Before NBA commissioner Adam Silver dropped the hammer on Donald Sterling, rumors were already circulating that Magic Johnson and his billionaire backers are interested in buying the Los Angeles Clippers. Johnson was quick to deny the reports, probably because he works as an NBA analyst for ESPN and didn’t want his opinions to come across as biased. On Wednesday, Johnson admitted he is interested.
“I will be owning an NBA team sometime,” Johnson told a gathering of business leaders at a convention in Beverly Hills, according to Ben Bergman of 89.3 KPCC. “Is the Clippers the right situation? Of course. It’s one of the premiere franchises.
“I think the fans have already spoken. They would like us to own the team. But we have to wait and see.”
Now that Silver has basically guaranteed he will get enough votes to force Sterling to sell the Clippers, Johnson probably feels more comfortable making his intentions known. Everyone from Floyd Mayweather Jr. to a popular B-list actor has already expressed interest in buying the team, but Johnson would obviously be the most realistic.
The NBA would have to approve a new ownership group, and Magic and company would have no problem getting approval. Sterling is not going to give the Clippers up without a fight, so we’re still a long way off from anyone bidding on the team. When the time comes, expect Magic’s name to be 100% in the mix.
