Joining the plea of millions of basketball fans across the world, NBA Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson remains optimistic that the NBA will still crown a champion this season.
The 2019-20 campaign has been put on hold following the growing pandemic brought upon by the coronavirus crisis. The 60- year-old Los Angeles Lakers legend shared his thoughts on this season's unprecedented uncertainty.
Johnson references James' previous comments on playing in arenas without fans.
“LeBron is right, it is hard to play without fans,” said Johnson. to Lakers superstar LeBron James' earlier sentiments about closed-door games.
The five-time NBA champion also clarified that the players want to resume the action as much as the fans do.
“Those guys want to see who is the world champion. Listen, if they have a chance to go back and they are all healthy, and they all get tested, they will go back to crown a champion,” he added.
“They want to see who is the best team in NBA. I am looking forward to seeing if the Lakers can win a championship.”
Judging by the way they were playing prior to the suspension of the season, the Lakers were indeed primed as strong contenders for the Larry O'Brien trophy. The Purple and Gold notched the second-best record in the league (behind the Bucks) with a 49-14 slate.
They also tallied back-to-back wins over fellow contenders Bucks and Clippers during that stretch.
As much as we agree with Magic's vision, the NBA will still have a tough task ahead of them in terms of resuming the season. The entire world continues to be in quarantine due to the virus, while all major sports leagues have halted operations.