Magic Johnson Buys L.A. Dodgers

Retired basketball legend and HIV-positive business mogul Magic Johnson is part of a group that has won a bid to purchase the ailing Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday evening for $2.15 billion.

Johnson, a former player for the Los Angeles Lakers, and his group of investors bought the Dodgers from Frank McCourt, whose own tumultuous divorce was the spark behind the deal. Mark Walter, the CEO of the financial firm Guggenheim Partners, will be the controlling owner of the team and its assets.

Johnson told ESPN's Baseball Tonight that he has been a fan of the Dodgers since he arrived in Los Angeles nearly 30 years ago. He admitted that the price tag is incredibly steep -- a record purchase for any professional team -- but he said the Dodgers' branding was a "marquee" name like the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees.

Johnson said he will have an office at the stadium, and that he will stay out of the way of Stan Kasten, a baseball executive who was part of the purchasing group.

Still, Johnson said he will likely be able to be a mentor for team members. "Being a former athlete, you understand when you should talk to them, when you should leave them alone, and they'll probably be knocking on my door wanting to talk to me."