WASHINGTON — Magic Johnson has purchased an possession stake within the Nationwide Girls’s Soccer League’s Washington Spirit, the basketball great-turned-entrepreneur’s newest addition to his skilled sports activities crew portfolio.
The crew introduced Thursday that Johnson has joined the investor group led by proprietor Michele Kang.
“I’m excited to hitch the Washington Spirit’s investor group at such a pivotal time within the membership’s historical past,” Johnson mentioned in an announcement. “Partnering with a visionary like Michele Kang and her crew to advance the expansion of the Washington Spirit and the NWSL is an unimaginable alternative. I’m excited to hitch the crew and play my half to assist elevate this group.”
Johnson, whose given title is Earvin, most not too long ago turned a part of the possession group that purchased the NFL’s Washington Commanders final yr and in addition has shares in Main League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers, WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and Main League Soccer’s Los Angeles FC.
“From the basketball court docket to the boardroom, Earvin is aware of find out how to win, and we’re delighted to depend on his experience as a part of our implausible investor group,” mentioned Kang, who has owned the crew since 2022. ”His dedication not solely displays the energy of our membership, gamers, followers and model, but additionally sends a strong message in regards to the progress and impression of girls’s sports activities globally. Collectively, we sit up for taking the Washington Spirit to new heights and galvanizing the subsequent era of younger girls and ladies worldwide.”
Johnson will probably be launched at a faculty occasion Friday and is anticipated to be on the Spirit’s subsequent house sport Saturday at Audi Area in opposition to Portland Thorns FC.
In on-field information, the crew mentioned U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning midfielder Croix Bethune is out for the season with a knee damage. The Spirit mentioned Bethune, who threw out the primary pitch on the Nationals sport on Aug. 28, tore the meniscus in considered one of her knees away from coaching.
The Washington Publish reported Bethune was injured from throwing out the primary pitch.
