Magic Johnson and his annual couples’ yacht trip around Europe is back. Back in 2023, when the Lakers legend was on vacation with his wife Cookie and his friends, including Sam and LaTanya Jackson, he was joined by none other than the NBA legend Michael Jordan. It was Johnson who reportedly spent $7.5 million on the trip with his friends and their spouses. Since the 5x NBA champion doesn’t own the super yacht, the yacht’s charter prices were close to $1.25 million per week, and the trip lasted for 6 weeks.

Similarly, last year, his epic yacht vacation was highlighted by Samuel L. Jackson, Cedric the Entertainer, and Lorna Wells. The Johnsons celebrated the Fourth of July on the yacht during their vacation. Come 2025, the Lakers legend is back with another memorable yacht trip.

The 65-year-old added on Instagram, updating his 3.8 million followers about his vacation ritual. “Cookie and I are so happy we’re closing out our vacation with family time – including our kids Andre, EJ, Elisa, daughter-in-law Lisa, and our grandkids Gigi and Avery!” This lasted close to 4 weeks, as one month prior, Magic was on First Take with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. This year’s trip had different pit stops but seemingly began and ended in Italy.

His last update was from Portofino, Italy, and even urged, “I want everybody to have a good look at one of the most beautiful places in the world, Portofino, Italy!” He had pit stops in Monaco, Greece, Montenegro, and Croatia. It began in Taormina, a hilltop town on the east coast of Sicily, Italy. This time, supporting Magic Johnson and his friends, the super yacht was different. The Phoenix 2 was the main character of his summer flicks over the last few years. But not this time.

Magic made a switch to something even bigger: The Whisper, a 312-foot beauty that goes for $1.4 million per week. The Whisper now belongs to Eric Schmidt, the former Google CEO, who bought it in 2023 for nearly $200 million. Now that you know all about the Lakers legend’s plans, let’s check if this year ran parallel to the one set by His Airness.

Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan had similar destinations, but different fates

Both NBA icons continue their tradition of taking a vacation with their family, and yet their approach remains different. The Lakers legend puts out an update and shares the celebration. Meanwhile, the Bulls legend keeps it private. Due to the 6x NBA champions’ popularity, the majority of the update is from the onlookers and paparazzi who capture MJ in his candid moments. This year, the locations were similar to Magic Johnson‘s as both enjoy cruising the Mediterranean in style.

Michael Jordan and his wife, Yvette Prieto, started with some time in Portugal in different locations. Once, when they were having lunch at Rua das Flores in Porto. Later, the couple changed their destination to Lisbon, the capital city. Then it extended to Italy. As per the Daily Mail, the Bulls legend touched down on the picturesque Italian island of Sardinia with his extended family. After Portugal and Italy, MJ’s humble $115 million superyacht, M’Brace, was spotted in Croatia.

Now, His Airness is in Greece, a week after Magic Johnson’s visit. But don’t worry, the basketball community showed up for MJ as there was an exclusive Jordan Brand dinner and afterparty in Athens, Greece. Luka Dončić, Giannis, along with fellow athletes and entertainers such as Bam Adebayo, Rui Hachimura, Quentin Richardson, NFL star Cam Jordan, model Jessica Sims, and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, completed the lineup. So, this year it seems to be no reunion on the cards for Magic and Michael.