Following their summer vacation together in Europe, Magic Johnson revealed to Jimmy Kimmel the strong relationship he had with Michael Jordan.
Following LeBron James, Tiger Woods, and Michael Jordan, Johnson, 64, was named the fourth wealthiest athlete in the United States by Forbes.
The two took a summer trip to Sardinia with their spouses, and Jordan was frequently spotted lounging on a yacht in the Mediterranean during his time with his fellow basketball player. For his summer vacation, Johnson hired the 281-foot superyacht Aquila, at an estimated cost of $1.2 million per week.
And speaking to Jimmy Kimmel on his show, Johnson said the neither he nor Jordan himself can believe the lifestyle they now lead.
‘Jimmy, it’s funny – both of us never thought we would be in this position,’ Johnson explained. ‘Out there with yachts, to be able to go to dinner with our wives, to be in Europe.
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Magic Johnson (right, with his wife Cookie) and Michael Jordan (left, with wife Yvette) pictured on vacation together in Italy during the summer
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Johnson said that he and Jordan like to have fun with their lifestyle when on vacation – here, they are pictured having a band sing to them while out to dinner in Italy
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Johnson (left) and Jordan pictured enjoying their summer vacations in Europe
“We both find it mind-blowing, and we enjoy it.”
When Johnson went out with Jordan, Kimmel questioned who pays for supper.
With a chuckle, Johnson stated, “We flip a coin.” “He has his face on both sides, so it is his!”
Hollywood actor Samuel L. Jackson joined them for supper at the renowned Da Paolino Ristorante in Capri, Italy, during one of their summertime dates in Europe.
Johnson also posted a video of himself and Jordan being serenaded by a band in the restaurant on his account, and he wrote the following as the caption for his photos from the evening: We had a fantastic supper tonight at the renowned Da Paolino Ristorante, often known as the Lemon Tree Restaurant in Capri, Italy.
“AND I got to hang out with Judge Greg and Linda Mathis, John and Vicki Palmer, Sam (Samuel L. Jackson) and LaTanya Jackson, and my great friend, Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player to have ever lived.”
Jordan just sold his majority ownership of the Charlotte Hornets for $3 billion, solidifying his place among the richest men in sports.
Jordan, 60, used to have a bad reputation for being frugal with his finances. It has been reported that he gave a waitress a $5 poker chip once, together with Wayne Gretzky.
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Johnson hired a yacht, named Aquila, worth an estimated $1.2million-a-week this summer
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Johnson said that he feels blessed by God to be able to lead the life that he now has
The event was related by Rich Strafella, the former vice president of the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas: “It was a private salon game.” The cocktail waitress took Michael’s order and gave her a five-dollar chip.
Wayne removed it from the cocktail waitress’s tray, returned it to Michael, and then picked up a $100 chip from his stack to place on the tray. Then he responded, “Michael, that’s how we tip in Las Vegas.”
“I never thought in my wildest dreams that any of this could happen like this,” Johnson said Kimmel, referring to his own sudden discovery of billionaire status. Even though you’re on your program, you remember watching it at home in Michigan with Jonny Carson.
God blessed me, and I am incredibly grateful, but it also requires a lot of effort. I have around ten friends that are distant cousins, and everyone believes they know you.
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Jordan, of the Chicago Bulls, pictured facing Johnson of the Lakers during the 1991 NBA Finals
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Johnson also spoke about recently being crowned as a billionaire on Jimmy Kimmel Live
Johnson has made a number of shrewd investments away from basketball – where he made an estimated $40m across his career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Magic’s 60 percent stake in a Iowa-based life insurance company called EquiTrust, which he purchased in 2015, has been racking in the big bucks throughout the years.
What’s more, is that it’s the biggest asset in the Magic Johnson Enterprises portfolio. Since taking control, Magic’s grown the company’s total assets from $16B to $26B, with annual revenues floating around $2.6billion, according to Forbes.
He took his minority ownership take in the Commanders earlier this year, too.