For Earvin “Magic” Johnson, you’d think 16 championship rings would be enough of a win. But this one’s even better. As the Los Angeles Sparks co-owner, Magic Johnson is celebrating a historic milestone for women’s basketball while fans are wondering if he’d return to the Lakers. Since the arrival of superstar rookies Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, the surge in the WNBA is finally rewarding the players and their teams. For Magic, who’s been rooting for the sister league for years, this is nothing short of a personal win.

In a recent Instagram story, Johnson reacted to the groundbreaking news that the WNBA has officially turned a profit for the first time in its 30-year history. The league’s record-breaking 2025 season generated enough surplus to unlock a massive $17.25 million windfall for its players and teams, fueled by record viewership and popularity over the last two seasons.

It has triggered a massive revenue-sharing payout that will see millions returned to its teams. “As one of the owners of the LA Sparks, this is great news for the players, owners, and the WNBA!” Johnson shared alongside a graphic detailing the league’s success.

The announcement confirmed that the WNBA passed the threshold for net revenue sharing for the first time last season. As a result, the league’s 13 active teams from the 2025 season will receive upwards of $8 million each from increased licensing revenue to disperse directly among their players.

This landmark achievement follows a spike in popularity credited to the arrival of generational stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese as well as the reigning vets like A’ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu pushing the league into a new era of commercial viability.

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Magic Johnson could be returning closer to Sparks

Magic Johnson, who became a co-owner of the Sparks in 2014 before he joined the Lakers front office, has long been an advocate for the WNBA’s growth. His support to the players signals a rare moment of public alignment between ownership and the mission of the players during a period of labor uncertainty. But it also comes at a time when Magic could be returning to basketball operations in a bigger role.

Johnson withdrew from the Lakers in 2019 with a dramatic resignation. Now his Dodgers-owning partner, Mark Walters has brought his former team for $10 billion. Magic’s former agent and another Dodgers exec, Lon Rosen is now the president of business operations.

His first order of business was to confirm that Rob Pelinka will stay in his current role heading basketball operations. But while they hinted at having Magic have a bigger presence on the team, he will not have an official executive role once more.

It’s not that new for the Showtime legend. Magic Johnson has largely remained silent on the WNBA CBA despite claiming over a year ago, “I’m going to get more involved… and be part of it more to help bring the Sparks back to a championship level.” But given Johnson’s history as a Lakers exec, fans felt he was better in the background and as a draft night hypeman.

However, his endorsement of the players’ success could draw more attention to the WNBPA’s stance in the CBA negotations. The new revenue-sharing payout, combined with an additional $9.25 million in licensing revenue being distributed to players by June 1, has effectively created a war chest for the union. This financial security gives players significant leverage as they head into the final days of negotiations.