Their goal is to build a team that can make the Lakers NBA champions again, but this pairing of LeBron James and Magic Johnson is about so much more than basketball.
That’s what James will likely tell us when he decides to discuss why he wasted no time in accepting a four-year, $154 million contract to take his talents to Hollywood.
No doubt Los Angeles is a draw James could not ignore at this point in his life and career. He has a home in Brentwood and wants his kids to go to school there. The weather, the scenery, the shopping and the chance to mix with entertainers and corporate America at their highest levels also had to figure into his thinking. James was a global star in Cleveland. He can be a mogul in LA.
It also helps the Lakers have the cap space to upgrade their roster. Rajon Rondo was added to the mix on Monday, ensuring coach Luke Walton will have his share of strong personalities to control.
The Lakers on-the-court look is a work in progress. Off-the-court, the chance to work intimately with Johnson could prove more impactful than anything that happens on the court. Johnson always fashioned himself to be the male Oprah and runs a number of businesses out of Magic Johnson Enterprises, which has been reported to be worth $1 billion. Maybe James wants to be the next male Magic Johnson. Their business association is already off to rousing start.
Johnson arrived at James’ home in Brentwood at 9:01 p.m. PDT Saturday, the moment the NBA free-agency period began. According to the Los Angeles Times, the two talked for more than two hours, sharing their bond of growing up in the Midwest, winning championships, succeeding in business and their concerns about social issues.
It had to be a fascinating discussion given Johnson’s experiences as a player, an HIV activist and a businessman; fascinating enough for James to make it a long-term discussion that opens the door to all kinds of possibilities if the two join forces in their endeavors.
The swiftness of James’ decision was a surprise. According to Sports Illustrated, James had instructed his agent, Rich Paul, to research the Rockets, Sixers, Cavs and Lakers and determine which might be a proper fit. Meetings were set up with the Cavs, Sixers and Lakers. But it took just one sit-down with Johnson to make James a Laker and return Showtime to the Staples Center.
The Lakers have been through this before. Wilt Chamberlain was a star in Philadelphia before going west in 1968. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won a championship in Milwaukee before joining the Lakers in 1975, and Shaq went to the Lakers from Orlando in 1996. Stars always come to Los Angeles to make their marks. It’s no different in basketball.
This is akin to winning another championship for Johnson. He returned to the Lakers in February 2017 as an adviser to owner Jeanie Buss, who was frustrated by how the franchise was floundering. A month later, Rob Pelinka was hired as the new general manager.
Johnson, who won five NBA titles with the Lakers and was a three-time MVP, initially said it would take three to five years to turn the franchise into a winner again and talked about how important it is to draft and develop players.
“Free agency is not what it used to be,” he said the week he was hired.
Give Johnson and Pelinka credit for hitting the proverbial home run right out of the gate. Johnson and the Lakers are ahead of schedule. In business and basketball, Johnson and James figure to be Hollywood’s dynamic duo.
ARTICLE BY GEORGE WILLIS
