Magic Johnson faced a ton of criticism during his time as the president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers. Many bizarre decisions were made that ultimately put the team in a worse position than they started in. Perhaps his biggest and best move was signing LeBron James although that probably would have happened regardless of Magic's role with the team. One of his most criticized moves was drafting Lonzo Ball with the second overall pick in 2017.
During today's episode of First Take, Johnson was speaking about the New Orleans Pelicans with Stephen A. Smith and was fairly passionate about the team's chances. In fact, Johnson thinks the team will be extremely fun to watch which, of course, drew the attention of Smith. Stephen A. ended up pressing Magic about his opinion, accusing him of only feeling that way because Lonzo is on the team and he wants to defend the man he picked.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1175064134427299841
Per First Take:
Smith: “You sure that’s not emotion there because you drafted Lonzo Ball? You drafted Lonzo Ball, Magic Johnson.”
Johnson: “Yes, I did. And I’m standing right here too. I’m standing right here, I’m not moving. I did that. Watch out now, don’t forget, we might be in this suits, but something can go down now.”
Both men pretended to square up and it was a pretty hilarious sight especially when you consider how they're just joking. Regardless, it's clear the Ball fiasco still haunts Magic and his tumultuous tenure as a Lakers executive.
