After a terrible season on the court, the hapless Los Angeles Lakers Monday had a new unexpected question to answer: Just what will the Lakers look like without any official connection to Magic Johnson?
The Lakers may have had no choice after Earvin “Magic” Johnson severed all official ties with the team in the wake of a free-agent flap in which Johnson apparently inappropriately commented about individuals the team should acquire.
Johnson was off the Los Angeles Lakers staff directory in publications and other sources upon his request in hopes of clarifying any confusion over Hall of Famer involvement with or representation of the team, according to a team official.
Johnson had the honorary title of vice president.
“Earvin will always be a revered and beloved member of the Lakers family, but he does not have a position or role with the organization at this time,” John Black, the Lakers vice president of public relations, disclosed over the weekend.
“He is not an adviser or a consultant, and his opinions, comments and social media posts are solely his, and do not represent or reflect those of Lakers ownership or management. Hopefully this will eliminate any confusion over this issue in the future.”
On May 2, Johnson tweeted that “the first free agent the Lakers should go after is Kevin Durant,” referring to the Oklahoma City Thunder forward.
“I would love to see Kevin Durant in the Purple & Gold!” Johnson tweeted, in a reference to the Lakers’ colors.
Later that same day, Johnson tweeted, “The Lakers should call LeBron James’ agent. We know he’s going stay in CLE but they should go after him just in case he leaves,” referring to the Cleveland Cavaliers power forward.
Johnson sold his ownership stake in the Lakers in 2010 to Patrick Soon- Shiong, now the chairman and CEO of the Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Advanced Health, in what he called “a bittersweet business decision.”
Johnson is part of the ownership groups of baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers, the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and the Los Angeles Football Club, which is set to begin play in Major League Soccer in 2018.
—City News Service