Magic Johnson made a decision that stunned the basketball world on Tuesday, stepping down from his position as the Los Angeles Lakers' president of basketball operations.
As one can imagine, LeBron James, who signed with the Lakers partly because of Johnson's influence, was stunned when he heard about the news.
However, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, James stands behind Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and the rest of the organization.
Johnson said on Tuesday that he did not tell James of his decision to leave, as he actually informed the media of his choice to step away before even telling Buss.
James signed with the Lakers last summer, but his first season in Los Angeles was an unmitigated disaster, as the Lakers won just 37 games and missed the playoffs, marking the first time since LeBron's second year in the league back in 2005 that he will not be playing in the postseason.
The 34-year-old also experience a serious injury for the first time in his 16-year NBA career, as he missed over a month between December and January due to a groin injury he suffered during a Christmas Day victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Johnson, who became the team's president in February 2017, vowed to put another star player alongside of James, but he failed in his attempts, as Paul George opted to re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs ultimately traded Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors.
Then, during the season, Johnson tried to trade for New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis, but was rebuffed.
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