Magic Johnson revealed that his decision to step down as the Los Angeles Lakers’ president of basketball operations in 2019 was influenced by a disagreement over head coach Luke Walton’s future.
Johnson said he wanted to fire Walton because he believed the coach was not the right fit for the Lakers, but the organization preferred to keep him. Rather than remain in a position where he felt unable to make key decisions, Johnson chose to leave.
“I thought I had the power to do what I wanted to do,” Johnson said on Club Shay Shay. “I wanted to fire Luke Walton, I knew he wasn’t the right guy. They wanted to keep him and I didn’t want to fracture the great relationship I had with Jeanie Buss. Instead of sitting there and not saying what’s on my mind, I said let me just exit.”
Johnson stepped down as the Lakers’ president of basketball operations on April 9, 2019, after roughly two years in the role. His departure came shortly after the Lakers finished the 2018-19 season with a 37-45 record and missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
During Johnson’s tenure, Walton remained the Lakers’ head coach after being hired before the 2016-17 season. Under Walton, Los Angeles went 115-175 over three seasons, including a 35-47 record in 2017-18 and a 37-45 mark in 2018-19.
The Lakers fired Walton several days after Johnson’s resignation, ending a three-year tenure that began during the team’s rebuilding period. The organization then hired Frank Vogel ahead of the 2019-20 season, when the Lakers won the NBA championship behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Johnson’s front-office tenure included several major moves, including selecting Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and helping create the cap space that eventually allowed the Lakers to sign James in free agency in 2018. However, the team struggled during the 2018-19 season after injuries limited James to 55 games and the Lakers failed to make the postseason.
The Hall of Fame point guard said his decision to leave was also about preserving his relationship with Lakers governor Jeanie Buss. Johnson had maintained a close connection with the Buss family for decades and did not want a disagreement over personnel decisions to damage that relationship.
