Tuesday night, US time: Magic Johnson dropped a shocking bomb and voluntarily resigned from his position as president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers.
"I feel happier now that I'm stepping down as president," Johnson told reporters at an impromptu press conference announcing the big news.
Although Lakers owner Jeanie Buss was as shocked as basketball fans around the world, she immediately gave her blessings:
"Earvin, I love fighting side by side with you. You have led us a long way. We will continue this journey and love you."
—Jeanie Buss
According to the Los Angeles Times, when referring to Luke Walton’s shaky coaching position, the Magic stated that he and general manager Rob Pelinka did not endorse the young coach before stepping down:
"This is a difficult decision," Johnson said, starting to cry. "I cried before I came here, and I'm crying again. When you love this organization as much as I do, and Jeanie as much as I do, it's hard. Without being sentimental, I didn't want to let her down. I didn't want to - we all love Luke, so I had to make a decision and it was never going to be easy."
Johnson said there were many factors behind this decision, and he did not want to ask Jeanie to fire Walton, whom she admired very much; she said she was just fed up with some "stabs" and "whispers," but did not clearly explain what they meant. He also said he was fed up with not being able to talk about players from other teams.
Of course, some difficult problems will not let go of "magic". He was asked if he wanted to see Walton re-elected, and if he believed Rob Pelinka was the right answer for the Lakers' general manager? Johnson said it all depends on Buss' decision. According to people close to Buss, Johnson's ouster does not mean that Walton can safely leave the bank.
"I feel great about where I am right now, I'm happy! I can be like before again, and that's better for me."
— Magic Johnson
