Cover of Black Enterprise Magazine owned by Robert L. Johnson: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

The cover of the March 2003 edition of Black Enterprise magazine. Featured on the cover is a color photograph of Robert L. Johnson. The close-up shows Johnson holding an NBA basketball on the rim of a basketball hoop. Johnson is standing behind an orange and white basketball hoop, with the hoop at chest level. He holds the basketball in place, on the rim and against the clear, acrylic backboard, with his proper right hand. His proper left arm is resting on the rim in front of him. He is wearing a taupe color suit and a black collared shirt. The court’s sideline is painted blue, and the court is natural wood colored. In the background are rows of blue seats. The top forth of the cover is dominated by the masthead printed in black shadowed, large, white text that reads [BLACK / ENTERPRISE] with small black text below that reads [YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT]. The date is printed below and to the right [March 2003]. The main cover line is printed across the center in blue and white text that reads [SlamDunk! / Billionaire / Bob Johnson / Acquires An / NBA Franchise]. The other bylines, printed in black and orange text in the bottom right corner reads [Teaching Your Kids / About Money], [Is Your M.B.A. / Worth Anything?], [Last-Minute Tax Tips], and [Inside: Teenpreneur!]. In the top right corner is a small orange banner with black text that reads [Hot Fashion Boutiques]. Printing in the bottom left corner is a black and white barcode and the website for the magazine. The cover is mounted inside a marbled brown and orange double mat. The back is covered in white foam board.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: March 2003
• Published by: Black Enterprise, American, founded 1970
• Subject of: Robert L. Johnson, American, born 1946
• Subject of: National Basketball Association, American, founded 1946
• Medium: ink on paper (fiber product) with cardboard and Fome-Cor (TM)
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 17 × 13 3/4 × 1 in. (43.2 × 34.9 × 2.5 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (image): 10 1/2 × 7 1/2 in. (26.6 × 19 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (sheet): 14 15/16 × 12 × 3/16 in. (38 × 30.5 × 0.4 cm)
• Place collected: Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
• Place made: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Athletes
• Topic: Basketball
• Topic: Black Enterprise
• Topic: Black Press
• Topic: Business
• Topic: Sports
• Topic: Television
• Object number: 2020.16.3.1
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Robert L. Johnson, Founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) and First African American Majority Owner of a National Basketball Association Team, The Charlotte Bobcats
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Black Enterprise Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.