Retired Laker star Magic Johnson offers to help Silicon Valley find more black, Latino workers

Retired Los Angeles Laker Magic Johnson became famous for dishing out assists to his teammates during his Hall of Fame basketball career. Now, as an entrepreneur focused on minority markets, he says he is ready to help Silicon Valley hire more blacks and Latinos to diversify the technology industry's largely white and Asian workforce.

Johnson believes his own Beverly Hills, California, company, Magic Johnson Enterprises, could connect major technology employers with more minority engineers if they call upon him.

"We have to make sure the Apples and Googles of the world get together with others who know what they are doing and who can make a difference, whether it's myself or somebody else," Johnson told The Associated Press Wednesday after appearing at an Intuit Inc. conference in Silicon Valley.