The unattainable New York Knicks have piqued the interest of a potential buyer. Magic Johnson has been tied to the Lakers’ organization in some capacity for decades. Earlier this week, Johnson insisted that the New York Knicks would be the only team outside of L.A. he would consider being involved with from an ownership standpoint.
Johnson currently has ownership stakes in four professional sports teams, including the NFL’s Washington Commanders, the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball, the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, and Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles FC. It seems like the former Los Angeles Lakers champion has his eyes set on an NBA franchise next.
Magic Johnson hints at his interest in buying the Knicks
“The only team I would actually probably think about is the New York Knicks,” Johnson said to ESPN on Tuesday.
Johnson added that the passionate nature of most Knicks fans and the energy around their games at Madison Square Garden is what makes the organization desirable for him.
The Knicks are now in the league’s spotlight for reasons attributed to winning basketball, something that many fans of the team have not seen on a consistent level in decades. New York finished as the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed last season and made the second round of the postseason, with expectations continuing to rise for the 2023-24 season.
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Johnson’s tenure as a sports owner has been prolific. He used to hold an ownership stake in the Lakers and currently has a stake in the Dodgers, Sparks, LA FC, and the Commanders.
Johnson won five championships with the Lakers during his playing career, as well as a Dodgers title in 2020 and a Sparks championship in 2016 while representing them in the front office.
Would James Dolan ever sell the Knicks?
The Knicks have been owned by James Dolan since 1999. Johnson’s latest remarks come after Dolan stunningly commented last week that he “doesn’t really like owning teams.”
However, the 68-year-old owner said back in January that he had no plans of retiring or selling the historic franchise, despite going through numerous levels of adversity both on and off the court over the course of his time with the organization.
“I’m not retiring any time soon,” Dolan said to WFAN in January. “It’s a family-controlled asset, so someone in the family will own it.”
While Johnson’s words indicate an interest in the Knicks, he will have to wait until the opportunity opens up, which does not appear to be imminent.
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