Is Magic Johnson a Tigers fan?
Reportedly, yes. Magic Johnson is a Detroit Tigers fan, according to MLB.com.
Magic Johnson Full fan file: every team he roots for, with receipts
“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”
MLB.com, August 20, 2014. Backed by EssentiallySports (2026) and Dodgers Nation (2014).
Last checked November 4, 2026: the quote still matched the page word for word.
When he was a kid, the Detroit Tigers won the World Series in 1968, the year he turned 9.
What has Magic Johnson said about the Detroit Tigers?
Magic Johnson talked about the Tigers in an August 2014 interview with MLB.com. According to the outlet, he said he has been 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 words are his, but the claim reached readers through MLB.com's published interview, which makes the Tigers tie a reported one.
Dodgers Nation picked up the same line the next day, August 21, 2014, quoting "huge baseball fan since I was a kid in Lansing." EssentiallySports carried a similar statement on August 31, 2026: "I've always loved baseball, and I've been a huge baseball fan since I was a kid in Lansing."
Did Magic Johnson grow up a Tigers fan?
By his account, yes. Johnson was born in Lansing, Michigan, on August 14, 1959, and went to Everett High School there before playing at Michigan State from 1977 to 1979. The Detroit Tigers are the closest major league team in the state, and he places his fandom in those Lansing years, when the Boys & Girls Club took kids to games. He names Gates Brown and Willie Horton as his two heroes at the time. The Tigers won the World Series in 1968, the year he turned 9.
When did Magic Johnson become a Tigers fan?
Johnson dates it to childhood. His quotes point to his early years in Lansing and give no more precise date than "since I was a kid." Nothing indicates the fandom has ended or is disputed, and no counter-source contradicts it.
Which other athletes are Tigers fans?
Devin Booker is also reported to be a Tigers fan.
Does Magic Johnson like the Detroit Tigers?
He speaks about them warmly in the MLB.com interview, recalling the trips to games and his boyhood heroes. His pro career went another direction: he spent his NBA years with the Los Angeles Lakers (1979 to 1991, plus 1996). His other reported loyalties include the Detroit Lions, which he has stated in his own words, and the Los Angeles Rams, which has been reported. The Tigers, though, are the team he ties to his boyhood in Lansing.
Questions people ask
Is Magic Johnson a Tigers fan?
Reportedly, yes. MLB.com carried Johnson's own account in August 2014 of following the Detroit Tigers as a kid in Lansing.
What has Magic Johnson said about the Detroit Tigers?
He told MLB.com he was a "huge baseball fan since I was a kid in Lansing," recalling Boys & Girls Club trips to Tigers games and naming Gates Brown and Willie Horton as his heroes.
Did Magic Johnson grow up a Tigers fan?
By his own telling, yes. He was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan, and ties the fandom to his childhood there.
Which other athletes are Tigers fans?
Devin Booker is reported to be one.