WNBA star Angel Reese has teamed up with NBA Hall of Famer and business mogul Magic Johnson to launch a powerful new financial literacy initiative in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.
The collaboration between the Angel Reese Foundation, the Magic Johnson Foundation, and the nonprofit Pull Up Neighbor has given rise to “The Wealth Playbook”, a program designed to educate youth on personal finance and close the racial wealth gap.
Announced Monday, May 5, via Magic Johnson’s Instagram, the program officially kicked off at St. Frances Academy, Reese’s alma mater.
The initiative aims to equip young students with practical knowledge on saving, investing, budgeting, and financial planning — skills that are too often inaccessible to underserved communities.
“The Magic Johnson Foundation, in partnership with The Angel Reese Foundation and Pull Up Neighbor, launched the Wealth Playbook, a financial literacy program in Baltimore, MD!” read Johnson’s Instagram Story, alongside a photo of a suited presenter speaking to a classroom full of students.
The Angel Reese Foundation, launched in 2023, has a clear mission: to foster equity for girls and underrepresented groups in areas including sports, education, and finance.
“We aim to develop practical solutions to overcome these challenges and provide comprehensive resources that empower a new generation of girls to excel in sports and successfully transition to the real world,” the foundation’s website states.
The need for such programs is urgent. According to a 2024 report from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, Black households have an 85% wealth gap compared to white households.
Median wealth for white families in 2019 stood at $219,206 — more than seven times the median wealth of $27,937 for Black households.
Magic Johnson, whose post-basketball business empire is valued in the billions, has long been committed to reinvesting in Black communities.
He co-owns four professional sports teams — the Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Sparks, and LAFC — and has developed empowerment centers, theaters, and Starbucks locations nationwide in underserved neighbourhoods.
“This is truly the biggest achievement in my business career and a historic moment for the entire Black community,” Johnson said in 2023, after becoming a co-owner of the Washington Commanders — a franchise in a league that still has no majority Black owners.
“The DMV has always embraced me. I’ve built businesses here, from hotels to theaters to community centers,” Johnson added, referencing his decades-long connection to the Washington, D.C.–Maryland–Virginia area.
Angel Reese, affectionately known as the “Bayou Barbie,” has quickly leveraged her platform not only to shine on the court but also to create real change off it.
With this new initiative, she’s sending a powerful message: the next generation deserves the tools to build generational wealth, and it starts now.
“We’re teaching kids how to play the long game,” one program facilitator said at the launch. “Because winning off the court is just as important.”
