Alex Rodriguez Reveals How Millionaire NBA Great Magic Johnson Inspired His Dreams Before Becoming an MLB Icon

Since Alex Rodriguez retired in 2016, he has kept himself busy with entrepreneurship and ventures with sports like basketball. Now that his life doesn’t revolve around baseball anymore, because that’s the prerequisite for a pro player, basketball has caught his interest. In 2021, A-Rod purchased part ownership of the NBA team, Minnesota Timberwolves, with businessman Marc Lore.

Ever since then, he has endorsed the sport and supported his team. He is often seen at the Timberwolves’ games, along with various friends or family members. And apparently, Rodriguez’s love of basketball goes way back to his childhood.

Alex Rodriguez has always been a fan of basketball

In a recent interview with Ben Cafardo of ESPN, A-Rod mentioned how he has been a fan of the league since its early days. The NBA was originally established in 1946 and in the early decades of its birth; it recruited some amazing players. Two of those were Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, whom the former shortstop mentioned in his interview.

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“I knew the League was amazing. I’ve been a huge fan going back to the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson days. And I used to watch CBS at 3.35 on the East Coast on Sundays,” Rodriguez told Cafardo in the interview. He also added, “And probably like some of you who’re old enough like me, you go outside and try to emulate Magic, or Bird, or both. And that was a little bit of how I grew up in my early days.”

While the former Yank’s true love was baseball, basketball also seems close to his heart.

Bird and Johnson have some impressive titles under their belt

Larry Bird, who played in the MLB for 13 seasons, managed to accomplish a lot of titles that most players with longer seasons today don’t have. He’s the only player in League history to ever win Rookie of the Year,?Most Valuable Player,?Finals MVP, Executive of the Year, Coach of the Year, and All-Star MVP. Many people think his career, all of which was spent with the Boston Celtics, was short-lived. But looking at his accolades, he managed to achieve it all.

Magic Johnson was no less impressive in his golden years. Widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards of all time, the 6ft. 9 in. He has a record for average per-game assists in both the regular season and playoffs. Johnson may have officially retired three times from the game, but the way he played never failed to impress.

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Awe-inspiring as the two legends were in their own time since they’re still talked about today, they must have been something to behold in their glory days.