Magic Johnson is on one other playoff run.
That’s nothing new for the Lakers legend. Johnson is a component proprietor of quite a few groups throughout quite a few skilled sports activities, profitable NBA (Lakers), MLB (Dodgers), WNBA (Sparks) and MLS (LAFC) championships in that position.
In October, his Dodgers received the World Collection for the second time in 5 years. The next month, his Washington Spirit made it to the Nationwide Girls’s Soccer League championship recreation, whereas his LAFC superior so far as the semifinal spherical of the MLS playoffs.
Now Johnson is experiencing the NFL postseason for the primary time as a minority proprietor of the Washington Commanders, a workforce that has a storied NFL historical past that features three Tremendous Bowl victories however had loved little success on the sphere below earlier proprietor Daniel Snyder.
Johnson is a member of an possession group headed by businessman Josh Harris that bought the Commanders for $6.05 billion in the course of the summer season of 2023.
After stumbling to a 4-13 report later that yr, Washington emerged from its first full offseason below the Harris group with a brand new normal supervisor in Adam Peters, a brand 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 round rapidly, ending the common season with a 12-5 report, incomes the No. 6 seed within the NFC playoffs, then profitable a postseason recreation for the primary time in 19 years, with an exhilarating 23-20 victory over the No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night time.
“You gotta give Josh a lot of credit because we picked the right people, right?” Johnson advised reporters after the sport. “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.”
Requested later if was stunned if the Commanders have been capable of change their fortunes so rapidly, Johnson answered: “Quarterback. You got to get a quarterback.”
Daniels was chosen for the Professional Bowl and can seemingly be named the league’s rookie of the yr after finishing 69% of his passes for 3,568 yards with 25 touchdowns and 9 interceptions and dashing for 891 yards and 6 touchdowns within the common season. Throughout his playoff debut, the previous San Bernardino Cajon Excessive star accomplished 24 of 35 passes for 268 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Washington trailed by 4 early within the fourth quarter when veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner, a former participant for the Seattle Seahawks and Rams who signed with the Commanders as a free agent in the course of the 2024 offseason, recovered a fumble by Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield on the Buccaneers’ 13 yard-line.
4 performs later, on fourth-and-two from the Tampa Bay five-yard line, Daniels discovered receiver Terry McLaurin in the long run zone to offer Washington a 20-17 lead with 9:46 left. After Tampa Bay tied the rating with a area aim nearly 5 minutes later, Daniels led the Commanders on a drive that consumed the ultimate 4 minutes, 41 seconds of the sport and culminated in a game-winning, 37-yard area aim by Zane Gonzalez.
The Commanders will journey to face the top-seeded Detroit Lions within the divisional spherical Saturday. And Johnson stated on X that he and his spouse, Cookie, are excited to return to their residence 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 level whereas Johnson was speaking to reporters Sunday, he was joined by Harris.
“New vision, new owner with a strategy, picking the right people,” stated Johnson, together with his arm round 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.”
