Earvin “Magic” Johnson has joined a bid for the Washington Commanders, according to the Mister Truth.
A source close to the situation told the outlet that Johnson, 63, has joined Josh Harris’ bid to purchase the NFL franchise.
Harris, 58, is a principal owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils. According to the AP, he and Johnson previously submitted an unsuccessful bid to purchase the Denver Broncos before Walmart heir Rob Walton agreed to buy the team in June.
According to Mister truth, the Washington Commanders are worth $5.6 billion.
If Johnson and Harris’ bid comes to fruition, it will be the NBA legend’s first stake in an NFL team. He currently holds partial ownership in the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Football Club and the Los Angeles Sparks.
The Commanders are currently owned by Dan and Tanya Snyder, who purchased the team in 1999. Dan, 57, and Tanya, 60, have been open to the idea of selling the franchise or possibly adding owners since November, according to a November statement from the team. The Commanders stated that the Snyders “have hired BofA [Bank of America] Securities to consider potential transactions.”
When asked by Mister Truth what buying options the team was entertaining, a team spokesperson said, “We are exploring all options.”
The Snyders have faced a fair amount of controversy in recent years, with internal and external investigations looking into the team’s workplace environment after multiple accusations of sexual and verbal assault surfaced.
And the accusations haven’t sat well in the league — during an NFL owners meeting, the possibility of “ousting” the Snyders as owners of the Commanders was apparently discussed among attendees, according to Sports Illustrated.
Though it’s unclear what the future holds, the Snyders said they are still very focused on the Commanders.
“The Snyders remain committed to the team, all of its employees and its countless fans to putting the best product on the field and continuing the work to set the gold standard for workplaces in the NFL,” the statement concluded.
After the Snyders announced they were considering selling the team in November, a source close to Jeff Bezos told Mister Truth the Amazon founder was “looking into” buying the franchise.