Lakers news: Magic Johnson's strong message about mass shooting in Las Vegas

Prior to the matchup against the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers' Magic Johnson honored the victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas with a message.

The violent shooting incident that happened in Las Vegas last week has continued to be much talked about, as more than 50 people died and left many injured. It has captured the attention of people not just in the U.S., but all over the world as well, as everyone condemns such acts.

With the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings playing a preseason game inside T-Mobile Arena on Sunday, Magic Johnson made it known that the whole Lakers organization is in grief, and all have a heavy heart. He then added, to ABC News via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, that evil and hate will not stop them in visiting Las Vegas, as it is a great city.

“This is a tough situation for all of us,” Johnson said. “We play this game, from Sacramento as well as from Los Angeles, with heavy hearts. … Last Sunday, fifty-eight people lost their lives. Hundreds more were injured. We want to pray for the families who lost a loved one and want to support those families. And we want to also remember that it could have been one of us.”

“We want to make sure that evil and hate don't stop us from coming to Las Vegas because this is a great city, and we live in a great country,” added Johnson, who thanked the first responders and asked fans to lock arms and say a prayer for the victims and their families. “It doesn't matter the color of your skin, it doesn't matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican, we have to come together and support everybody who was involved, so make sure that you continue to pray for those families. It is very, very important.”

Both teams also made a very classy gesture, by agreeing to give all the proceeds from their game to the families of the victims. Johnson’s comments prove even more that members of the NBA community are now more vocal in making their stand about different social issues known publicly.

The Lakers president of basketball operations delivered a strong message and also wants the people of Las Vegas to know that they are not alone during this tough time and that the game of basketball could serve as a means to help them recover from the incident.