Tag: Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson helped Commanders seal the deal with Kliff Kingsbury as OC

Magic Johnson still dishing out assists.

Magic Johnson is one of the NBA’s all-time leaders in assists. Since retiring, he has become one of America’s most successful businessmen.

Last summer, Johnson had NFL ownership to his growing portfolio as one of the minority partners in Josh Harris’ successful bid to buy the Washington Commanders. Johnson often tweets after games and was recently a part of Harris’ search committee to find a new general manager and head coach.

The Commanders have a new GM (Adam Peters) and head coach (Dan Quinn).

Washington also has a new offensive coordinator, as the Commanders officially announced former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury as Washington’s new offensive boss.

So, what do Johnson and Kingsbury have in common?

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Johnson helped seal the deal for Kingsbury and the Commanders.

“When you a defensive coach like Dan Quinn, the No. 1 question is ‘Who is going to be your offensive coordinator?'” Rapoport said. “This is as big as it gets for the Washington Commanders. To look at the flip that happened when he was with the Raiders, my understanding is Magic Johnson, who is a limited partner with the Commanders, was actually the one to step in and kind of pull Kliff Kingsbury back and go, ‘You know what if this deal with the Raiders isn’t perfect, maybe there’s a home for you in Washington.'”

Kingsbury and the Raiders allegedly had a deal where he would have been Antonio Pierce’s new offensive coordinator. However, talks broke down, and the two sides went in different directions, allowing Kingsbury to sign with the Commanders.

Long after he retired, Magic Johnson is still dishing out assists.

 

Ben Johnson ‘turned off’ by Commanders’ owners, calling them ‘basketball guys’

Hopefully, this drama is over and both sides can move forward.

We have finally heard from Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson regarding his opinion on the Washington Commanders after he pulled out of consideration for their head coaching job.

Or have we?

On Saturday, courtesy of Jenna Laine, who covers the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for ESPN, we’ve heard what Johnson thinks of Commanders’ ownership.

Per Laine, he believed Washington’s new owners were “basketball guys” who thought a little too highly of their “football opinions.”

Here’s Laine’s tweet:

This comes after the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo revealed some interesting info on Johnson’s interviews with the Commanders and Seahawks. According to Garafolo, Johnson didn’t do well in his first interview, which caused Washington some hesitation.

After the initial interview, per Garafolo, it caused some concern from Washington’s side, but it wanted to follow through with the second interview. Johnson famously canceled the interview with the Commanders while they were en route to Detroit to meet him.

That didn’t go over too well. Essentially, Garafolo said, Johnson withdrew from two jobs he already knew he wouldn’t get.

Truth or fiction? Who knows.

However, Laine confirmed many of the reports that Johnson did not interview well.

As far as calling Washington’s ownership group “basketball guys,” that one is interesting. New general manager Adam Peters was in on the meeting, as was former Vikings GM Rick Spielman. Sure, owner Josh Harris and minority partners Magic Johnson and David Blitzer are “basketball guys,” but they are also extremely smart businessmen who are experienced sports owners.

Here’s what we think. There is probably truth to a lot of this from both sides. Johnson hasn’t interviewed particularly well, or it would not come from so many different sources. With that being said, he was clearly Washington’s top choice. Perhaps the Commanders did move on from him and wanted him to change their minds in the second meeting to be certain of their collective decision.

How do we know it’s Washington leaking these details? Perhaps it was Seattle or even Carolina. We just don’t know. Before Ron Rivera was fired last month, nearly everyone in the media pegged Johnson to Washington. Something happened. There was too much smoke connecting the two sides.

In all likelihood, Johnson had some support from Washington’s search committee, but others, not so much. So, the Commanders’ brass wanted another interview. It never happened, as Johnson let them know via text that he was no longer interested.

Will that hurt Johnson down the road? Who knows? Turning down these types of opportunities is difficult because you may never be this hot of a candidate again. The most revealing part of this entire process was Johnson being comfortable enough to send a text to Washington brass while they were in the air and on the way to see him, only for him to say he wasn’t interested — via text. That’s a problem. And it’s a bad look.

The Commanders hired Dan Quinn on Thursday, and it’s best for everyone involved to move forward. Ultimately, it’s as simple as these two sides weren’t compatible.

Johnson will never coach in Washington.

Dan Quinn wanted the Commanders’ job before it was open

One source told a local radio host last month that Dan Quinn badly wanted the Washington job.

On Thursday, a local radio show host took great joy in being right about Dan Quinn being named the Commanders’ new head coach.

Chris Russell, the Team 980 host (1-4 pm, M-F), began his show with a bang. “We have something to be excited about!” Russell howled. “The Commanders have hired themselves a great head coach! That a boy, Adam Peters! That a boy, Josh (Harris), Magic (Johnson), Mark Ein, Mitchell Rales!”

Russell then reminded his listeners that he needed to be honest, admitting that Raheem Morris was his first choice when the process was launched. “Raheem Morris was No. 1 on my list. But Dan Quinn, as soon as Raheem Morris was off of the board, was the guy that I was hoping would get this job.”

“I told you guys, the day after the Dallas Cowboys game, the final game of the season, that I was told by someone in the Dallas Cowboys organization that Dan Quinn wanted this job and was very eagerly anticipating a call from the Commanders. He got it the next morning and wanted this job in the worst way.”

“Yelling into his microphone, Russell continued, “Boy Wonder, Ben Johnson did not want the job! The hell with him! Mike Macdonald didn’t want the job! The hell with him!”

“Dan Quinn wanted the job! (He) was aching to be the head coach of the Washington Commanders! And yet, some of you are already poo-pooing that, like you got a piece of discarded trash! People, adjust your prism. That’s absurd.”

Russell then reminded his listeners who were criticizing Quinn’s hiring that Quinn did not come to the Commanders because he would have all the power. He is not; he is working for Adam Peters, the GM.

The afternoon host then reminded his listeners that Quinn has much experience, having won an NFC Championship with Atlanta and gone 10-6, winning a playoff game the year after offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s departure.

His opening closed with Russell challenging his callers to call him and say why they do NOT believe in second chances for Dan Quinn when they certainly believe in second chances for themselves and their family.

Commanders Wire welcomes Dan Quinn to the Commanders. Hope you can get this thing turned around and enjoy a decade of success here, Dan.

Commanders reportedly down to 2 candidates for next head of football operations

The Commanders are down to two candidates for their next head of football operations.

And then there were two.

The Washington Commanders fired head coach/head of football operations Ron Rivera on Monday, one day after the team finished 4-13, and quickly went to work, finding his replacements.

Washington requested permission to speak with Adam Peters (49ers assistant GM), Ian Cunningham (Bears assistant GM), Alec Halaby (Eagles assistant GM), Mike Borgonzi (Chiefs assistant GM) and Glenn Cook (Browns assistant GM) to fill the head of operations role.

After interviewing all five candidates over a two-day period on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Commanders are down to two: Peters and Cunningham.

Peters and Cunningham will now go through a second round of interviews that will include owner Josh Harris’ minority partners, David Blitzer, Magic Johnson and Mitchell Rales, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.

Harris promised a thorough but rapid process when he spoke to the media on Monday. That’s been the case. Washington has also requested permission to speak with at least seven head-coaching candidates but has yet to begin that process as it wants to have the new head of football operations in place beforehand.

Report: Commanders interested in Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh

The Michigan coach has won everywhere he’s been.

The Washington Commanders fired head coach Ron Rivera on Monday morning, and owner Josh Harris announced an advisory committee, consisting of minority owners Magic Johnson, David Blitzer and Mitchell Rales, along with former Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers and Minnesota Vikings GM Rick Spielman.

It didn’t take long for Myers to get to work.

According to a report from Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, Myers has already reached out to Jim Harbaugh’s agent, Don Yee, to express interest in the current University of Michigan head coach.

Michigan plays Washington in the NCAA championship on Monday, but reports have indicated he’s ready for a return to the NFL, with multiple teams interested, such as the Raiders and Chargers.

Harbaugh was a first-round pick of the Chicago Bears in the 1986 NFL draft, where he played quarterback for seven seasons. Harbaugh would enjoy a 15-year playing career, also playing for the Colts, Ravens, Chargers, Lions and Panthers.

He quickly jumped into coaching, beginning that phase of his career with the Oakland Raiders in 2002. He spent two years in that role before accepting the head coaching position at the University of San Diego. He was head coach there for three seasons before being named head coach at Stanford in 2007. He coached the Cardinal for four seasons before returning to the NFL as head coach of the 49ers in 2011.

Harbaugh immediately turned around San Francisco, enjoying a 44-19-1 record in four years, leading the Niners to the playoffs in three seasons, including losing in Super Bowl XLVII to the Baltimore Ravens and his brother John. Harbaugh played a critical role in turning around the career of quarterback Alex Smith.

In his nine seasons at Michigan, Harbaugh has a record of 88-25.

Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda initially reported Washington’s interest in Harbaugh.

Who runs Magic Johnson’s truly perfect Twitter account? We may finally have an answer.

With help from Rob Lowe, we may FINALLY have found out who posts for Magic Johnson.

Is there anything better than a tweet from Magic Johnson? Even though often obvious and bland, he has one of the most beloved voices on the website.

Just like he was on the basketball court, he is a human highlight reel online as well. He has shared some of the best posts we have ever seen. We were very glad to have him back on the website after he quit his job with the Lakers in 2019.

Some of the best include stunningly basic thoughts about the Dodgers, skinny pop popcorn, the greatness of Kawhi Leonard, petty criticism of the Celtics and a scathing review of his Washington Commanders.

But the question many have long wondered is if it is Johnson who actually posts on his account or if he has some type of brilliant ghostwriter.

RELATED: Magic Johnson on D’Angelo Russell, Max Christie, Coca-Cola ad, more

On the latest episode of his show, Pablo Torre Finds Out, Meadowlark Media’s Pablo Torre was asked to investigate who actually runs the Twitter account for Johnson.

He reached out to Johnson’s team and heard back from Alexia Grevious Henderson, the Vice President of Magic Johnson Enterprises. This is what she said:

“Thank you for reaching out. I hope you’ve been well and had a great summer!

Unfortunately, Mr. Johnson respectfully declines to participate. He has elected not to discuss the behind-the-scenes of his social strategy.

Thank you for the consideration!”

Not satisfied with the answer, however, Torre reached out to someone who he suspected may have something a bit more revealing to share. That person was famed actor Rob Lowe.

Johnson and Lowe have been friends since the 1980s and the two know each other very well. Back in 2020, Johnson was a guest on Lowe’s podcast and the Basketball Hall of Fame point guard revealed that he tells somebody what to say and then that person writes his tweets for him.

So although Johnson doesn’t physically type out the message, there is still plenty of reason for fascination. Here is what Lowe shared:

“I have it on very good authority that he dictates it. Whatever occurs to him, with the emphasis on whatever occurs to him. It’s the best. Twitter was made for him.”

Lowe speculated that Johnson’s tweets are “pre-loaded” with different messages depending on the outcome of the events. He described Johnson’s account as a “gift” and one of the only joys remaining left on Twitter.

In case that answer leaves you unsatisfied, however, Torre was able to dig a little bit deeper.

“I did also want to be fair to any skeptics out there who wanted the actual answer our great listener left. We know now that it is Magic Johnson dictating the tweets. We know it is his voice, incontrovertibly. But in terms of the person who is physically writing them, who is writing this account, there was even more digging that I had to do. …

They wanted to keep all of this a secret, obviously, the social media strategy. But I truly investigated this. I did all of these interviews on background. I got to somebody who was in the room, actually, while it was happening: Magic Johnson with this mystery person posting to the account. What I was told: the person who physically posts for Magic Johnson was none other than Alexia Grevious Henderson.”

That, of course, was the person who initially e-mailed Torre to say that Johnson elected not to discuss the social media strategy.

WHAT A TWIST.

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What did Magic Johnson think of the Commanders’ performance in Week 11?

Our favorite part of the week has become, “What did Magic think?”

It’s time for our favorite segment of the week here at Commanders Wire: What did minority owner Magic Johnson think of the latest performance of the Washington Commanders?

After almost every game, win or loss (primarily losses), Johnson takes to Twitter — now X — to give his thoughts on the latest game. A usually positive person, Johnson’s tweets became popular with Washington’s fan base back in Week 5 with his reaction to the Commanders’ ugly performance in prime time against the Chicago Bears.

It was evident Johnson wasn’t happy. That was something fans could get behind after years of disappointments in prime time.

So, what did Johnson think of Washington’s embarrassing 31-19 loss to the New York Giants in Week 11?

Judge for yourself:

It’s hard to decipher a lot from that message. The most interesting aspect was it came at 8:53 p.m. ET. The game ended around 4 p.m. ET. So, did Magic DVR the game and watch it later?

As expected, the comments to Johnson’s tweet are worth just as much as the initial tweet. Fans personally asking for Johnson to do something with the coaching staff.

The Commanders play again on Thursday, with a trip to Dallas on Thanksgiving against the Cowboys. That should be fun.

South Carolina says yes ‘oui’ can in win over Notre Dame in Paris

The South Carolina Gamcocks and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish played the first-ever NCAA regular-season basketball game in Paris.

The South Carolina Gamecocks and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish played the first NCAA women’s basketball regular-season game in Europe. The Gamecocks walked away with the win, defeating Notre Dame, 100-71, in Paris, France.

“It was really a blank canvas,” said Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley, who posed in front of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece Mona Lisa at the Louvre a few days before the game. “But the chemistry that they’re building is very special.”

South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso had 20 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks, and freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley had 17 points. Five Gamecocks finished in double figures. For the Fighting Irish, Hannah Hidalgo, in her collegiate debut, posted 31 points.

The game drew the attention of notable names in basketball, including Magic Johnson and Kevin Durant. Other notable players and former Gamecocks legends such as Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke also tuned into the game.

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What did Magic Johnson think of the Commanders’ win over the Patriots?

Magic Johnson was proud of everyone after the Commanders’ win over the Patriots.

After every Washington game this season, fans anxiously await the thoughts of minority owner Magic Johnson. Johnson, one of Josh Harris’ limited partners, is known to go to Twitter — or X — when discussing one of his teams, through the good or bad.

Johnson often talks about the Dodgers and Lakers, but since officially jumping on board as one of Washington’s owners, Johnson weighs in on the Commanders’ latest performance.

Usually positive, Johnson was none too pleased with Washington’s embarrassing performance in a Thursday night loss to the Bears in Week 5.

After Sunday’s win over the New England Patriots, Johnson was pleased with his team, specifically mentioning head coach Ron Rivera, offensive coordinator, quarterback Sam Howell and rookie defensive back Jartavius “Quan” Martin.

Johnson on the coaches.

He gives some love to his quarterback.

Johnson loved what he saw from Washington’s wide receivers, too.

He didn’t forget about the offensive line, either.

Usually, Magic has one tweet for the game, but he was apparently feeling really good about Sunday’s win.

Things are much tougher next week as the Commanders are back on the road in Seattle to face the Seahawks.

 

 

Magic Johnson remembers the late Bobby Knight recruiting him in high school

Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson remembers being recruited by Bobby Knight.

On Wednesday, Bobby Knight passed away, the legendary college basketball coach being eulogized far and wide for his impact on the game. One of those voices remembered the man was that of  Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson.

While Johnson never played for Knight, he remembered a time in high school when the coach was trying to recruit him to Indiana. It was a recruiting visit that Johnson said made waves throughout the school.

Johnson, who graduated from Everett High School (Lansing, Michigan) in 1977, remembers Knight coming on a recruiting trip in 1976. Knight had just coached his team to a 32-0 record and the NCAA Tournament title that spring.

Never short of swagger, Knight’s arrival on campus created buzz.

 

Of course, Johnson didn’t pick Indiana, instead taking his magical talent to Michigan State. It worked out pretty well for Johnson, winning the NCAA Tournament in 1979.

Knight won three NCAA championships with Indiana. He then went to Texas Tech where he built up the Red Raiders into a nationally recognized program.

In his seven full seasons in Lubbock, he took Texas Tech to the NCAA Tournament four times.

Lifetime, Knight had 902 wins.