The Los Angeles Lakers have one of the richest histories in the history of the league. They have won 17 NBA Championships and the credit for those wins goes to some of the best players who have donned the iconic Purple and Gold jersey over the years. Evidently, these players are considered as legends of the franchise.
But even among them, the role that Magic Johnson played for the Lakers during the 1980s is something that fans will never forget. At a time when the NBA was on the verge of bankruptcy and no team was making a lot of profit, the Lakers drafted a flashy point guard in Magic Johnson.
Magic completely changed the atmosphere of the team, with his swagger and popularity among the fans. Johnson also helped the organization win five NBA Championships during the 1980s.
Magic Johnson Revealed Why He Stepped Down From The Lakers As An Executive
After Kobe’s retirement in 2016, the Lakers were left with a huge void to fill. Additionally, at the time, Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak were calling the shots for the team.
Following the announcement of Jeanie Buss as the controlling owner of the franchise, she wanted to help the Lakers get back to winning ways. She did so by giving Magic Johnson an executive role.
But after just two years, Magic abruptly resigned from his role. There has been a lot of confusion about the reason behind Magic’s resignation. The 5x NBA champion finally unveiled the reason in the latest episode of the Lakers’ ongoing docuseries on Hulu.
Magic Johnson on why stepped down from @Lakers:
“I wanted to fire Luka Walton. I said Jeanie your man don’t have it. He doesn’t make adjustments with in the game. I hate to tell u that because I know you love him… Non basketball ppl say I can’t make those calls.”#LakersDoc pic.twitter.com/S3nDsY2kHl
— Landon Buford (@LandonBuford) October 10, 2022
“I wanted to fire Luke Walton. I said, ‘Jeanie your man don’t have it. He doesn’t make adjustments with in the game. I hate to tell u that because I know you love him. Can he get better?’ I said, ‘I’m hoping that he can but I don’t think he can.’ Other people in the Lakers, the non-basketball people, are trying to tell me that I can’t make those calls. To preserve the love and my friendship with Jeanie, I felt it was the best to step down.”
Magic’s time with the Lakers as an executive may have been short, but he did help in bringing LeBron James to the Purple and Gold. Moreover, Magic revealed that LBJ made a promise to bring an NBA Championship to the Lakers, and he fulfilled his promise. Magic may return to the Lakers in a different role in the future, but there’s no way for us to confirm that as of now.
