An NBA role player made less than $5 million in career earnings, yet now has a net worth of over $400 million.

Time for a thread

1) Vinnie Johnson, born and raised in Brooklyn, was selected in the 1st round of the 1979 NBA Draft by the Seattle Supersonics.

After two seasons in Seattle, Johnson was traded to Detroit - where he would spend the majority of his 13 year NBA career.

2) In Detroit, Vinnie Johnson won two NBA championships as the Pistons sixth man.

Johnson wasn’t a superstar, but with 12,000 career points, he was certainly a quality player.

Nicknamed "Microwave", Johnson was known for his ability to come off the bench and get hot quick.

3) From a financial perspective, NBA paychecks weren’t what they are today.

Even after playing for 13 years, Vinnie Johnson retired in 1992 with less than $5M in career earnings.

What happened next was simply amazing…

4) Upon retirement from the NBA, Vinnie Johnson knew he wanted to accomplish two things:

1. Start a company
2. Give back to the local Detroit community

With those goals in mind, Johnson founded "Piston Automotive" in 1995.

5) Piston Automotive originally made packing supplies for automakers in Detroit, but saw little success.

Staring bankruptcy in the face, Vinnie Johnson put his pride aside and asked for help.

Johnson called up one of his few clients, Harold Kutner, a VP at General Motors.

6) After months of back & forth, Vinnie Johnson convinced Harold Kutner to come see his operation.

Kutner inspected the business, eventually recommending Johnson switch from packaging to supplying auto parts.

The best part?

General Motors agreed to be their first customer.

7) Since humbly asking for guidance 25 years ago, the business has exploded under the leadership of Vinnie Johnson.

Overview:
- 10,000 employees
- $3 billion in annual revenue
- 20 locations across North America

Vinnie Johnson currently serves as Chairman and CEO.

8) Vinnie Johnson went from $5M in career NBA earnings to amassing a net worth of over $400M.

What does he credit his success to?

Humbleness

"My entire career in sports, I was willing to make adjustments. I know what I'm good at and I know what I'm not good at.”

9) According to CNBC, almost 70% of NBA players go broke within 5 years of leaving the NBA.

Not Vinnie Johnson.

Johnson put in the same hard work and dedication that led him to success in basketball, ultimately setting up his family for generational success.

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Sources:

https://www.basketballnetwork.net/vinnie-microwave-johnson-made-a-real-fortune-after-his-nba-career-was-over/

https://www.autonews.com/article/20171023/OEM10/171029930/for-vinnie-johnson-a-new-game-beckons

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20171023/news/642831/for-vinnie-johnson-a-new-game-beckons

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/johnsvi01.html