Magic Johnson Playing Basketball On Yacht Is Ultimate Flex For Hoopers

Three decades after leading the iconic 1992 Dream Team to Olympic gold in the same city, the Los Angeles Lakers legend returned not in sneakers and shorts, but in style, aboard the PHOENIX2, a luxury superyacht more fit for royalty than retired athletes.

And instead of hitting the hardwood, Magic casually drained jumpers on a private half-court perched on the yacht’s deck, with the Mediterranean sun glistening over the Catalonian skyline.

Let’s be clear, this isn’t just some post-retirement hobby. This is Magic Johnson proving he’s still showtime, even with waves crashing instead of fans cheering. There’s rich. Then there’s shooting fadeaways on a half-court bolted onto a floating five-star hotel in the exact city you helped globalize basketball. That’s billionaire behavior only a select few will ever touch.

Magic’s yacht, the PHOENIX2, is a masterpiece built by Lürssen Yachts and rented for a reported $1.25 million per week. It features seven cabins, a two-level master suite, multiple pools, cinema halls, a wellness center, and a fully equipped gym. Of course, it wouldn’t be Magic’s yacht without a hoop.

Magic’s been traveling all summer with his wife, Cookie, and celebrity friends like Michael Jordan, Samuel L. Jackson, and Judge Greg Mathis, hosting toga parties in Greece and fine-dining in Monaco. But the moment that caught every hooper’s heart was that jump shot in Barcelona, smooth, relaxed, and iconic.

It wasn’t just nostalgia. It was poetry.

To be in the city where you changed basketball forever and casually remind the world you still got it? That’s what hoopers dream of. Most guys get their number retired and call it a day. Magic’s out here playing pickup on the deck of a superyacht, sipping wine after practice, and likely plotting his next business move in between jumpers.

At 65, Magic remains a cornerstone of the sport, not just for what he did on the court, but for what he’s doing after it. Worth over $1.5 billion, Johnson owns stakes in the Dodgers, Commanders, Sparks, and LAFC. He’s expanded from NBA icon to global businessman, philanthropist, and lifestyle inspiration.

But at the heart of it all? He’s still a hooper.

And hoopers hoop, whether it’s for gold medals, NBA titles, or just for the pure joy of launching one in Barcelona, with the sea breeze at your back and a legacy that echoes forever.