“Grateful to have you as a friend and business mentor. Thank you for paving the way for athletes in business and sports ownership.” Alex Rodriguez has always given credit where it’s due, and when it comes to business mentorship, nobody gets more love from him than Earvin “Magic” Johnson. And today, after years of grinding, A-Rod and Marc Lore have officially taken over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Magic, of course, wasted no time celebrating the win in his own way.

Now, here’s where things get interesting. Magic and A-Rod both are legends in their respective sports, but are not limited only to their fields anymore. They’ve both stepped into each other’s worlds. Magic owns the Los Angeles Dodgers. A-Rod just became an NBA owner. A basketball icon running things in baseball and a baseball superstar owning an NBA team? What a role reversal, huh? But did you know that Magic actually sparked this idea for A-Rod? Alex admitted, “Then I saw him(Magic Johnson) go from the Lakers to the Dodgers, And I go wait a minute, actually why couldn’t I go from Major League Baseball to the NBA? And that’s exactly what happened.” 

And now the mentor gets to cheer on his protege’s next big move. Talk about a full-circle moment!  Magic Johnson said on his X (formally Twitter) account, “I’m excited about today’s announcement that my friend Alex Rodriguez and his partner Marc Lore became the sole owners of the Minnesota Timberwolves!”

This $1.5 billion deal wasn’t a layup—it was a buzzer-beater. Back in 2021, Rodriguez and Lore agreed to buy the Timberwolves and Lynx from Glen Taylor in phases, starting with an initial stake totaling 36%. But when Taylor tried to back out of the final 40% sale in March 2024, citing missed deadlines, A-Rod and Lore pushed back, arguing they were entitled to more time due to NBA approval delays.

After months of arbitration, a 2-1 ruling in their favor on February 10, 2025, upheld the $1.5 billion price tag—a steal compared to the team’s soaring valuation. With billionaire allies like Michael Bloomberg and Eric Schmidt joining as minority partners, they reinforced their financial clout, ensuring the deal’s completion by March 2025.

Now there is no doubt that this is a game-changing move for A-Rod and Marc. And through the post Magic also gave them his flowers. But the question is will this ownership shake-up actually benefit the team? Sure, Alex isn’t new to the ownership game. He’s been part of the Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx ownership group since 2021. But now, he and Marc are fully in charge. And we all know that running an NBA franchise isn’t a walk in the park, and now all eyes will be on them to see if they can deliver. So, what do you think? Are A-Rod and Marc ready to take the Wolves to the next level?

Alex is passing down the will of fire as Magic Johnson made him promise once

Back when A-Rod was just a young star trying to figure things out, he turned to Magic Johnson for advice. And what did he get? A three-hour dinner with the Lakers legend. At just 20 or 21, the three-time AL MVP didn’t hesitate to ask all the right questions about building his business career. Just like Shaquille O’Neal, A-Rod got the business blueprint straight from Magic. But there was one catch, he had to pass it down.

“So a lot of what I’m doing today, I’m probably spending 20 to 25% of my time mentoring a lot of athletes, and a lot of people of color like myself, and people that really want to advance their business career.” Now, A-Rod isn’t just making his own business career, he’s paying it forward, just like his mentor taught him.

Just like Magic Johnson guided him in business, A-Rod now has the chance to lead a whole NBA franchise and mentor the next generation of athletes. Now, we just have to wait and watch what Alex can bring to the table.