a recent appearance on the Raising Fame podcast, Johnson revealed life lessons from his parents that helped him at different points in life.

The 5x NBA champ revealed the things that really helped him as a young man going into college, being on his own. ” When I first got to the Lakers… I was on my own for five, six, seven years. So again, I could survive being on my own because of the life lessons of both my mother and my father,” Magic said on the podcast. He further mentioned being close to his parents was a blessing to him. This would allow him to reach out to them for something as simple as asking for a recipe from his mother.

While there were values from his father that helped the Los Angeles Lakers icon through the big picture stuff of life, he learned day-to-day skills from his mother. Buck revealed that his mother equipped him with necessary life skills such as washing dishes, ironing, and cooking. And all these skills, combined with his father’s values, helped Johnson a lot through different phases of life.

In fact, the 5x NBA champ earlier on the podcast revealed that the life skills of his parents help him even today. He mentioned he applied the lessons he learned from his parents to his three kids and two grandkids as well. But what exactly were these lessons?

“Well, I think for me, first, being a disciplined man. And I stress discipline in terms of everything you do. You have to have an incredible work ethic and be disciplined,” Johnson said. He even reminds his children he would not be what he is if it were not for these two things.

Magic Johnson reveals how his father’s teachings impacted his life

During an episode of All the Smoke podcast, Johnson revealed that his father worked for 30 years at General Motors. Apart from this, he also worked part-time as a trash-picking serviceman. Despite having such a hectic schedule, his father never missed a day, for which he even won an award. The moment always served as a reminder of hard work and consistency to the 5x NBA champ.

“He won an award for never missing a day and never being late. So I was, I’m built just like that right, same thing,” Johnson said on the podcast. And this is just one of the many instances of Buck’s father imparting life lessons to him. In another instance, the Lakers icon recalled the time he wanted a bike growing up, as every other kid had one. It wasn’t easy for Johnson’s father to buy him one in a home where he was growing up with 6 siblings.

The 65-year-old mentioned his father could not get him a bike because of this factor, but he yet again gave him an important lesson. “He took me out to the garage and said, ‘Let me introduce you to three people you need to meet. That’s Mr. lawnmower, that’s Mr. Ray, and that’s Mr. Shelby. Now, pick one of them tools up and go make you some money to buy you a bike,'” Johnson recalled.

Not only did he follow his father’s advice, but learned that he would have to work hard for everything he desires in life. It’s clear that both of Magic Johnson’s parents have had a major impact in shaping their son’s life.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.