The Los Angeles Lakers presented NBA legend Magic Johnson with a special gift this week.
On the heels of the organization winning its 17th championship in franchise history, team owner Jeanie Buss made sure to send Johnson his very own ring.
Cookie and I are so blessed to receive our championship rings! Thank you to Laker owner @JeanieBuss, the Laker players and especially @KingJames because he told me he was going to bring a championship to Laker Nation. This is my 11th NBA Championship ring! pic.twitter.com/R5n7foBPuR
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) December 26, 2020
Although Johnson’s stint as team president was a relatively short one, he played an instrumental role in the Lakers winning their most recent championship.
LeBron James has frequently credited Johnson with being a pivotal figure in the organization’s pitch to bring him to LA. Once he came onboard, all the team needed to do was add a second star to really contend for a title.
The Lakers ultimately did precisely that with the acquisition of Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans – and from there a championship became all but inevitable.
Bronny pulls up from beyond the arc. https://t.co/cusTr4DlQP
— Game 7 (@game7__) December 25, 2020
Johnson officially served as the Lakers’ president of basketball operations from 2017 to 2019. He ended up quitting because he was no longer “having fun” amidst a bizarre power struggle with Rob Pelinka.
Fortunately, the hatchet ended up getting buried by all parties involved and everyone seemed to move on.
The Lakers have always placed an emphasis on acknowledging the franchise’s many legends, and few stars loom as large as Johnson.
For that reason, coupled with his undeniably significant role in luring James to LA, it’s nice that a peace deal was reached and everyone can celebrate the Lakers’ most recent championship together.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
