Magic Johnson’s run as the president of the Los Angeles Lakers ended abruptly and with a bang in 2019.
In the years since, Johnson has offered various criticisms of the current Lakers squad as well as interesting thoughts on certain players on the roster.
Johnson’s continuing revolving presence in the larger Lakers universe has led to an obvious question: what’s his current job with the organization?
Team owner Jeanie Buss answered that this week.
“To me, he’s still working with us,” Buss said, per Bill Oram of The Athletic. “In terms of an official capacity, in the NBA, you have to be very clear as to who can negotiate on your behalf and who can’t. So he doesn’t have that official designation. But in terms of his support, his wisdom, his insight, I freely call on him as needed.”
In fact, as recently this past December, Johnson and Buss chatted about the Lakers’ current state of affairs.
“I just sat down with him,” Buss added.
“And I said, ‘Should I be concerned? What are you seeing?’ And he just talked about, you know, the injuries and that the team hadn’t had a chance to be together. … So, you know, he’s very calm and insightful. And it, you know, I appreciate his seeing the big picture instead of reacting to every game.”
Johnson is one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and in many people’s eyes the greatest Laker of all time – so it makes sense that Buss holds his opinion in such high esteem.
Paige kept it real. https://t.co/J6Ffa8qIpu
— Game 7 (@game7__) February 14, 2022
Moreover, as evidenced by when he opened up about sleeping with 6 women at once and his take on who is better between LeBron James and Kevin Durant – Johnson isn’t afraid to keep it real. Which also makes him an excellent advice giver.
Will Buss and Johnson ultimately be able to get LA back on track any time soon? Time will tell.
Related: Lakers Stars Frustrated With Team’s Front Office?
Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.