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40-year-old Magic Johnson bought a franchise in Sweden and played 5 games for them, before they went bankrupt

Raahib Singh
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40-year-old Magic Johnson bought a franchise in Sweden and played 5 games for them, before they went bankrupt

After his premature retirement from the NBA, Magic Johnson tried various alternates to keep feeding his passion for basketball

Magic Johnson is one of the best players to ever play in the NBA. He was a part of the NBA’s Top-50 team in 1997 and again, the Top-75 team in 2022. The 6’9″ point guard is widely regarded as one of the best point guards ever. He played in the NBA for 13 seasons between 1979-1991 and then for a brief time in 1996.

Magic was drafted by the Lakers, and he helped them win five championships in the 1980s. The Lakers were constantly battling with Larry Bird and his Celtics but still managed to win championships in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988.

Also Read: How a 20 y/o Magic Johnson tried resolving the “friction” by offering the 7’2” Laker his 1980 FMVP award

An HIV diagnosis caused Magic to retire prematurely. However, the love for basketball that Magic had never faded away. He tried to play in the NBA again, playing with the 1995-96 Lakers. He played 32 games, starting only 9 of them. It looked like Magic had lost his magic. He didn’t give up, and tried his hand at basketball again, this time overseas.

Magic Johnson played for Swedish and Danish basketball clubs

In 1998, a 40-year-old Magic Johnson decided he still wanted to play basketball, and purchased a team in the Swedish league. The team was named M7 Boras, and Magic didn’t only own it, but also played for them. He played 5 games for them, even registering a 30-point outing during the same.

However, the 40-year-old didn’t have the stamina to carry on. Following his departure, the team went bankrupt.

Also Read: Magic Johnson started building his $620 million fortune by meeting gang leaders in LA

To conclude his chapter as a player, Magic went to a Danish club named The Great Danes.

About the author

Raahib Singh

Raahib Singh

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Raahib Singh is an NBA Journalist and Content Strategist at The SportsRush. A Computer Science Engineer by qualification, Raahib's passion for sports drew him towards TSR. He started playing basketball at 14 and has been following the NBA since 2013. His entry into the basketball world perfectly coincided with Stephen Curry putting the league on notice. Having followed the league for a long time, he decided to use his knowledge to become a sportswriter with The SportsRush in 2020. Raahib loves to put up some shots in his spare time, watch Cricket, Formula 1, and/or read a nice thriller.

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