“He had to moon walk out quick” - Magic Johnson looks back on "touring" with Michael Jackson’s and Lakers game invitation

Magic Johnson, the newly minted billionaire, appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live for a fun interview. He discussed many things, from his new NFL co-ownership with the Washington Commanders to hanging out with celebrities. Michael Jackson is one of those celebrities Johnson recalls from his Showtime Laker days.

With Kimmel, Johnson talked about the times he noticed Jackson at Lakers games. Jackson used to sit right behind the Lakers bench for games.

Jackson was initially hesitant about attending Laker games as he didn't want to be disturbed by the paparazzi and fans. However, Johnson personally invited the music superstar to come watch the Lakers in action. Jackson obliged, but his apprehension proved to be true.

“He was right. He came and in two minutes the whole 17,505 of the crowd came down to Michael,” Johnson said. “He had to moon walk out quick.”

Johnson also fondly remembers “touring” with the King of Pop on three occasions. Kimmel was quick to call out Johnson for his so-called touring.

“When you say you toured with him, you mean, he went on tour and you followed him right?” Kimmel said.

Magic Johnson humorously agreed but he did have unprecedented access. Johnson said he would stay in neighboring hotel rooms with Jackson and would travel to the show in the same car as Jackson.

The late music great was one of the world's biggest stars at the time, if not the best. Johnson believes there will never be another artist like him. At the time, his celebrity and following were wild.

Magic Johnson named a billionaire

According to Forbes, Johnson joined the prestigious club of billionaires. He is the fourth American athlete to reach billionaire status. Following his Hall of Fame NBA career, Johnson has successfully built a business empire with many investments and business ventures.

The 64-year-old is worth $1.2 billion, according to Forbes. Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and LeBron James are the other American athletes to become billionaires.

The majority of his wealth comes from his majority ownership of the insurance company EquiTrust, where he became the majority owner more than ten years ago. The company has gone up in value from $16 billion to $26 billion since he took control.

Johnson is also heavily invested in sports teams, being a minority owner of many sports teams in different leagues. He is a part of multiple ownership groups that have recently purchased US sports teams.

He is a minority owner of the Washington Commanders of the NFL. He invested $242 million to acquire 4% of the team. The team was purchased for $6.05 billion this year.

Johnson also owns a stake in the LA Dodgers in Major League Baseball. He invested $50 million to buy his 2.3 percent stake in the team, which is valued at $4.8 billion, according to Forbes. The ownership group bought the Dodgers for $2 billion in 2012.

Magic Johnson is also involved in basketball and soccer. In 2014, he bought a minority stake in LAFC in Major League Soccer.

He purchased a stake in the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks. In 1994, he purchased a stake in his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, for which he paid $10 million. He sold the stock for $27 million in 2010.

Magic Johnson owned and sold a movie theater chain to Loews in 2004. Johnson also once owned 100 Starbucks locations and sold them back to Starbucks in 2010.

Magic Johnson is also a business advisor. He is on the board for Cameo and Fanatics. He is also invested in the CBD and NFT industries.