According to reports, Los Angeles Lakers President Magic Johnson has stepped down from the position.
Just prior to the final game of the 2018-19 season for the Los Angeles Lakers, they have received some shocking news. According to reports, Magic Johnson has stepped down as president of the team, leaving a lot of question marks in Los Angeles.
The 2018-19 season was a disappointing one for the Lakers, as they missed the playoffs for the sixth straight season. Adding LeBron James in the offseason raised the expectations in Los Angeles, but injuries resulted in the team missing the playoffs after a good start.
Seeing Magic step down after just prior to the end of the season is shocking news, and certainly something that nobody saw coming.
Magic Johnson is conducting an impromptu press conference and just stepped down as Lakers president. He said he loves Jeanie Buss like a sister.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 10, 2019
Even though the Lakers did not have the season that they were hoping for, they still have LeBron, cap space, and a good young core. If they add another star this summer and stay healthy next season, they should be able to reach the playoffs next season and make some noise.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Johnson didn’t seem all that committed to the job.
Since taking over as president of the Lakers, Magic Johnson never fully committed to the job. 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.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 10, 2019
Being the president of a team is certainly a full-time job and a lot of work. Johnson might not have realized what it would take when he took the job. If Johnson isn’t going to be able to do what it takes to be successful at the role, then he is doing the Lakers a favor by stepping down.
This will be a very important offseason for the Lakers, and they will need a strong front office that is able to convince another star to sign. With Johnson stepped down, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Rob Pelinka and Luke Walton.
With this being a developing situation, we will likely find out more about it as time goes on. Until then, the Lakers wrapping up a disappointing season with their president stepping down.