Ramona Shelburne: As for Kobe’s role? I’m told he’s happy doing what he’s doing. But obviously will be available to the Lakers whenever they need him
More on Lakers Front Office
Sam Amick: Two more names to watch in Lakers situation, in addition to Rob Pelinka & Arn Tellem: Portland's Neil Olshey & former Cavs GM Chris Grant
Kevin Ding: Nothing concrete, but I'm hearing strong indications Rob Pelinka, Kobe's longtime agent, will be the Lakers' next general manager.
Sam Amick: Also, Magic wants Kobe Bryant to come back on board with some sort of player relations role. He recently intimated as much publicly.
Ramona Shelburne: One intriguing name to watch with Lakers front office jobs now open is sports agent Rob Pelinka, per league sources
Marc Stein: In addition to Rob Pelinka -- agent for James Harden and Kobe Bryant -- longtime agent Arn Tellem is also said to be on the Lakers' radar.
Jamal Crawford: Magic back to the Lakers, it's only right..
Los Angeles Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss announced today that the team has named Earvin "Magic" Johnson as President of Basketball Operations. In addition, General Manager Mitch Kupchak has been relieved of his duties, effective immediately. Furthermore, Jim Buss will no longer hold his role as Lakers Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations.
"Today I took a series of actions I believe will return the Lakers to the heights Dr. Jerry Buss demanded and our fans rightly expect," Jeanie Buss said. "Effective immediately, Earvin Johnson will be in charge of all basketball operations and will report directly to me. Our search for a new General Manager to work with Earvin and Coach Luke Walton is well underway and we hope to announce a new General Manager in short order. Together, Earvin, Luke and our new General Manager will establish the foundation for the next generation of Los Angeles Lakers greatness." "It's a dream come true to return to the Lakers as President of Basketball Operations working closely with Jeanie Buss and the Buss family," said Earvin "Magic" Johnson. "Since 1979, I've been a part of the Laker Nation and I'm passionate about this organization. I will do everything I can to build a winning culture on and off the court. We have a great coach in Luke Walton and good young players. We will work tirelessly to return our Los Angeles Lakers to NBA champions."
Mark Medina: In statement, Jeanie Buss said Jim Buss is still has ownership role w/ Lakers.
In addition to the changes made within the basketball department, the Lakers also announced they have parted ways with John Black who had been the Lakers Vice President of Public Relations. Chief Operating Officer Tim Harris will immediately begin a search for a replacement. Jeanie Buss added, "We thank John for his many years of service."
League sources were skeptical that Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss could truly trigger deals on their own and that Johnson would play a role in whatever the team does at the deadline, but sources said they expected Lakers would hold firm unless it were a βno-brainerβ deal aimed at the future.
Jeanie Buss took all these things into consideration when she made the decision to bring Magic Johnson back into the fold, and Magic has put some thought into the process he would take to make the Lakers great again. Hereβs what he had to say to ESPNβs Stephen A. Smith Wednesday morning. First of all, we have to develop our own players. Thatβs number one. Number two: Weβre going to have to draft well. And number three: You just made the point, you know, weβre all β not just the Lakers β but every team is looking for that franchise-changing player.
Tania Ganguli: Stephen A Smith asked Magic if he'll push to be the 1 voice of the Lakers when talking to Jim & Jeanie. "I will put that on the table, yes."
Tania Ganguli: Magic Johnson said on First Take he wants to be the Lakers Pres. of Basketball Ops. Jim Buss is currently the Lakers EVP of basketball ops. pic.twitter.com/HvC3n32RD5
Tania Ganguli: More from Magic Johnson on First Take: "I canβt step in between Jim and Jeanie. Thatβs their thing. Jeanieβs gotta handle that."
Magic Johnson, who was hired earlier this month as an adviser to Los Angeles Lakers president and co-owner Jeanie Buss as she evaluates the direction of the franchise, said Tuesday on ESPN's First Take that he would try to get Kobe Bryant to join him in the front office if his role evolves further.
"First call I make if I'm in charge? Kobe Bryant," Johnson said. "Because Kobe understands winning. He understands, also, these players. I would call, 'What role you want? ... If you've got a day, just give me that day.' "I'll take that. Whatever time he has, I want him to come and be a part of it."
With Magic Johnson holding an advisory role for the Lakers in the past week, however, he predicted that more growing pains await. βItβs going to take three to five years to get them back rolling again,β Johnson said in an interview on CBS This Morning that aired on Monday morning. βIf weβre patient and we develop our own players, in todayβs NBA itβs different than when I played. you have to develop your own players because free agent movement is not like it used to be. You have to make sure you hit a home run with the players you do draft and keep the players you have on your roster.β
Magic Johnson will meet with Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and co-owner and executive vice president of basketball operations Jim Buss on Monday to discuss the construction of the current team and the team's strategy heading into the Feb. 23 trade deadline. "Everybody has to be on the same page right now," Johnson told ESPN. "What we should be concerned about is not just right now, but how it will affect the future of the Lakers. That's why we all have to be on the same page."
"Last week someone asked me if I wanted to call the shots. I'd told them my role was as an adviser. Then he said, 'Do you want to call the shots?' And I said, 'I would love to call the shots.' But I know that I'm an adviser. Jim is the one calling the shots. I'm just an adviser. But I want to make sure that I have some type of input, and then he can decide how he wants to use that input," Johnson said. "When I say calling the shots, it's more, 'Somebody has to be the final decision-maker.' I would love that to be me. Everybody has their input, and then somebody has to make the final call. Once we gather all the facts, I'd love to be the person making the final call."
Mark Medina: Now, what's interesting with Magic Johnson, it didn't sound like Jim Buss really knew he was coming. You don't really have to read between the lines when Magic was saying 'hey, I got lunch with Jeanie Buss, I got lunch with some of the other siblings, with Joey Buss, who oversees the D-Fenders, with Jesse Buss, who is part of the front office. Oh, and I had a great phone call with Jim Buss'. What does that tell you?. No face-to-face or interaction with Jim, but with everyone else of course.
Tim Kawakami: I think Jerry (West) is always interested in things in L.A., obviously because he's such a great part of the franchise. I don't think that Magic coming in heavy increases, and I would imagine it decreases, the likelihood of the Lakers being ready to make Jerry an offer for him to come back.
Tim Kawakami: At this point I think that Jerry is going to be back beyond this season. Maybe it's going to be a year-by-year thing from here on. Maybe it will be a slighty different role. He's 78. He had to go to the hospital recently. But I don't think the Lakers for Jerry right now is the odds-on at all, just because the Magic Johnson thing it's a different set-up.
Tania Ganguli: Magic on his conversation with Jeanie Buss over dinner that led to his hiring. He said she told him, "I'm going to make some changes." pic.twitter.com/HuNoS3xg2E
Sirius XM NBA: A.C. Green on Magic calling the shots for LAL "I would think its one of the smartest moves the Buss family can make" bit.ly/2kdKKxO
Bill Oram: Luke Walton said he was not ready to respond to Magic Johnson's comments. He had not read the @USATODAYsports article.
Magic Johnson said he wants to "call the shots'' for the Los Angeles Lakers, a week after it was announced he has rejoined the team as an adviser to owner Jeanie Buss. "Working to call the shots, because it only works that way,'' Johnson told USA TODAY Sports when asked what he hopes his role with the franchise will be. "Right now I'm advising. I get that. But at the end of the day, then we all got to come together and somebody's got to say, Γ«I'm making the final call,' all right? And who's that going to be? "So, we'll see what happens.''
Magic told Jim he was there to help, that he stood by his criticisms from the past but hoped they could move forward without that baggage. The answer and Johnson's tone disarmed Buss. It was as close to a dΓ©tente as the two men, both 57 years old, had reached in years. Buss agreed and asked to schedule a meeting after the All-Star break where he and general manager Mitch Kupchak could explain their decision-making over the past few seasons. "I'm taking Magic at face value, that he's here to help," Jim Buss told ESPN. "He's one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Who wouldn't value his opinion? I'm excited to work with Magic for years to come."
When Magic is expected to play a part in the Lakers' decision-making process. But he's not the general manager. He's at the senior level, hired to advise, not to get down in the weeds plotting out maneuvers. The expectation, according to sources close to the situation, is that he will stay at that level beyond this season. In the short term, he'll be a voice alongside Kupchak and Buss. But in the coming months, he's expected to help Jeanie Buss decide whether to revamp the basketball operations leadership team.
Although said to be personally fond of Kupchak, who joined the Lakers' front office in 1986, about halfway through Magic's playing career, he's also determined to make an honest evaluation of the general manager's performance and abilities in today's NBA. According to sources close to the situation, Magic has already heard from agents and executives from other teams that Kupchak's deliberate style can be frustrating to deal with and has probably cost the Lakers in free agency in recent years, missing out on a list of names that includes Isaiah Thomas, Kent Bazemore, Kyle Lowry, Ed Davis, Trevor Ariza, Pau Gasol and Eric Gordon.
Said one player agent, who has dealt with Kupchak on several contracts, "He's the only GM in the league who won't engage at all before 9:01 p.m. [PT] on the first night of free agency. Then when he calls to express interest, there's no stickiness to it."
That speaks to Kupchak's integrity, as contact with an agent or player is considered tampering before the opening of free agency, but it also speaks, according to sources, to a lack of savvy. There are ways of gathering information on free agents without trampling the rules, so that a team doesn't begin the process far behind everyone else.
Buss agreed and asked to schedule a meeting after the All-Star break where he and general manager Mitch Kupchak could explain their decision-making over the past few seasons. "I'm taking Magic at face value, that he's here to help," Jim Buss told ESPN. "He's one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Who wouldn't value his opinion? I'm excited to work with Magic for years to come."
It starts here as the Feb. 23 trade deadline approaches, when Magic is expected to play a part in the Lakers' decision-making process. But he's not the general manager. He's at the senior level, hired to advise, not to get down in the weeds plotting out maneuvers. The expectation, according to sources close to the situation, is that he will stay at that level beyond this season. In the short term, he'll be a voice alongside Kupchak and Buss. But in the coming months, he's expected to help Jeanie Buss decide whether to revamp the basketball operations leadership team.
According to sources close to the situation, Magic has already heard from agents and executives from other teams that Kupchak's deliberate style can be frustrating to deal with and has probably cost the Lakers in free agency in recent years, missing out on a list of names that includes Isaiah Thomas, Kent Bazemore, Kyle Lowry, Ed Davis, Trevor Ariza, Pau Gasol and Eric Gordon.
That speaks to Kupchak's integrity, as contact with an agent or player is considered tampering before the opening of free agency, but it also speaks, according to sources, to a lack of savvy. There are ways of gathering information on free agents without trampling the rules, so that a team doesn't begin the process far behind everyone else.
As the lead on business affairs, Jeanie Buss does largely stay away from the on-court product. She has said publicly that she often learns of the team's basketball decisions via news reports or texts from her brother. Sources said Kupchak rarely, if ever, communicates with Jeanie Buss, believing he reports only to her brother. That funnel effect has essentially given Kupchak incredible power over decision-making, with only one boss to hold him accountable for successes and failures.
Serena Winters: Magic: "Weβre a superstar away...One guy changes our landscapeβ¦If I felt like we were far away...I wouldnβt be here." (on @SpectrumSN) pic.twitter.com/4ETP8QXBdi
The coming months will determine, according to NBA sources, whether Johnson is part of a democracy expected to replace Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak, or if Johnson singularly replaces Buss in charge of Lakers basketball operationsβregardless of the general managerβs name. The latter scenario is a legitimate possibility, though for the moment, Johnson has only been hired to be Lakers president Jeanie Bussβ adviser.
The very least is that Johnson will be a major player in all future Lakers decisions, according to sourcesβno mere figurehead or token big name.
Anyone around the NBA interested in filling that basketball operations post should start polishing the resume, even though Johnson has been close with Kupchak for a long time. Johnson is said to have an open mind about dismissing Kupchak to usher in a new era, according to sources.
Magic Johnson: It was a great first day of meetings and lunch with @Jeanie Buss, Linda Rambis and Joey & Jesse Buss! I had a great conversation today with Mitch Kupchak and a really good phone call with Jim Buss! I'm overjoyed to be back home with the @Lakers organization and I look forward to getting to work! #Lakeshow
Mike Bresnahan: Lakers adviser Magic Johnson told Spectrum SportsNet he talked to Mitch Kupchak + planned to have a two or three-hour meeting with him soon. In the meeting, Magic plans to talk with Kupchak "about the strategy and...where theyβre headed. Weβll talk about every guy on the team.β
Mike Bresnahan: Magic said he also planned to meet with Jim Buss soon. Extended part of Magic interview with @SpectrumSN to air at 6:30 on post-game show.
Mike Bresnahan: Magic also revealed what he thought were some missteps by Laker basketball operations since 2011. Full interview at 7:30 on @SpectrumSN
The Los Angeles Lakers today announced that Earvin "Magic" Johnson will return to the Lakers to assist Jeanie Buss in all areas of basketball and business as an advisor. "We are thrilled and honored to add Magic's expertise and abilities, and I look forward to working alongside him." said Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss.
"Magic Johnson is one of the NBA's greatest players and it is terrific to see him returning to the Lakers," said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. "He is a truly special person and a natural leader with a relentless passion for basketball and profound knowledge of the game." "Everyone knows my love for the Lakers," said Johnson. "Over the years, I have considered other management opportunities, however my devotion to the game and Los Angeles make the Lakers my first and only choice. I will do everything in my power to help return the Lakers to their rightful place among the elite teams of the NBA."
ESPN.com reported a dinner between Jeanie Buss, her longtime close friend Linda Rambis (now a team executive and the wife of former Lakersβ coach and player Kurt Rambis), and Lakers Hall of Famer Magic Johnson at the teamβs game at Staples Center last Tuesday with the Denver Nuggets. Maybe it was just dinner. But everything is magnified now. βI think she is still gathering information,β one friend of Jeanie Buss texted Sunday night.
Los Angeles can still easily pursue a max free agent next summer, even with the new contracts on the books, but Mozgov hasnβt been an interior force on offense, and Deng doesnβt look like the Deng of old on defense. In the NBAβs new TV-contract soaked world, the deals arenβt indefensible; But they havenβt been very impactful, either, and thatβs something Jeanie Buss is considering as she contemplates her brotherβs future. βSheβs hearing from enough people that those two signings were not strong enough signings,β said one person whoβs spoken with her recently.
Jeanie Buss is sharp and patient, and GM Mitch Kupchak remains well-regarded around the league. Walton, beloved in L.A., put a strong, teaching staff together, and will get every chance to succeed. But how long will it take for the Lakers to be the Lakers again?
On the eleventh year of his exemplary 81-point performance in a single game against the Toronto Raptors, the five-time NBA champion shared his willingness to offer guidance if asked by the Lakers managementβparticularly the Buss familyβwhom he was worked closely with during the course of his career. βIβm always around behind the scenes for Jeanie, Jimmy, and the entire Buss family if they need assistance or if it be to reach out or call for advice and things of that nature,β Bryant told sportscaster Stephen A. Smith on ESPN radio, as relayed by the LakersNation website.
βNow, being front and center about it, itβs not something that is really my cup of tea. Iβd rather be behind the scenes and focus on the content Iβm creating because thatβs where my passion truly lies, but the Buss family knows that Iβm always a phone call away,β he said.
Los Angeles Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss met with Hall of Famer and former Lakers point guard Magic Johnson on Tuesday night, sources with knowledge of the meeting told ESPN. The exact nature of the meeting was not immediately clear, but sources said Buss has been soliciting opinions on the direction the franchise should take moving forward, after three straight losing seasons and possibly a fourth, with the Lakers already having lost 31 games this season.
Buss is the business whiz behind the branding and sponsorships of the Lakers, the keeper of the glamour franchise she and her five siblings inherited when their father, Jerry Buss, died in February 2013. Her fingerprints are on the reported $3 billion television deal with Spectrum SportsNet and the 120,000-square foot practice facility the team will move into next season. She is admired by executives throughout sports and entertainment. βEverything you look for in a CEO, she has,β Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said.
Does the promise shown by Coach Luke Walton and the Lakersβ young core absolve Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak for three years of losing, the sort of streak Jeanie Buss says her father βjust wouldnβt have toleratedβ? For those three years, Jeanie Buss has honored her brotherβs timeline. βThatβs what he said, so I have to give him his time,β she said. βI have to.β Itβs a pledge that might prove to be Jim Bussβ undoing. Reached by the Southern California News Group last week, he said he βwasnβt referring to a certain playoff positionβ and that the deadline βreally wasnβt as clear as people say it is.β βThis was quotes from three or four years ago,β he said. βThose were what the path was supposed to be.β
Jim Buss said injuries and the Kobe Bryant farewell tour derailed what her were otherwise reasonable expectations. He now believes in a different measuring stick. βIf I feel that the strides have been made,β Jim Buss said, βand the team is going in a very positive β not just a positive direction β a very positive direction, I donβt see a switch happening.β The two most prominent Buss siblings agree that the season needs to play out before any decisions can be reached. βWeβre like every other team that we will play a season and we will assess that season when itβs over,β Jeanie Buss said. βNo reason to speculate on any possible changes. Itβs a waste of time to speculate.β
Buss is the figurehead of a family enterprise. She leans heavily on those she trusts, but ultimately, she is the boss. One way or another, her fingerprints will soon be all over the team that takes the court at Staples Center. βI think she understands that she has to make decisions that are important for the future of the franchise, for the growth of the franchise,β said Jerry West, who ran the Lakers front office alongside Kupchak until the summer of 2000 and is currently an executive board member with the Golden State Warriors. βShe knows she has to do that. And I donβt think sheβd be afraid to do that.β
While some owners hide out in suites, or are escorted to their seats by a ring of beefy security dudes, Buss is among the people, honoring requests for selfies, just another fan who loves the home team. βSheβs not wearing a big crown that says, βIβm the owner of the Lakers,ββ said Tim Harris, the Lakers chief operating officer. βSheβs sitting there saying, βYou want to come up and talk to me? Iβm sitting here, season ticket holder in Section 117.ββ
Buss projects an image of comfort, speaking a language that is easily understood. She is someone you feel you would trust with something you love. βShe is very, very kind and very, very nice,β said Shell, who was an executive at Fox when the broadcasting giant held the Lakers television rights, βbut she can be tough in business. In the business world, if you try to take advantage of that kindness, youβll see a tough side to Jeanie that she also has.β
Walton has visited Bussβ office at least a dozen times, she said, a dramatic shift from the distance kept by Byron Scott and Mike DβAntoni. The strain was palpable after the Lakers made the surprising, 11th-hour hire of DβAntoni in 2012 when Jackson was anticipating an offer. βI have the ultimate faith in Luke Walton,β she said. βI think he brings the joy of the game, and when you see players play with that joy and that competitiveness, thatβs what you fall in love with. Heβs just brought all of that.β
Of course, Jackson is in New York but it remains to be seen for how long, where he goes and if its colors are purple and gold. Jackson and his fiance, Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss, both deny itβs happening. Thatβs absolutely true ... as far as it goes ... until Philβs opt-out on July 1, 2017, with insiders close to both saying he could still wind up with the Lakers.
Not that Jackson is sitting around thinking about the Lakers at present with ore immediate challenges, like sticking it to everyone who says he canβt do his present job. Like all issues involving free agency, Philβs availability will depend on the last thing that happens this season. The Knicksβ finish will decide if owner Jim Dolan is happy paying Jackson $12 million annually, which will decide if Phil feels like staying. Or maybe itβs the other way around. In any case, the situation is fluid.
(Actually, itβs unlikely that Kupchak, who worked easily with Jackson, would have objected to something ownership wanted to do. If Jim didnβt want Phil, it was because of his own issues with him.) Stung as Jeanie was, she wasnβt then inclined to fight Jim, knowing her father didnβt want an inter-organizational struggle. Instead, she took Jim up on his off-hand vow to leave if he couldnβt get the team back in two years β which she took to mean making the Western Conference finals by this season β or in other words, so long, Jimbo!
The Los Angeles Lakers announced today the hirings of Jennifer Swanson as Head Physical Therapist, Stacey Robinson as Massage Therapist, and Sean Light as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach. The trio will report to Head Athletic Trainer Marco NuΓ±ez, joining Assistant Athletic Trainer Nina Hsieh, Strength and Conditioning Coach Tim DiFrancesco, and Equipment Manager Carlos Maples on the training staff.
The team has also hired Lorena Martin as Director of Sports Performance Analytics and Jae Kim as Basketball Data Analyst, both of whom will report to Director of Basketball Analytics Yuju Lee.
The team also hired Joshua Wright as Assistant to the Head Coach, reporting to Head Coach Luke Walton.
An ominous cloud looms over the Lakers, however. Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss said in 2014 he would step down if the Lakers do not become a Western Conference contender in three years. Lakers president Jeanie Buss has often said she would hold the front office accountable with unspecified changes if that does not happen. All of which perpetuates uncertainty on if Kupchakβs focus on development could conflict with Jeanie Bussβ focus on results. βIβm not in a position to debate the stuff you talked about,β Kupchak said on Tuesday at UC Santa Barbara. βIβm not sure what was said with certainty. From my point of view, weβve created a team that has a lot of young talent that can grow into really good NBA players that can leave an imprint on this league. I think weβve surrounded them with older veterans to help us win games. Iβm excited about our coaching staff.β
The Lakers acquired some intriguing veteran, including a rim protector (Timofey Mozgov), a versatile forward (Luol Deng) and steady point guard (Jose Calderon). Yet, who knows how much any of those players can both produce and mentor as much as the Lakers hope they do. βI want to see improvement in the young players,β Kupchak said. βI want to see some production from our rookies and I want our team to be fun to watch. I want them to have fun playing. I want them to get better as the season goes along. But I donβt know how that translates into anything else under my control.β
According to team and league sources, despite how the torch-passing was presented to media and fans, Jerry did not have deep confidence in Jim as a basketball visionary or even someone with the grit to stay in charge of Lakers personnel for the long haul.
So Jim told people that Carmelo Anthony was coming the next summer. He told people that Howard was staying the previous year. He told people as soon as the Lakers' recent season was winding down that Kevin Durant was coming this summerβ¦with Russell Westbrook the next.
But when Jackson started talking with the New York Knicks about being in charge of their basketball operations, the siblings scrambled not to lose him. That triggered a contentious email chain. Jim phoned some individually to lobby them to change their votes, according to team and league sources. Only Johnny, who had his own stretch of time not speaking to Jim, stood with Jim in opposition to hiring Jackson in some capacity.
The thing is, Jackson is legitimately committed to getting the Knicks on the upswing. As attractive as the prospects of molding Walton and helping Jeanie areβand how much more weight he has representing the Lakers teams he won withβ the Lakers want Jackson more than he wants them.
Of course, there is another possibility the Busses discuss regularly, a guy who is practically familyβPhil Jackson. He can opt out of his Knicks contract in a year, and he's believed to be able to get out of it the year after that, too. Despite Jackson's limited results in New York, he has served an obvious purpose for James Dolan, taking the heat off the owner by accepting it himself. That is something the Buss family has noticed as a worthwhile formula as they continue to take their hits, besides how useful Jackson might be recruiting free agents even if he doesn't do day-to-day work.
Bryant would have tremendous appeal as a high-ranking official, but he is focused on his own business pursuits. Magic Johnson has made clear his disdain for Jim and is extremely interested in having a meaningful role with the Lakers.
Jerry envisioned youngest sons Joey, 31, and Jesse, 28, having highly prominent roles at some point. Both are cited by team sources as smart and diligent in their current roles. They have a different mother than the four elder siblingsβand a very different backstory. Joey and Jesse grew up in San Diego, far removed from their father's glamorous life, and they acted almost like two shy kids in awe when they got into it.
Jeanie Buss: People think that Phil is going to come back here to L.A. and itβs not true. Heβs signed a five-year agreement. He is happy where he is. What I am getting from people in New York is that heβs just doing it for the money. Phil doesnβt do anything for the money. Heβs completely devoted to this job.
Jeanie Buss: The NBA requires there to be one decision-maker. Every team has to have one designated governor who is held accountable for all decisions that are made on behalf of the organization. I am that person. I am held accountable also by our shareholders, the majority of whom are the Buss family, but we have other shareholders who own stock in the Lakers. Lakers basketball isnβt about any one style or any one system. Lakers basketball is about winning.
Jeanie Buss: All the years that my dad owned the team, we never missed out on the playoffs more than one year. And we are now at three years in a row. I want [brother Jim Buss, Lakers executive vice president of basketball operations and part-owner] to be successful. I want him to make the decisions that he is confident in making and putting the basketball team together the way he sees fit. You know, we have to give him that opportunity.
Bill Oram: Magic Johnson will no longer be listed in Lakers staff directory. His title had been strictly ceremonial https://t.co/ARs1eeAJhG
"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 the time," Lakers spokesman John Black said in a statement. "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 of management. Hopefully this will eliminate any confusion over this issue in the future."
Los Angeles Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss says that Phil Jackson, her fiancΓ© and the president of the Knicks, will not be leaving New York to rejoin the Lakers. "No. To visit, yes ... but in terms of basketball, he's committed to New York for many years," Buss said Monday on ESPN Radio's Beadle and Shelburne Show. "He's building something there. He has a mission, he's on that journey to get the team back to where he believes it can be and it will be. He's a former Knick ... he loves New York, he loves the fans, he wants to make them proud."
Jackson has three seasons remaining on his five-year deal with the Knicks. Speculation about Jackson's potential return to Los Angeles will likely continue because his contract contains an opt-out clause after the 2016-17 season, according to ESPN's Chris Broussard.
