Brian Windhorst believes LeBron James and Magic Johnson are not on the best terms right now: “There’s a scar tissue there”, says LeBron was upset that Magic ‘pulled the rip cord’ after the first year
LA Lakers small forward LeBron James and former President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson are said to not be on the best of terms. Johnson played a crucial role in bringing James to the Lakers back in 2018.
Although the Lakers finished 10th that season and missed out on the playoffs, James led the team to a championship title in his second season with the franchise. In 2019 Johnson left the organization under turbulent circumstances and has since been replaced by Rob Pelinka. The latter is now taking on the role of both Lakers GM and president of basketball operations.
As per Brian Windhorst, the ESPN sportswriter suggested, there exists a rift between the two legends of the game. He revealed that LeBron James was upset at Johnson for having left the Lakers without informing him. Suggesting that the 18-time All-Star might not be over that yet.
"I'm not so sure that LeBron and Magic are on the greatest of terms right now. LeBron was very upset that Magic pulled the rip cord after the first year and didn't even tell him, just did it. There's scar tissue there and earlier this year when Magic criticized the Lakers and rightly so, [it] wasn't hard to criticize the Lakers, and LeBron was asked about it, LeBron declined to talk about it."
LeBron James and the LA Lakers go down to the New Orleans Pelicans at home
The LA Lakers met the New Orleans Pelicans at the Crypto.com Arena on Sunday as they looked to get the team back to winning ways, on the back of a defeat to the LA Clippers on Friday. Unfortunately, things did not go according to plan, as the Lakers fell 123-95 in another disappointing outing for James and co.
As per usual, LeBron James put up a stellar statline as he recorded his 25th 30-point game of the season and the 500th of his career. "The King" recorded 32 points, six rebounds, 3 assists, two steals and two blocks, while also shooting 100% from the free-throw line, going five for five.
However, James and the Lakers struggled with turnovers on the night, as the they committed 23 in total with James accounting for seven of them. During LA's woeful performance, the home fans were noticeably upset at the lack of care and effort displayed in the team's play.
Lakers fans booing LeBron after this turnover 😯 https://t.co/KfcYGso6UE
The Lakers are currently ranked ninth in the NBA Western Conference standings and are six games below the .500 mark. Despite James' efforts, it is looking increasingly unlikely that LA will be able to make it to the playoffs, especially as the losses continue to pile up.
The Lakers, losers of 8 out of 11 coming into the night, are booed off the court here by the Crypto.com crowd with a timeout with 5:39 remaining in the 3rd Q, down 22 to the Pelicans - a team they are trying to stave off in the playoff race.