LeBron James came to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, while Magic Johnson was still the president of basketball operations for the team. While many thought Johnson would remain in that position for the duration of James’ tenure with the Lakers, he resigned in 2019.
The Los Angeles Lakers did manage to win a championship during the 2020 season, so things did turn out alright. However, it seems as though LeBron James’ relationship with Magic Johnson is still frosty.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN has recently claimed that the two Lakers’ legends may not be “on the greatest of terms” currently on an episode of his Brian Windhorst and The Hoop Collective podcast. Windhorst stated that LeBron James was “very upset” about Magic Johnson leaving after his first season without telling him.
“I also think it’s interesting to point out that I’m not so sure that LeBron and Magic are on the greatest of terms right now. LeBron was very upset that Magic pulled the ripcord after the first year and didn’t even tell him, just did it.
“There’s scar tissue there, and earlier this year, when Magic criticized the Lakers, and rightly so — it wasn’t hard to criticize the Lakers — and LeBron was asked about it, LeBron declined to talk about it.”
Even if LeBron James and Magic Johnson aren’t on the best terms behind the scenes, it is abundantly clear that Magic Johnson maintained his respect for LeBron James. Magic Johnson notably claimed that LeBron James is the greatest player in the game a few months ago.
LeBron James is certainly playing like the greatest player in the game on an individual level. Currently, LeBron James is averaging 29.0 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 6.3 APG. Despite his brilliance, the Los Angeles Lakers are currently 27-33 and the 9th seed in the Western Conference. Hopefully, we see LeBron James and his team figure things out soon and avoid missing the playoffs.
