The NBA Hall of Famer relishes the chance to help turn around the financially troubled baseball club.
Former Los Angeles Lakers great and NBA Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson has a joined an ownership group that hopes to buy the historic Los Angeles Dodgers franchise.
Johnson met with several ownership groups before ultimately aligning himself with the Guggenheim Baseball Management group, according to ESPN.com. The group reportedly has more than $125 billion in assets.
"I'm a big baseball fan," Johnson said Friday, "and you think about what the Dodgers have meant to baseball and to Los Angeles, and that part's a no-brainer. ... I've been to that place [Dodger Stadium] hundreds and hundreds of times."
Johnson, a successful businessman since retiring from the game in the early 1990s, would be much more than just a token minority in the group. In addition to being an investor, Johnson would also function as a president or vice president on the business side and in recruiting players, according to the report.
Johnson was reportedly approached about a month ago by Stan Kasten, the former president of the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals, who has known Johnson since the 1980s.
"I want to win," said Johnson, who recently sold his share in the Los Angeles Lakers. "We want to win. Not only do we have the guy who can write the check to buy the team, but we have to have somebody who can acquire quality people and talent, and Stan knows how to do that better than anybody. ... We've got a great plan."
Contact Terrance Harris at terrancefharris@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @Terranceharris.
BET Sports News - Get the latest news and information about African-Americans in sports including weekly recaps, celebrity news and photos of your favorite Black athletes.
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