TL;DR - Scouting Report
Magic Johnson receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom, honoring his legacy as a sports legend, businessman, and philanthropist. Read more!
Start the Rally: Tweet This Now!Magic Johnson was one of 19 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Saturday, bestowed upon annually by the President of the United States.
Johnson, 65, is one of six part owners of the Dodgers that compromise Guggenheim Baseball, and is also a Hall of Fame guard for the Lakers and businessman.
President Joe Biden bestowed the Nation’s highest civilian honor upon Johnson alongside chef Jose Andres, singer Bono, former Secretary of Defense Ashton Baldwin Carter, former First Lady Hilary Rodham Clinton, actor Michael J. Fox, entrepreneur Tim Gill, conservationist Jane Goodall, activist Fannie Lou Hamer, U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, fashion designer Ralph Lauren, soccer star Lionel Messi, scientist Bill Nye, former governer of Michican George W. Romney, philanthropist David M. Rubenstein, investor George Soros, playwright George Stevens, Jr., producer Denzel Washington and fashion icon Anna Wintour.
A presentation was held at the White House to commemmorate the event on Saturday.
Since Johnson and Guggenheim Baseball took over ownership of the Dodgers in 2012, all the team has done is win. In fact, the Dodgers not only have the most victories (1,215) in that timespan, they’re the only team with a win percentage above 60 percent, sitting at a .606 win percentage. The next team behind them is the Yankees with 1,129 wins at a .563 win percentage.
This year, in 2012, was to date, the last time the Dodgers did not make the playoffs.
Since then, the Dodgers have made the playoffs each year since. They have also won the NL West division in each season except a 2021 season in which they finished with 106 wins and a game behind the Giants, who they would eliminate in a best-of-5-game NLDS series.
The Dodgers have won the World Series in 2020 and 2024 under Guggenheim Baseball, also making unsuccessful appearances in the Fall Classic in 2017 and 2018.
Johnson’s other business ventures have included a partnership in the Dayton Dragons, a Class-A team that sold out more than 1,000 consecutive games, a record for professional sports; a pieece of the Sparks, who won the WNBA championship in 2016; and of Los Angeles FC of the MLS, which won the MLS Cup in 2022. Most recently, Johnson invested $240 million as part of a group that purchased the NFL’s Washington Commanders in 2023. Last year, Johnson joined the investment group for the NWSL’s Washington Spirit.
Congratulations to Magic Johnson on receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom!
Your Turn: What has been your favorite Magic Johnson moment, Dodger fans? Tell us below in the comments!
