Magic Johnson speaks out on Washington Commanders after $6bn bid

Los Angeles Lakers icon Magic Johnson is confident about his record-breaking bid to buy the Washington Commanders, the storied NFL franchise put up for sale by controversial owner Dan Snyder. Last month, Johnson reportedly joined the group bid led by Josh Harris as he seeks to add another sports team to his growing ownership enterprise.

Last week, a pair of bids of around £4.81billion were reportedly made for the Commanders, without any further information regarding which would be accepted by current owner Snyder. Discussions about a vote to remove the controversial Snyder have taken place among NFL owners, only for the group to wait to see how a potential sale would unfold. 

FrontOfficeSports.com recently claimed the bid by businessman Harris – who owns the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) and New Jersey Devils (NHL) – and Mitchell Rales’ group was the ‘only’ serious contender as the bid is backed by the money needed to survive the NFL’s vetting process. Their fully-financed bid matched Snyder’s asking price as Harris and co. have been laying the groundwork for an acquisition of the Commanders for some time.

Groups led by Harris, Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta and Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos are interested in acquiring the Commanders. Basketball Hall of Famer Johnson – who has stakes in the Los Angeles Dodgers, LA Sparks and Los Angeles Football Club – was part of the Harris bid that failed to land the Denver Broncos last summer. 

When asked if the sale of the franchise will actually happen, Commanders president Jason Wright expressed faith in the process – and Johnson hopes his group’s bid gets over the line. The five-time NBA champion wants to secure the Commanders as ‘it’s the last missing piece’ for his professional sports team portfolio. 

“Yes, our bid is in,” Johnson said on Tuesday’s episode of ‘Today’. “We hope that we win. We don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ll see what happens with Mr. Snyder making that decision, but we’re excited about it.”

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The sale of the Commanders is widely expected to be confirmed in the near future. The Commanders are valued by Forbes at £4.49bn – and the record for the most expensive NFL team purchase was set last year when the Broncos were bought for £3.73bn.

If Snyder agrees a deal to sell the Commanders, the sale would still need to be approved by at least three-quarters of the league’s other owners per NFL regulations. The Commanders last hoisted the Lombardi Trophy back in 1992 and are viewed by potential investors as a sleeping giant given their populous market and stories history.

Fans of the franchise will be desperate for Snyder to sell as the three-time Super Bowl champions have reached the playoffs just six times since 1999, and current head coach Ron Rivera is the 10th to take the reins since Snyder bought the franchise. The team went 8-8-1 in 2022, finishing bottom of the surprisingly competitive NFC East.

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