Magic Johnson agrees with 'Shohei Ohtani is the Taylor Swift of baseball' idea, compares Dodgers star's popularity to Michael Jackson & Michael Jordan
Earvin "Magic" Johnson appeared on Thursday's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" where he lauded LA Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani. Johnson snubbed NBA legends when asked about the popularity of Ohtani but agreed when Kimmel compared the Japanese star with Taylor Swift.
Johnson is part of Guggenheim Baseball Management who co-owns the Dodgers. As such, he regularly watches their baseball games. The legendary NBA superstar owns several other sports teams, but Ohtani and the Dodgers seem to hold a special position in his heart, as evidenced by what he said on the talk show.
"As long as he's [Shohei Ohtani] playing, we probably won't sell the team [Dodgers]. Listen, that lineup, he's made everybody on the Dodger team better. Do you know that eight out of every 10 Japanese fans who come over from Japan go to Dodger Stadium?" said Johnson. [2:22]
When Kimmel questioned whether Ohtani was like a modern-day Babe Ruth, Johnson agreed with it. Moreover, he even stated the Japanese superstar's current historic season and popularity are bigger than the best season he, Michael Jordan, or Wilt Chamberlain had.
"It's the world watching it, so it's not just American fans who watch baseball. Also, he's bringing in new fans who didn't watch baseball. He's that exciting, and so I've never seen this ever in my life. The only person I can compare is Michael Jackson, having this type of unbelievable hysteria everywhere he moves, everywhere he goes," said Johnson of Ohtani.[3:09]
Upon hearing this, Jimmy Kimmel made an interesting comparison:
"Yeah, he's [Shohei Ohtani] like the Taylor Swift of baseball," Kimmel said. [3:33]
Johnson agreed with the host's comparison and stated that Ohtani is good and humble. With the Dodgers having already clinched the playoff berth, the former NBA MVP has high but measured hopes for the team's postseason chances.
Jimmy Kimmel hilariously makes fun of Shohei Ohtani's annual salary with Magic Johnson
Shohei Ohtani created history when he signed a 10-year $700 million deal with the LA Dodgers as a free agent. For context, the second biggest free agent contract is Aaron Judge's 9-year $360 million deal with the Yankees. Juan Soto might make somewhere close to Ohtani's deal in his upcoming free agency, but nothing is set in stone.
Interestingly, Ohtani's deal doesn't mean that the Dodgers pay the Japanese star a $70 million annual salary. They only have to pay him $2 million for 10 years after which, the Dodgers will pay the deferred $68 million from 2034 to 2043. This situation made Jimmy Kimmel make a hilarious story during his talk show with Magic Johnson.
"Shohei Ohtani is having, maybe, probably the greatest season of any baseball player ever. He's still young, and you're paying him $2 million this year. I mean, talk about magic—that is," said Kimmel to Johnson [1:44]
"I don't know how you guys figured this deal out, where you say, We're going to pay you almost nothing for the first, what, like 10 years. He had to accept it, and then you're going to be like, 'And then I'm going to sell the team, and whoever I sell it to will owe you $700 million'" said Kimmel. [2:17]
The veteran talk show host then hilariously praised Dodgers and Johnson for the deal. The former Los Angeles Lakers superstar couldn't hold his laughter as Kimmel also teased him about the number of 'Dodger Dogs' Johnson could eat in nine innings.