Magic wants to own pro team, rips Pistons

As if he were still playing in the NBA, Magic Johnson said he is always looking to improve. But instead of a jump shot, he is looking to develop his business portfolio.

Quantcast

Johnson was back at his old stomping grounds Thursday, taping tonight's "Homecoming with Rick Reilly" for ESPN in front of nearly 4,000 at Jenison Field House. During the show, which chronicles athletes returning to their roots, Johnson addressed his latest business venture: trying to return an NFL team to Los Angeles.

But what about the game that made him a star? Would he want to have his own basketball team?

"Will I own a team in the NBA? Probably so," Johnson said. "I don't have to be the majority owner, and I probably won't be, but I still want to control it."

Johnson, 51, is aware of the ownership limbo with the Pistons. He said he assumed Mike Ilitch would be the next owner and spoke with him months ago. He wouldn't rule out becoming a minority owner in Detroit.

As for the current Pistons, Johnson said they were a long way from the teams he faced in consecutive NBA Finals in the late 1980s.

"Too many individuals," Johnson said. "You have to get back to what made them great, and that's defense and rebounding. ... What we see now is a team that's soft.

"People from Detroit and Michigan can accept losing, but not the way they're losing."

And Johnson didn't bite his tongue when it came to his Tom Izzo-led Spartans, either.

"First, they've got to get back to playing great defense and rebounds, and second, we've got to cut down on those turnovers," Johnson said. "But I'm not really concerned."
Back at Jenison

They waited -- quietly, almost nervously -- for their hero to make one more appearance.

Then, after a cue from the stage manager, the 6-foot-9 champion emerged from the shadows with a smile and high-fives for adoring fans as Michigan State's band played.

Jenison Field House, an old-fashioned arena where Magic's Spartans played, was turned into a studio with bright lights andflat-screen TVs, and hummed with as much noise as when Johnson dominated the Big Ten in the late 1970s.


Magic Johnson returned home Thursday with a full agenda, which not only included giving the commencement speech at MSU's graduation but also filming the latest installment of ESPN's "Homecoming with Rick Reilly" at the arena where he began to make a worldwide name for himself. The show debuts at 7 tonight.

After the show, Johnson said he almost couldn't believe how well he was received by the audience.

"I live in Los Angeles, but to get this type of reception, this type of respect, this type of love, they know that I care about them," he said. "They've made me proud, and I hope that I've made them proud."

During a break of the taping, Magic couldn't help being Magic: interacting with the crowd, shaking hands with teammates from yesteryear and current Spartans, telling his team: "We've got to get back to the Final Four, c'mon." As a hush fell over the crowd, anticipating the beginning of the next segment, Magic blurted out: "What about our football team, huh?"

About 4,000 people, including Johnson's wife Cookie, parents Earvin Sr. and Christine, brothers and sisters, former high school, college and NBA teammates, Tom Izzo and the MSU men's basketball team and remnants of the Izzone filled Jenison to catch a glimpse of East Lansing's famous native son.

Though Magic didn't march through the crowd until about 7 p.m., people were lined up outside Jenison Field House on a blistery day hours before the doors opened.

"With this turnout, you can see how much he means to the people here," said Dartanion Thomas, a former MSU student. "It's nice to see him come back home."

Just about everyone in the crowd seemed to agree, hanging on every one of Johnson's words during the 2-hour taping.

And how couldn't they? Johnson not only told stories from his championships at Lansing Everett, MSU and L.A., but displayed his favorite jacket from high school (red crushed velvet with a white fur collar), his singing "talents" and described the greatest shot he'd ever seen that's not on video (clues: Michael Jordan and 1992 Dream Team).