Once back in Los Angeles, he will gear up for his Dodgers to begin play in baseball’s postseason. But the basketball Hall of Famer repeatedly has passed on opportunities for ownership in the sport he knows best.
“I think because of the way fans love basketball you might have to think about that one, because I love coming to New York and going to the Garden and watching the Knicks play,” Johnson said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I love being with fans who are so passionate about their team and the Knick fans are, and they’re smart. They’re smart basketball fans and so that one I would have to think about.
Johnson, who was in charge when the Lakers signed LeBron James, believes they can play for a second NBA title in five years.Johnson, 64, had to retire as a Lakers player in 1991 after contracting HIV. Former NBA Commissioner David Stern allowed him to return and play in the 1992 All-Star Game, a decision Johnson believes helped encourage and educate people in the fight against AIDS.
“I’ve always talked about, whether it was HIV, AIDS and now RSV, it’s really important that I come to the people,” he said of GlaxoSmithKline’s “Sideline RSV” campaign. “It’s one thing to do a commercial, it’s another thing to be live and in person and shake people’s hands and really tell them: ‘Look, get your physicals.