Commanders Owner Magic Johnson’s Perfect Start to NFL Season Ends on a Touching Note

The Washington Commanders opened the 2025 NFL season with all the buzz, all the eyes, and all the pressure. For a franchise still writing its post-Daniel Snyder identity, the new era began in front of a raucous home crowd, a rookie QB, and one of the most legendary sports figures of all time courtside—Magic Johnson.

Washington’s 21-6 win over the New York Giants wasn’t just a box score triumph. It was a declaration. A team under new leadership, on the field and in the front office, delivering on expectation, physicality, and heart. And no one captured the moment better than Johnson himself.

“Cookie and I are thrilled our Commanders started the season with a 21-6 win over the NY Giants!” Johnson posted on Instagram after the game. “I was happy with the effort on both sides of the ball and Commander Nation showed up loud, energetic and cheered the team to victory! Congratulations to Santana Moss for getting inducted into the Ring of Fame!” That post, coupled with courtside photos and a roll call of guests who joined Magic and Cookie, Mike and Natasha Triplett, Reggie and Kim White, Cal Ripken Jr. and wife Laura, tennis star Frances Tiafoe, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, NY Knicks guard Josh Hart, and more, cemented what the win meant beyond the field. This wasn’t just a win. It was a moment.

The afternoon started with promise: rookie Jayden Daniels took the field and led a crisp 89-yard drive capped by a touchdown to Zach Ertz. Washington’s offense looked sharp. The defense was ferocious. A late third-quarter touchdown by Deebo Samuel all but sealed it. The Giants never found the end zone.

But the emotional weight of the day wasn’t just in the scoreboard. It was in the Ring of Fame ceremony honoring Santana Moss. It was in the HBCU students invited to witness excellence. It was in Johnson’s celebration with fans and first responders, his pure appreciation for the DMV community, and his public joy as a Black NFL owner fully in the moment. “Thank you to our friends Mike and Natasha Triplett and Reggie and Kim White for joining us,” Magic continued. “It was good to see Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. and his wife Laura, Professional tennis player Frances Tiafoe, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Councilman Wendell Felder, the D.C. First responders, some brilliant HBCU students, and NY Knicks guard Josh Hart. Josh was part of my first draft class when I was a Lakers exec!”

Magic called his investment in the Commanders “the greatest deal I’ve ever done.” That’s saying something for a man who bought into the Lakers for $10 million in 1994 and turned that into $28 million in 2010. His sports portfolio now stretches across five leagues, but this NFL chapter feels special. He tried to buy the Denver Broncos but lost out to Walmart heir Rob Walton. Then came Josh Harris, and the $6.05 billion purchase of the Commanders in 2023. Magic called it fate.

The Commanders, once stuck in dysfunction under Daniel Snyder, are now riding behind a Pro Bowl rookie quarterback, an elite defense, and a renewed culture built by GM Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn. Magic praised the turnaround after their playoff win over Tampa Bay last season. From 4-13 to playoff wins and opening-day dominance, Johnson is seeing the fruits of that culture shift in real time.

Johnson called Jordan the GOAT

Magic Johnson has seen greatness. He’s played alongside it, coached it, and now invests in it across leagues and sports. At a recent Dodgers All Access event, Magic was asked who the greatest basketball player of all time is. He didn’t hesitate. “I would have to say Michael (Jordan). We haven’t seen anybody do the things that Michael could do. And he was physically so gifted at the same time, smart.” 

Johnson then gave respect to the Lakers legends he helped immortalize but made it clear where he stands in the GOAT debate. He mentioned LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the next names after Jordan in the GOAT hierarchy. Then came the respect for Bill Russell, whose 11 rings speak louder than any debate. When Johnson tells the Jordan story, it’s with the admiration of a peer and the excitement of a fan. “I still remember that shot that he did against us in ’91, when he went up with the right hand, tongue out, and we went for it. So he watched us go down, switched the ball from his right to the left, tongue went left, and he spun it against the glass and good. Still the greatest shot I’ve ever seen.” That was the moment the Bulls became kings and Jordan became the measuring stick.

While Magic earned his stripes early in the NBA with five titles, and three MVPs. But even he admits when Jordan arrived, the room changed. During the sit-down at Dodger Stadium, Johnson retold the story of the Dream Team meeting. “Chuck Daly called us into a meeting and said, ‘Michael Jordan is going to be the captain of the Dream Team.’ Michael said, ‘No, I don’t deserve to be the captain. Magic and Larry should be the captains.’” Jordan deferred, out of respect. He averaged 30.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 2.4 steals per game in head-to-head matchups with Magic. In the Finals, he shot 15-for-18 in Game 2, including that switch-hand layup. “I just want you two old guys to know that it’s a new sheriff in town,” MJ told them later. And he was right.

Magic Johnson has been part of more than his share of historic sports moments. He has lifted the Larry O’Brien, built championship rosters, and stood center court and midfield. Now, in Washington, he’s watching it happen again, arookie quarterback, changing culture, and a city that’s showing up. And on a Sunday afternoon in D.C., under a sky filled with cheers and the roar of a defense that refused to break.