Every time the Washington Commanders win a playoff game, a little piece of its minority owner Magic Johnson rubs off on the players. Although most of his players were not even born during his Los Angeles Lakers’ dynasty, they have the swag Johnson had when he led the Showtime Lakers to all of those world championships.
As an owner, Johnson has found success with the Commanders and every franchise he’s been a part of.
The Magic Johnson Effect Is Rubbing Off on Commanders
When Johnson retired as a player, he had an aura about him. He was not only one of the best to ever don an NBA uniform, but he was also a champion several times over.
This past season, Johnson’s Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series for the second time in five years. In November, his Washington Spirit made it to the National Women’s Soccer League Championship Game, and the Los Angeles FC advanced to the semifinal round of the MLS playoffs.
It just seems like everything Johnson touches turns to gold.
Between the Dodgers and Commanders – we've got to start adding to Magic's playoff legacy. https://t.co/5X0x4OjLop
— Wildes (@kevinwildes) January 19, 2025
Now Johnson is experiencing the NFL postseason for the first time as an owner of the Commanders.
Washington is a team that has a storied NFL history that includes multiple Super Bowl victories. However, it failed to accomplish anything under Daniel Snyder and the previous ownership regime.
Johnson is a member of an ownership group headed by businessman Josh Harris that purchased the Commanders for $6.05 billion during the summer of 2023.
After a dismal 4-13 record in their first season, Washington emerged from its first full offseason under the Harris group with a new general manager in Adam Peters. He also hired a new head coach, Dan Quinn.
The piece de resistance is a rookie quarterback who was also a Heisman Trophy winner. Jayden Daniels out of LSU is the closest thing to Magic that the district has had in years.
Just like he would distribute assists when he was playing basketball, Johnson distributes compliments and credit where it is due. And after the Wild Card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Johnson was quick to credit Peters and Quinn.
“You gotta give Josh a lot of credit because we picked the right people, right?” Johnson said in the post-game locker room.
“When you pick Adam Peters and you pick Coach Quinn, and then they brought in the right players — the culture changed. See, you went from a losing culture to a winning culture. But it’s about those players, and they decided that they wanted to win. They didn’t worry about what all the analysts said, all the people said.”
Johnson was asked what the key to the Commanders’ success was. Magic had one word that really says it all.
“Quarterback. You got to get a quarterback.”