Micheal Jordan was destined to be a superstar in the league since his Draft day in 1984. With his soaring superstardom beyond the country and across the globe, Jordan’s collaboration with Nike went off the charts. Nike’s Air Jordans started to fly off the market as Jordan started flying on the court. With the success of the Jordan brand, Michael Jordan started making strides in the business world post-retirement. Few athletes have followed in the footsteps of Jordan in modeling their post-playing careers. One such player is NBA legend Magic Johnson, who was also a big fan of the Chicago Bulls legend’s hangtime.
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As per an article published by the Boardroom, Magic Johnson has become the ultimate sports investor and has amassed a sports portfolio worth more than $1 Billion. After recently acquiring the NFL team Washington Commanders, such news is a certain indicator of Magic’s business acumen. Along with Commanders, Magic is also the co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the MLS Team LAFC, and the WNBA Team – Los Angeles Sparks.
However, before Magic went into that path, it was Jordan who had the first stint in the Team Ownership business as a former NBA star, when he became the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets in 2010 and sold it for a whopping $3 billion recently. Following the rise in e-sports, Magic also became the owner of a metaverse eSports league under Magic Johnson Enterprises.
Michael Jordan’s hangtime impressed Magic
Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan were rivals on paper in the late 80s and the early 90s. However, the rivalry between the two competitors didn’t really have that vitriol because they rarely meet each other in the playoffs. Therefore, the two superstars still have a close friendship and can be seen defending each other’s game quite frequently.
In this throwback video posted on Twitter, Magic Johnson can be seen admiring his hangtime during a play in the regular NBA season. Magic praises Air Jordan saying:
“Once he gets up there, then he said well, I don’t know if I wanna shoot it yet. Maybe I might just hang up here for a while, you know up in the air and sit back- [I’ll] wait till everybody comes down. Well, I don’t know what move I am gonna make, all this time still up in the air and then all of a sudden, well maybe I will do a 360 or no I might change my mind and go up on the other side. He is just incredible!”
“I can’t see 20 years from now anybody saying, ‘oh, he was okay for his time’…20 years down the line he’s gonna be something that people look at and say, ‘he’s unbelievable’.”
Joe Dumars on Michael Jordan
1990 pic.twitter.com/tZYWFQMrl7— AirJordans23 (@AirJordans2323) August 17, 2023
This athletic advantage over the rest of the NBA, along with his elite competitive mentality, gave Jordan a complete edge over his opponents. Jordan’s playing career and his performance on the court promoted his Jordan brand as every basketball player aspired to be Jordan. Slowly, Air Jordans became an iconic symbol in American basketball culture.
Jordan defends Magic’s legacy
Just like Magic, Jordan is also a fan of the Lakers legend’s game. In fact, he recently defended Magic’s claim as the best point guard in NBA history.
Steph Curry had recently claimed the title of the best PG ever for himself. This had prompted MJ to text Stephen A. Smith to declare his take establishing Magic’s resume’s suitability for the title.
