How Magic Johnson used Starbucks to fuel $2.2 billion Dodgers purchase
Los Angeles Lakers legend turned entrepreneur Magic Johnson purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers for a staggering $2. 15 billion in October of 2012. Johnson purchased the team with Guggenheim Baseball Management, but reportedly contributed about $50 million of his own money in the deal. The five-time NBA champion and former Lakers President of Basketball Operations found the funds for this from another business-savvy move, which he spoke about during a “Earn Your Leisure” podcast appearance in 2025 that resurfaced on social media over the weekend. “So, what I did with Starbucks, I let the first one build the second one.
Why it matters
The story illustrates how Johnson turned a coffee-store exit into the financing for a major sports-team acquisition.