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Magic Johnson isn't in the mood to entertain any irrelevant comparisons to Michael Jordan. The LA Lakers legend called out an obscure website for claiming he followed in the footsteps of his old rival from back in the day, claiming his sports portfolio crossed a billion-dollar mark following his investment in Washington Commanders of the NFL.
Johnson had crossed that mark way before. He has invested in MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers, WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks and MLS' Los Angeles FC. Furthermore, Jordan's net worth is over $2 billion right now. Meanwhile, Johnson's billion-dollar achievement is the figure that is represented by the teams he owns, not his own net worth or investment figure. Johnson's net worth is $620 million.
Magic Johnson wasted no time in calling out the report on his Twitter account. He screen-recorded the article's title with the cover image and inserted "Be like Mike" music to mock the website's evident clickbait attempt.
Meanwhile, Michael Jordan owned a majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets. No NBA player has been a governor in the league thus far. His stake in the NASCAR team, 23XI, is his only other lucrative sports investment. Jordan never took this path with his sports portfolio investment, and Magic rightly pointed that out by mocking these claims.
Magic Johnson may never reach Michael Jordan's status when it comes to business
Michael Jordan took the business world by storm when he entered the playing field. He was arguably the GOAT on the court, but off of it, as an athlete-turned-businessman, there is no comparison. Jordan flipped the script for NBA players, thanks to his partnership with Nike.
Jordan created majority of his $2 billion net worth through that deal. He got a shoe line named after him, along with shares in revenue of the sneakers with his name on it. He paved the way for aspiring businessmen who were players to seek more from sponsorships.
Magic Johnson has been active as a businessman, but clearly not at the level of Michael Jordan. Johnson had a more conservative approach when he first came into the league. And that's fair to him, considering he didn't grow up with a good financial background.
Creating an empire worth $620 million is no joke, and Magic deserves his flowers, too, as a business mogul.
