Magic Johnson has done nothing but win throughout his sports and business career. When he came to speak with the Washington Commanders' roster, the message was loud and clear.
Not many NFL owners have this sort of respect. Johnson is a basketball icon — one of the Showtime Lakers and an iconic figure in NBA history. This continued into the business world, earning generational wealth and achieving considerable success with his other sports franchises.
Johnson's presence as a stakeholder in Josh Harris' ownership group brought further legitimacy to the project. His flamboyant purpose and presence was another breath of fresh air for this once-downtrodden organization. He was quick to lend support to any player that needed it. And the results speak for themselves.
The Commanders are on a phenomenal run. They won 12 games during the regular season. Two playoff successes later, Washington is in the NFC Championship game for the first time in more than three decades — just one triumph away from the Super Bowl.
Mike Sainristil lauds Magic Johnson's impact on the Commanders
While there are several other important factors behind the team's renaissance, rookie cornerback Mike Sainristil revealed that Johnson's passionate address to the team resonated in the best way imaginable. It centered on learning from the good times and the bad, trusting the process to ensure their collective goals are met, and falling in love with the process of winning.
"Magic Johnson came here to speak to us. He said that you have to fall in love with the process of winning. To be a winner, you have to take every opportunity and grow from it. How can you grow from the last win or grow from the last loss? What did you learn about yourself? Just being able to take whatever you learn and improve, and understand moving forward there is more to be done. There's more work to be done, and not being complacent. We know what the angle is, but we can't get to that angle without getting through the week-to-week process. The day-to-day process. To be able to wake up every day and maximize the 24 hours that we get to get towards the angle. We have to do exactly that."Mike Sainristil
.@MikeSainristil on @MagicJohnson's message to the team pic.twitter.com/Wgzr3XSavm
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 23, 2025
One couldn't be anything other than inspired. Imagine being a player, sitting and listening to someone who's accomplished everything in various fields of interest. Having this asset to call upon had the desired effect and the Commanders have been riding a tidal wave of positivity ever since.
It's been a long time since the Commanders won consistently. This was a new-look roster, but establishing a winning culture became among the biggest objectives.
Dan Quinn and his staff took the lead. Veteran players spearheaded a superb culture shift in the locker room. Rookies like Sainristil, Jayden Daniels, Johnny Newton, and Brandon Coleman stepped up to play key roles immediately.
As for Johnson? His words provided the blueprint for everyone in the Commanders' locker room to follow no matter the result on any given game day.
This was a recipe for success that Sainristil and others are still leaning on to this day. And if it can inspire them to the grandest stage of all, the brighter Washington's future will be.