Magic Johnson is on another playoff run.
That’s nothing new for the Lakers legend. Johnson is part owner of a number of teams across a number of professional sports, winning NBA (Lakers), MLB (Dodgers), WNBA (Sparks) and MLS (LAFC) championships in that role.
In October, his Dodgers won the World Series for the second time in five years. The following month, his Washington Spirit made it to the National Women’s Soccer League championship game, while his LAFC advanced as far as the semifinal round of the MLS playoffs.
Now Johnson is experiencing the NFL postseason for the first time as a minority owner of the Washington Commanders, a team that has a storied NFL history that includes three Super Bowl victories but had enjoyed little success on the field under previous owner Daniel Snyder.
Johnson is a member of an ownership group headed by businessman Josh Harris that purchased the Commanders for $6.05 billion during the summer of 2023.
After stumbling to a 4-13 record later that year, Washington emerged from its first full offseason under the Harris group with a new general manager in Adam Peters, a new head coach in Dan Quinn and a rookie quarterback in Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels out of Louisiana State.
The Commanders turned their fortunes around quickly, finishing the regular season with a 12-5 record, earning the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs, then winning a postseason game for the first time in 19 years, with a thrilling 23-20 victory over the No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night.
“You gotta give Josh a lot of credit because we picked the right people, right?” Johnson told reporters after the game. “When you pick Adam Peters and you pick Coach Quinn, and then they brought in the right players — the culture changed. See, you went from a losing culture to a winning culture. But it’s about those players, and they decided that they wanted to win. They didn’t worry about what all the analysts said, all the people said.”
Asked later if was surprised if the Commanders were able to change their fortunes so quickly, Johnson answered: “Quarterback. You got to get a quarterback.”
Daniels was selected for the Pro Bowl and will likely be named the league’s rookie of the year after completing 69% of his passes for 3,568 yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions and rushing for 891 yards and six touchdowns in the regular season. During his playoff debut, the former San Bernardino Cajon High star completed 24 of 35 passes for 268 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Washington trailed by four early in the fourth quarter when veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner, a former player for the Seattle Seahawks and Rams who signed with the Commanders as a free agent during the 2024 offseason, recovered a fumble by Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield at the Buccaneers’ 13 yard-line.
Four plays later, on fourth-and-two from the Tampa Bay five-yard line, Daniels found receiver Terry McLaurin in the end zone to give Washington a 20-17 lead with 9:46 left. After Tampa Bay tied the score with a field goal almost five minutes later, Daniels led the Commanders on a drive that consumed the final 4 minutes, 41 seconds of the game and culminated in a game-winning, 37-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez.
The Commanders will travel to face the top-seeded Detroit Lions in the divisional round Saturday. And Johnson said on X that he and his wife, Cookie, are excited to return to their home state of Michigan.
“What a win for my Commanders tonight! Another last second field goal by Zane Gonzalez to get our franchise’s first Playoff win since 2005!” Johnson wrote on X. “Bobby Wagner had a huge defensive play with his fumble recovery and Jayden Daniels once again showed true composure down the stretch and put us in the position to win the game!”
At one point while Johnson was talking to reporters Sunday, he was joined by Harris.
“New vision, new owner with a strategy, picking the right people,” said Johnson, with his arm around Harris. “First our coach Coach Quinn, Adam Peters and then we all step out the way and let them do their job.”
Harris added: “Talent, culture and people.”
Johnson responded: “There it is.”
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