Magic Johnson. Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Magic Johnson swipes Celtics after Lakers purchase

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 8:24 AM ET

The Celtics and Lakers will forever be linked with one another.

Until the late Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers, no NBA franchise could compete with the Celtics' ability to hang banners. As it stands, the Celtics (18) have only one more championship than the Lakers (17).

Earlier this year, the Celtics were sold for $6.1B, marking the largest sale of a sports team in North America, topping the $6.05B that the Washington Commanders were sold for in 2023.

So, of course, the Lakers had to one-up their enemy. The Purple and Gold franchise was reportedly sold at a valuation of approximately $10B, the largest sum ever fetched for a pro sports team.

Magic Johnson — one of the leading actors in the storied Lakers versus Celtics rivalry — seized the moment to take a shot at his old rival.

Just like I thought, when the Celtics sold for $6B, I knew the Lakers were worth $10B!https://t.co/APreKgzNxb
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 18, 2025

The post seemed to irk The Ringer's Bill Simmons, a renowned Celtics fan, who said the C's will "have to settle for six more championships." Simmons was referring to the fact that five of the Lakers' 17 titles came during their stint as the Minneapolis Lakers (1949-54).

Johnson's comment was made in jest. He followed up his post with several positive notes about new Lakers owner Mark Walter, the CEO and chairman of TWG Global, with whom he shares a lot of history. Johnson is part of the ownership group alongside Walter that purchased both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Sparks.

He referred to Walter as the "best caretaker" of the iconic Lakers brand, highlighting the success enjoyed by the Dodgers since he purchased the MLB franchise. Johnson also congratulated Lakers governor Jeanie Buss for striking "an incredible deal" with the right person to carry forward the legacy of the storied NBA franchise.

The Buss family purchased the Lakers for a valuation of $67.5M in 1979.

Laker fans should be estatic. A few things I can tell you about Mark - he is driven by winning, excellence, and doing everything the right way. AND he will put in the resources needed to win! I can understand why Jeanie sold the team to Mark Walter because they are just alike -…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 18, 2025

I just talked to my sister Jeanie Buss to tell her congratulations, and that I’m so happy for her and family. I told her that her dad Dr. Buss would be very proud of her for getting $10B for the Lakers, the largest sports franchise sale in history!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 18, 2025

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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