"Congratulations to my two friends" - NBA great Magic Johnson extends wishes for Cal Ripken Jr. and Grant Hill's Orioles venture
Former MLB star Cal Ripken Jr. and former NBA player Grant Hill are part of the group that has purchased the ownership of the Baltimore Orioles from the Angelos family. Apart from these two former athletes, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke are also part of the investment group headed by the co-founder of the Carlyle Group, David Rubenstein.
Magic Johnson, five-time NBA champion and founding member of Guggenheim Baseball Management, which manages many LA-based franchises, congratulated his two friends, Grant Hill and Cal Ripken Jr., for becoming the new owners of the Baltimore Orioles.
"Congratulations to my two friends Grant Hill and Cal Ripken Jr. for becoming the new owners of the Baltimore Orioles with their partners David Rubenstein and Mike Arougheti!" Johnson tweeted.
The 19-time MLB All-Star Ripken thanked Rubenstein for including him in his investment group.
“I am excited to once again be a part of the Orioles organization and I thank David for including me in the ownership group,” Ripken said in a statement. “The Orioles have been a part of my life since I was a child, and this is a special day.”
The Angelos family, who controlled the organization for the past three decades, sold their stake to a Rubenstein-led investment group for $1.725 billion. Chairman John Angelos will continue to serve as a senior advisor after the transaction is completed.
“I am personally committed to helping David and his partners take the franchise to the next level,” Angelos said. “We think this transaction is great for Major League Baseball and great for the city of Baltimore and Maryland. We are thankful to the fans and supporters cheering on the O’s as we reached this important goal — and who will be with us celebrating more success to come.”
Cal Ripken Jr.'s long-standing association with the Orioles
Ripken played his entire 21-year major league career with the Orioles and even helped the club win the 1983 World Series title. He holds the MLB record of 2,632 consecutive games played.
To honor his prolific contributions, the Orioles retired his No. 8 jersey, which is now in the club's Hall of Fame. Member of the MLB All-Century Team, the two-time AL MVP was enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007 in the first ballot (98.5%).