Magic Johnson made an appearance on ESPN Tuesday evening alongside Stephen A. Smith and Michael Wilbon in an attempt to respond to claims made in a story by ESPN Senior Writer Baxter Holmes about the dysfunctional operations of the Los Angeles Lakers organization. Included in the story written by Holmes is the recounting of Johnson, then the President of the Lakers, having the demeanor of a “bully” by an anonymous Lakers front office staffer.
“If you questioned him on anything, his response was always a threatening tone… He used intimidation and bullying as a way of showing authority.”
Johnson, who publicly resigned as President of the Lakers last month, has publicly refuted the claims against him in a straight-forward manner:
“It never happened… I’ve never abused an employee, and I never will.”
Magic Johnson's response to the reports that came out this morning: pic.twitter.com/YyzfuE2xE0
— Chris Montano (@gswchris) May 28, 2019
Since the departure of Magic Johnson from the Lakers organization in April, Head Coach Luke Walton was fired and replaced by Frank Vogel after talks with prospective coaching candidate Tyronn Lue collapsed.
The Los Angeles Lakers missed all conceivable expectations this season with a record of 37-45, missing the Playoffs as the tenth seeded team in the Western Conference. Gaining the fourth overall pick in the upcoming 2019 NBA Draft, the Lakers will look to reverse their fortunes going into next season.
