Magic Johnson interested in Los Angeles NFL team

Jarrett Bell | USA TODAY Sports

BRISTOL, Conn. – Magic Johnson is open to dishing out another big assist ... to the NFL.

The NBA icon told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday that he can envision becoming involved with whatever NFL franchise ultimately lands in Los Angeles, which would bolster local presence as the league ponders a return to the USA's second-largest market.

Johnson – who has ownership stakes in the Los Angeles Dodgers, the WNBA Los Angeles Sparks and a new professional soccer team, the Los Angeles Football Club – said he hasn't been contacted about a role by anyone with an NFL connection but is open-minded regarding the prospects.

"We helped the Dodgers rebound," Johnson said during a visit to ESPN headquarters. "We're No. 1 in attendance in baseball; we've been that for the last two years. So we know how to take a franchise, elevate it and also sell it to the fans in Los Angeles.

"That's going to be important to whoever the owner is, to make sure they have someone locally to sell the team to the local market."

There are no definitive plans for an NFL franchise to land in Los Angeles, but with three teams operating on year-to-year stadium leases – the St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers – it's conceivable that it could happen for at least one team as early as 2016.

Rams owner Stan Kroenke recently announced the intention to build a stadium in Inglewood, Calif. – near the Forum, where Johnson sparked the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA titles – and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell this week informed teams of a new ownership committee to oversee the league's interests in Los Angeles.

Johnson is a huge NFL fan who was a season ticketholder for the Raiders and Rams before the franchises fled Los Angeles after the 1994 season. He thinks conditions are as ripe as they have ever been since the NFL departed for the market to support an NFL franchise.

That's one reason why he's bullish on the idea of getting involved with selling a potential NFL team in Los Angeles.

"I know how to do it," Johnson told USA TODAY Sports. "Whether it's me or somebody else, I think it's important."

He's already sold to one degree, even if he doesn't wind up directly involved with the NFL's efforts.

"Even if I'm not involved, I just want the suite," he said. "Seriously, I'm going to be the first one in line to get a suite. So whoever's coming, even if I'm not a part of it, I'm going to buy my suite and I'm going to be there, just like I was at Raiders games and Rams games. If it's the Raiders, the Rams, the Chargers – I don't care who it is – I'm going to be there because I love the NFL and I love football."

Follow Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.