The Magic Johnson era has officially come to a close on the West Coast. On Tuesday evening, the former NBA point guard stepped down from his role as the president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers during an impromptu press conference in front of reporters.
Not only that, but Johnson was reportedly never fully committed to his front office role with the Lakers.
“Since taking over as president of the Lakers, Magic Johnson never fully committed to the job,” writes Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. “Often he was traveling and away from the team. His office hours were limited. He didn't do a lot of scouting. Running an NBA team takes a tremendous commitment of time and energy.”
With Johnson out in Los Angeles, the attention has now seemingly turned towards the coaching staff.
“Lakers coaching staff fully expected to be fired in hours after the final game of the season,” the aforementioned Wojnarowski adds. “They had believed they were gone for months. Now? Magic quits in public, saying he's too scared to tell Jeanie Buss face-to-face. What an embarrassing episode for a historic franchise.”
Of course, the Lakers encountered quite the forgettable season as a result of the 2018-19 campaign. Despite adding the services of superstar forward LeBron James through free agency, the Lakers will miss out on the postseason once again.
However, it is also worth noting that James was plagued by a lingering groin injury all season long and was ultimately forced to miss an extended period of time in his first season with the Lakers.
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