Can This NBA Legend Really Rival Amazon Founder For NFL's Washington Commanders?

The sports world is a tricky one to be a part of especially when it comes to the world of owning a professional team, but NBA legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson has his eyes set on being one in the NFL.

Sportico revealed that Johnson is part of a coalition led by Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris that is looking to buy out the Washington Commanders with current owner Dan Snyder.

Snyder selling the Commanders has long been rumored, and it now appears that it will be an imminent sale as Snyder and his wife Tanya have reportedly "cleared out of the team's facility" as of last week.

The question now lingering on everyone's mind is how much Johnson and his group will need to shell out in the hopes of outbidding other interested parties, which also includes names such as new Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia, Michael Dell, and most notably, Amazon's Jeff Bezos according to a November 2022 report.

In that same report, the franchise is expected to fetch a number between the $5 billion to $7 billion mark, though it could be more as the billionaires bring out their checkbooks in an effort to outbid one another.

Johnson becoming part-owner of an NFL franchise would not be entirely surprising as he already has a couple of franchises under his belt, namely MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers, the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks and Los Angeles FC of MLS.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Johnson is estimated to be worth around $620 million as of this month despite only making $25 million with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1981 for 25 years–essentially a $1 million per year contract.

For context, Harris—co-founder of private-equity firm Apollo Global Management—is worth $7.3 billion according to Bloomberg with a portfolio that features an 18% stake in English Premier League club Crystal Palace FC.

In Johnson's case, the former NBA star made most of his money from endorsement deals and in businesses like Starbucks, Burger King and his own investment company, Magic Johnson Enterprises, when his playing days were cut short after testing positive for HIV.

Beating out Bezos for ownership of the Commanders would be Johnson's biggest test to date as he and his partners will need to pony up a ton of cash first before getting the approval of 24 out of the 32 other franchises to get the deal done.

One thing going for Johnson is his squeaky-clean PR image in the eyes of many casual fans and that may be the trump card that lands his group the Washington-based franchise.

As the NFL offseason steadily marches towards the draft in late April, the Commanders being sold by then would not be much of a surprise–though the question of who acquires it remains up in the air.