Magic Johnson had a short tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers, but his stint was anything but quiet. He managed to bring LeBron James into the fold, but the losing season and the apparent dysfunction that was happening when he was around made him quit the team.
It's natural for people to think that he might have regretted taking on the job as it hurt his stock as a front office executive rather than boost it. However, Magic clarified that he didn't regret becoming the president of basketball operations for the Purple and Gold one bit.
“No regrets, I’m not a regretful guy,” he says, per Los Angeles Times' Bill Plaschke. “The only thing I would have done different would be to sit down with Jeanie [Buss] and let her know I was leaving, sit down with LeBron [James] and let him know … otherwise, I wouldn’t have changed anything. I still would have walked away.”
With the benefit of hindsight, plenty of analysts and fans can see that the job just didn't suit Magic's personality. He's still charming on and off the floor, but the way he wears his heart on his sleeve doesn't suit an NBA executive. The way he also brought drama to the team during his one-year stint did more harm than good.
Since then, he has kept his hands off the team, and the Lakers are performing wonderfully. The Lakers front office manages to put together an impressive roster built around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and they currently stand atop the dog-eat-world Western Conference, where they feel they belong.
No one can take away what Magic did for the Lakers. However, everyone–including him–will agree that he's better off cheering from the VIP suites.
Follow Us
Subscribe