What team did Magic Johnson root for growing up?
Magic Johnson was born on August 14, 1959, in Lansing, Michigan, and attended Everett High School there before playing at Michigan State. Two of his three teams trace back to that Michigan childhood: the Detroit Lions in football and the Detroit Tigers in baseball.
What is Magic Johnson's favorite NFL team?
The Detroit Lions are the team Magic Johnson has named himself. Ahead of a playoff game in January 2025, Johnson posted a message to his Commanders, and EssentiallySports reported it on January 19, 2025. In it he wrote, "Good luck to my Commanders as we compete against the team I grew up cheering for today, the Detroit Lions". So he has said, in his own words, that the Lions were the team he grew up cheering for, even as he backed the Commanders that day.
WDIV (ClickOnDetroit) wrote on January 15, 2025, that "Many people have also noted his support for the Lions over the years, often rooting for them online and referring to them as “my Lions.”" The same coverage ties the Lions to his childhood, and nothing in it suggests the fandom has ended; as of 2025 it is current.
Other players are tied to the Lions as well. Charles Barkley and Josh Smith have been reported as fans, and Devin Booker has said so in his own words.
What is Magic Johnson's favorite MLB team?
The Detroit Tigers are the baseball team attached to his childhood, and this one was reported by MLB.com on August 20, 2014, quoting Johnson directly. He described himself as a "huge baseball fan since I was a kid in Lansing. That was back when the Boys & Girls Club used to take us to the Detroit Tigers games. And our two heroes back then were Gates Brown and Willie Horton".
The story is specific about how it began: trips to Tigers games with the Boys & Girls Club in Lansing, with Gates Brown and Willie Horton as the players he looked up to. Dodgers Nation repeated the "huge baseball fan since I was a kid in Lansing" line on August 21, 2014. EssentiallySports carried a similar statement, "I’ve always loved baseball, and I’ve been a huge baseball fan since I was a kid in Lansing," in coverage dated August 31, 2026.
The Tigers won the World Series in 1968, the year he turned 9. That is a date and a fact about the team, nothing more. Devin Booker has also been reported as a Tigers fan.
Does Magic Johnson like the Los Angeles Rams?
The Rams entry is different from the other two, because it is not tied to his childhood and carries no start date. Reuters, via Yahoo Sports, reported on January 18, 2016, that Johnson wrote, "I'm so excited and can't wait to see OUR team next season!" The report came in connection with the Rams and Los Angeles, and Johnson's words use "OUR team," which is why the Rams are listed as a stated favorite.
This is a reported fandom, not one he has described at length in an interview. It is also the only one of his three teams that has no other players linked to it.
How do his teams line up with where he came from?
The two Detroit teams line up with his birthplace in a straightforward way. He was born in Lansing, Michigan, went to Everett High School in Lansing, and spent 1977 to 1979 at Michigan State, and both the Lions and the Tigers are Detroit teams. His own account of the Tigers goes through Lansing directly.
His playing career is a separate matter. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1979 to 1991 and again in 1996, then for Magic M7 Borås in 1999 and 2000 and the Magic Great Danes in 2000. The Rams entry sits in Los Angeles terms, but nothing in his own words connects the fandom to his time as a Laker, so it is best read as a separate, later statement of support.
All three fandoms are listed as current.
Questions people ask
Does Magic Johnson like the Detroit Lions?
Yes. In January 2025 he wrote that the Lions were "the team I grew up cheering for," as EssentiallySports reported on January 19, 2025, and WDIV noted he has long referred to them as "my Lions."
Does Magic Johnson like the Detroit Tigers?
Yes, according to MLB.com in August 2014. He said he has been a baseball fan since he was a kid in Lansing, when the Boys & Girls Club took him to Tigers games.
Does Magic Johnson like the Los Angeles Rams?
Reportedly, yes. Reuters, via Yahoo Sports, reported on January 18, 2016, that he wrote "I'm so excited and can't wait to see OUR team next season!"
What teams does Magic Johnson root for?
He roots for the Detroit Lions, the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Rams. The Lions fandom is in his own words, while the Tigers and Rams are reported.