Magic Johnson, Joe Torre, Larry King Among Those With Celebrity Backgrounds Interested in Bidding on Dodgers

Los Angeles is certainly known for its flashiness. So it should come as no surprise that the candidates in line to purchase the Los Angeles Dodgers from owner Frank McCourt are a star-studded cast of individuals.

Among those interested in bidding on the team are NBA luminaries Magic Johnson and Mark Cuban, former Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser, talk show host Larry King, ex-Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley and former manager Joe Torre, who resigned from his post in the MLB office to join the pursuit.

Before opening bids are submitted on Jan. 23, let's take a look at the resume of each of the celebrity candidates.

Orel Hershiser (who is collaborating with former Dodgers teammate, 10-time All-Star Steve Garvey)
Buffalo, N.Y.
Age: 53

• 1988 World Series champion and World Series MVP with the Dodgers
• 1988 Cy Young Award and Gold Glove winner
• Three-time All-Star
• Former pitching coach and executive director for the Texas Rangers
• ESPN analyst

Joe Torre (who is collaborating with Rick Caruso, the president of Caruso Affiliated, a real estate development company)
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Age: 71

• Former MLB executive vice president of baseball operations
• Four-time World Series champion as manager of the New York Yankees
• 1971 National League Most Valuable Player and NL batting champion
• Managed the Mets, Braves, Cardinals, Yankees and Dodgers during his 29-year stint as skipper
• Nine-time All-Star

Mark Cuban (no partner)
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Age: 53

• Current owner of the 2011 NBA champion Dallas Mavericks (NBA)
• Owner of 2929 Entertainment, a media company with holdings in film and television production
• Co-founder of HDnet, a high-definition satellite television network.
• As of 2011, Cuban is No.459 on Forbes' list of "World's Richest People" with a net worth of $2.5 billion.

Magic Johnson (who is collaborating with former Braves president Stan Kasten and Guggenheim Partners chief executive officer Mark Walter)
Lansing, Mich.
Age: 52

• Five-time NBA champion and three-time NBA Finals MVP with the Los Angeles Lakers
• Three-time NBA MVP and 12-time All-Star
• Minority owner and vice president of the Lakers for 16 years
• Inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2002
• Runs Magic Johnson Enterprises, a company with a reported $700 million net worth
• ESPN analyst and former TNT analyst

Peter O'Malley (no partner)
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Age: 74

• Former owner and team president of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1979 to 1998
• Owned the Dodgers during its two World Series titles in 1981 and 1988
• Former director of stadium operations for the Dodgers
• Former general manager of the Spokane Indians of the Pacific Coast League

Larry King (who is collaborating with Chicago White Sox special assistant Dennis Gilbert and Jason Reese of Imperial Capital)
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Age: 78

• Hosted Larry King Live, a nightly interview TV program on CNN
• Inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1985
• Won the Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting
• Won 10 CableACE awards for Best Interviewer and for Best Talk Show Series
• Former color commentator for the Miami Dolphins in 1970 and 1971

Joe Torre photo via AP
Magic Johnson photo via Flickr/theseoduke
Larry King photo via Flickr/Anime Nut