Washington Commanders owner Magic Johnson before the game against Portland Thorns FC. Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Commanders’ Magic Johnson shares a message for a star out West

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 1:00 PM ET

Magic Johnson is enjoying life as a partial owner of the Washington Commanders, but his roots still remain in basketball, specifically with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Johnson keeps tabs on the Lakers and hopes they can add to their long tradition of championships that he contributed to in the 1980's.

Johnson appears fond of new Lakers star Luka Doncic, and he sent him a message on what's expected of him as Los Angeles' franchise cornerstone.

Magic Johnson sends message to Luka Doncic

"And Luka, it’s great what you did in Dallas, but the difference is in Los Angeles we expect championships and we expect our superstars to lead us to a championship," Johnson said on ESPN.

"LeBron has already done that. Now we want Luka to do the same thing, but it's going to take more than just Luka, right? It is going to take more than just Luka being in shape."

Doncic was shockingly traded to the Lakers on Feb. 1 from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers for Anthony Davis and a first-round pick.

It's the NFL equivalent of Herschel Walker being traded to the Minnesota Vikings from the Dallas Cowboys.

The hope is that Doncic will be able to give the Lakers a spot among the elite teams in the world, just like the Commanders did last season with Jayden Daniels as their quarterback.

In the meantime, Daniels and the Commanders are taking a few weeks off before reporting to training camp on July 22.