A pivotal conversation with NBA legend Magic Johnson during the early stages of his professional baseball career played a major role in shaping Alex Rodriguez’s post-retirement ambitions – ultimately guiding him toward NBA team ownership.
Now, years later, Rodriguez has made that vision a reality. Alongside business partner Marc Lore, Rodriguez was unanimously approved as a majority owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves last month.
But the seed for that ownership dream was planted decades earlier.
“When I was 21 years old, Magic sat with me. I was supposed to have 30 minutes,” Rodriguez told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears. “And that 30 minutes went to about three and a half hours and nine pages of notes.”
Rodriguez, who had been a rising star in Major League Baseball at the time, vividly remembers the depth of that conversation – and the impression it made on him.
A few years later, he circled back to ask Johnson why he had been so generous with his time.
“I asked him a few years later, ‘Magic, why did you give me three-plus hours?’” Rodriguez recalled. “And he said, ‘Because you came in, you were focused, you were making eye contact and you were engaged. I saw your passion. I saw you writing all those notes.’”
Johnson also shared a key message that stuck with Rodriguez and has shaped how he sees his role today – as not just an owner, but a mentor and builder for others.
“The main thing he said is, ‘When you do your thing, your obligation is to pass it down to the next generation of us,’” Rodriguez said.
Northwest Notes: Shannon Jr., A-Rod, Avdija, Hansen https://t.co/yFLHh0t6kx pic.twitter.com/vsO4kj5zSr
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) July 23, 2025
