Amidst the Donald Sterling scandal that ended with a severe punishment, there were rumors that Magic Johnson was interested in buying the Los Angeles Clippers, but would later refute the reports on his Twitter account.
With Magic denying those rumors that he has interest in the Clippers, Adrian Wojnarowski from Yahoo Sports shares that Johnson and the Guggenheim partners tried to purchase the Los Angeles Lakers:
Magic’s Dodgers group is angling for a Southern California sports empire. Magic Johnson and Guggenheim had been aggressive in pursuing a purchase of the Los Angeles Lakers – only to have the Buss family make clear to them the franchise isn’t for sale, sources told Yahoo Sports.
Johnson was the part owner of the Los Angeles Lakers for several years under his tenure. Up until 2010, Johnson sold his 4.5 percent ownership stake in the franchise to the wealthiest business man in Los Angeles, Patrick Soon-Shiong.
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Over the past couple of years, Magic has been very vocal about the direction of his former team since the passing of Dr. Jerry Buss. While the Lakers are in a transition period, Kobe Bryant has expressed optimism in Jim and Jeanie turning the team back into championship contenders.
With the Buss family looking to keep the Lakers, many groups have expressed interest in purchasing the Clippers. After Adam Silver’s ruling, Floyd Mayweather and Oprah Winferey are rumored to be interested.
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