Black men didn’t own sports teams when Earvin Johnson grew up in Lansing, Michigan, in the 1960s and ’70s.
The man now known as “Magic” changed what was possible for children who looked like him, first as a Hall of Fame basketball player in Los Angeles and now as an NFL owner and entrepreneur in the District of Columbia.
Though he made a name for himself in his native Michigan and became an icon in Southern California, Mr. Johnson has been repeatedly drawn to the nation’s capital since retiring from the NBA in the 1990s.
Now, as a part owner of the NFL’s Washington Commanders and the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, the 65-year-old is in the area almost weekly.
“I just love it here,” he told The Washington Times. “It’s unique and special. It’s the people who live here. I think it’s grown so much.”
The businessman
The District started calling to Mr. Johnson before his playing career ended, years before an HIV diagnosis caused him to pivot from an NBA superstar to an activist and businessman.
In 1990, at 30, Mr. Johnson worked with business partner Earl Graves to buy a $60 million Pepsi bottling franchise in Forestville, Maryland.
At the time, it was the largest minority-owned Pepsi plant in the country.
For years, Mr. Johnson helped deliver millions of Pepsi products to D.C. and Prince George’s County stores.
He was only getting started.
“Kids didn’t know I was owning and delivering all that Pepsi back in the day to every grocery store and mom-and-pop store and all the hotels,” he said with a laugh.
He had grand ambitions.
He was used to winning as a player after securing five titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and a national championship with Michigan State. The former Laker wanted to create win-win opportunities in the District and other cities.
By building businesses in historically neglected communities, including those in and around the District, he could create a business empire while introducing new jobs and facilities in neighborhoods that needed them.
Mr. Johnson didn’t want to stay behind the scenes. He needed to put his face out there to make an impact.
He created “Magic Johnson Theaters,” a chain of cinemas in predominantly Black communities, including one in Largo, Maryland.
“He had a real passion to want to do it,” said Michael Norris, a former president of Loews Cineplex Entertainment. “He said, ‘The trouble with inner cities oftentimes is you live there, but all that money travels out to somewhere else.’ A Magic Johnson theater could represent the community and be a part of it.”
The former player knew these communities and what they wanted in a movie theater in the mid-1990s. The concessions weren’t limited to popcorn and candy. Customers could buy wings and buffalo shrimp. Flavored sodas were available to mimic the Kool-Aid that Mr. Johnson enjoyed at home. He theorized that Black families wanted comfort food available at the theater.
“Magic said we couldn’t just have the standard beverages that we had,” Mr. Norris said. “In some of the theaters we opened with him, Slurpees were the No. 1 selling product. Even in the freezing cold winter. It was amazing.”
The superstar appeared on screens at the theaters to urge moviegoers to care for the facility and leave their troubles at the door. He specifically asked visitors not to wear gang colors or any other identifier.
“He wasn’t talking down to anybody. It was saying to everybody, ‘This is for you, everybody here; we come together. We enjoy shows as good as anywhere else in the rest of the world,’” Mr. Norris said. “He was very passionate about it being first-quality, being for the community.”
Mr. Johnson’s community-focused businesses succeeded. AMC purchased the theater chain in 2006. The Largo location still bears his name, though it has been years since he was involved in the business.
Although he hosted premieres and attended ribbon cuttings in the theater business, Mr. Johnson highlighted more low-key efforts.
In 1998, he cold-called Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and told him that underserved urban areas needed coffee shops. Everyone drinks coffee, he reasoned.
The pitch worked. Mr. Johnson bought 125 Starbucks locations in Detroit, Harlem, Los Angeles and the District. The venture was a success, and he sold the stores back to Starbucks in 2010.
“Magic is a businessman first and foremost,” said Bobby Turner, CEO of Turner Impact Capital.
Working together from 1998 through 2014, Mr. Turner and Mr. Johnson focused on investing in businesses in historically underserved communities, including the District. In 2007, they led a $450 million deal to purchase the Washington Hilton.
Mr. Turner and Mr. Johnson shared similar ideals: They wanted to turn a profit while boosting communities with predominantly Black or Hispanic populations. Mr. Johnson’s deals often brought jobs and infrastructure to urban areas but weren’t charitable efforts. The man is a billionaire for a reason.
“He wants to make money. He just recognizes that making money and making positive change needn’t be exclusive,” Mr. Turner said. “Most investors don’t believe that profits and purpose can play nicely in a sandbox. We did.”
The team owner
Mr. Turner and Mr. Johnson grew apart about 10 years ago, and Mr. Johnson turned his focus back to sports.
It started with the Lakers.
He bought a minority stake in 1994, which he briefly sold to unretire as a player in 1996. Mr. Johnson returned as a part owner and remained with the Lakers’ front office until 2010.
It was then time to expand beyond basketball.
He became a part owner of MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012 through a partnership with Guggenheim Baseball Management. The WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks came next in 2014. Later that year, he dipped his toes into the world of soccer when he joined a group of investors in the MLS Los Angeles FC expansion team.
Last year, his dream opportunity arrived: a chance to become an NFL owner. Mr. Johnson had joined other investors in attempts to buy stakes in the Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos, but each fell through.
“There is no higher sports league than the NFL,” Mr. Johnson told reporters last year. “I’m a guy who wants more. I’ve always wanted more. … I [want] a Super Bowl ring.”
He saw his chance when Dan Snyder announced plans to sell the Commanders.
With business partner Josh Harris, Mr. Johnson was returning to the District as a part owner of the Commanders.
“I still vividly recall the first time I called Magic to discuss him joining our ownership group,” Mr. Harris told The Times. “The first thing he asked me was, ‘Do you want to win?’ That question told me everything I needed to know about his approach and priorities.”
After a disappointing 4-13 season under the new owners, Mr. Harris and company cleaned house this year. They brought in a new coach and general manager while Mr. Johnson led the hunt for a new president.
The moves have paid off, and the NFL might not have a more excited ownership group. Led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Commanders jumped out to their best start since the 1990s and quickly became the talk of the league.
“I’m really ecstatic and happy about that,” said Mr. Johnson, noting that he tries to attend every home game. “I’m just so happy for the fan base and that they’re back. I’m happy for the players and the entire DMV.”
A Super Bowl still tops the Hall of Famer’s wish list, but his other D.C. team could bring him a championship first. Mr. Johnson invested in the Washington Spirit women’s soccer team this fall, just before the talented squad embarked on a postseason run that ended with a loss in the championship match.
In 2020, Mr. Johnson was close to investing in Southern California’s Angel City FC. Ultimately, he said, the circumstances weren’t right.
That changed this year when Spirit owner Michele Kang came calling.
Adding another D.C. investment to the portfolio and working with Ms. Kang, who has invested in several teams domestically and internationally, was an easy call.
“Before I even got here, I looked at everything and said, ‘Hey, this is the right franchise to invest in,’” Mr. Johnson said. “It has nothing but growth potential in the fan base and in the sport. As an investor, that’s what I look for.”
The mentor
Mr. Johnson’s fame doesn’t typically affect his duties as an owner. He enjoys his day-to-day work sitting on boards and helping decide an organization’s future.
With the Commanders, Mr. Johnson has become a mentor to players who have started to think about life after football. He might take them to lunch and talk about business opportunities and how to find success when they hang up their cleats.
“They want to become businessmen like me,” Mr. Johnson said. “I meet with them as they’re looking at life after football. I love that as well. Anything they need me to do, I’m here to do it.”
The Commanders have started seeking out Mr. Johnson’s leadership, but his connection to the Spirit might be even stronger. The women’s soccer team is led by 22-year-old superstar Trinity Rodman, daughter of NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman.
Trinity Rodman scored in Mr. Johnson’s first game as an owner and shared a slam-dunk celebration with the man who once held her as a child.
“It’s really unreal. That’s crazy when you think about that; I’m still in disbelief,” Mr. Johnson said. “When we saw each other, her mom and I just fell out laughing, like, ‘Can you believe this? That was that little girl you had picked up!’”
The Spirit’s A-list new owner also motivated the squad as it embarked on a postseason run.
“It’s a wake-up call,” said Spirit rookie Croix Bethune, noting that Mr. Johnson could bring more eyeballs to women’s sports. “It’s great that he’s taking the time to see how important we are. Like, it’s Magic Johnson.”
Spirit players aren’t the only ones starstruck by the NBA Hall of Famer. Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner grew up in Southern California watching highlights of the Showtime Lakers.
“He’s somebody that I looked up to for a long time, just the way he played basketball and how he transitioned into business,” said Wagner, 35, a future Hall of Famer in his own right. “I mentioned that, and then, 10 minutes after I signed here, he called me. That was one of the coolest conversations.”
Wagner has a Super Bowl ring, 10 All-Pro honors and nine Pro Bowl appearances. He can’t help but smile when talking about his relationship with a childhood hero.
“It’s amazing because he’s the guy you look at and say, ‘Hey, he did it the right way,’” Wagner said. “He’s doing amazing things and became a well-respected businessman. A lot of athletes aspire to be like him, including myself.”
Players and business partners are regularly amazed by Mr. Johnson’s accessibility. He might have more championship rings than fingers to wear them on, but he is always available. A quick text from Wagner is quickly answered with a phone call and a prolonged conversation.
“Magic is Magic. What you see in public is exactly who he is in any room, and that authenticity is one of the things I admire most about him,” Mr. Harris said. “He can connect with everyone from season ticket holders to high-level executives to players to the youth in the communities we serve.”
Those interpersonal ties and community values haven’t stopped the three-time MVP from focusing on his two top goals: winning and making money. Last year, Mr. Johnson became one of four athletes identified as billionaires by Forbes, joining Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Tiger Woods.
None of his cohorts in that esteemed group is an NFL owner, though.
“He has an incredible amount of respect and appreciation for how lucky he was. He never felt entitled to his great success,” Mr. Turner said. “I think that with that recognition, that sort of drove his sense of responsibility to pay his good luck forward.”
Mr. Johnson knows that he represents more than himself now. He has become an ideal, a symbol for some in disadvantaged communities to hold up as they aspire toward greatness.
“To have a Black man be a part of an NFL ownership group is important, not only to me but for those who live in the DMV,” Mr. Johnson said. “That’s important. It allows kids who look like me to dream that the impossible is possible.”
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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