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NBA fans under 40 may not recognize Vinnie Johnson, but he was an integral member of the great Detroit Pistons teams of the 1980s. Known as the "Bad Boys," they won back-to-back championships, largely because of their notoriously physical play. Benzinga looks at how this high-scoring guard parlayed $5 million in career earnings into an estimated $500 million net worth in retirement.
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The Bad Boys
Younger fans of today's NBA would probably not recognize the game if they watched a tape of an NBA basketball game from the late 1980s or early 1990s. Professional basketball was incredibly physical at that time, so much so that "noncontact sport" was a misnomer.
Although the early 1980s were dominated by luminaries like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, who battled each other in several epic contests for the championship, the Detroit Pistons were steadily building a strong team. Led by future Hall of Famers Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars, Detroit took physical play to a new extreme. They earned the nickname "Bad Boys" due to their shamelessly physical style of basketball.
By the late 1980s, the Pistons were bona fide contenders and Vinnie Johnson was an integral team member. He was known as "The Microwave" for his ability to instantly come in off the bench and get red-hot. Johnson's opponents could not stop him from scoring 10 points in minutes while Thomas rested. It's not a stretch to say that Detroit wouldn't have won back-to-back titles without Vinnie.
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A Bad Boy Becomes a Mogul
Aside from the very physical play, there is another huge difference between today's NBA and the era when Vinnie Johnson played: the money. Today, a player of Johnson's talents could easily earn over $150 million during their career. By contrast, Vinnie Johnson made an estimated $5 million during his 13-year career. Yes, that was still a lot of money in the 1990s, but it still pales in comparison to player salaries today.
After retiring, Johnson wanted to do something that would provide income for himself and give back to his adopted hometown of Detroit, where he remains a legend. So, Vinnie started Piston Automotive in 1996. The company's mission was to create jobs for Detroit residents and supply auto parts to the city's "Big 3" automotive companies,Ford, General Motors and Chrysler.
Under Johnson's leadership, Piston Automotive has grown to the point where it now supplies major Japanese automakers, including Nissan, Toyota and Honda. It has expanded its reach beyond Michigan and into the greater Midwest. Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio and Missouri are all covered by Piston Automotive's footprint. The company has an estimated $2.8 billion in annual revenue and estimates put Johnson's net worth in the $500 million range. The former bad boy has grown into a mogul.
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This article How NBA Bad Boy Vinnie Johnson Turned $5 Million In Career Earnings Into A $500 Million Fortune originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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