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Celebrities At The Los Angeles Lakers Game

Source: Allen Berezovsky / Getty

Last night (April 10), Magic Johnson stepped down from his position as president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers, a position he took on in 2017.

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Johnson shared the news in a press conference before contacting the team owner, Jeanie Buss who had no idea he was planning to step down. He says it was something he prayed about and debunked anything suggesting otherwise. He admitted that he liked being on the “big brother” side of the game more than being in a front-office role and said part of his decision to step down was also because the Lakers are moving in the right direction. “If we were not, I’d probably be staying,” he said. Just last year, the legendary team signed LeBron James. 

The Lakers released this statement about Johnson’s decision on NBA.com:

There is no greater Los Angeles Laker than Earvin Johnson. We are deeply grateful to Magic for all that he has done for our franchise – as a player, an ambassador and an executive.

We thank him for his work these past two years as our President of Basketball Operations and wish him, Cookie, Andre, EJ and Elisa all the best with their next steps. He will always be not only a Lakers icon, but our family.

As we begin the process of moving forward, we will work in a measured and methodical fashion to make the right moves for the future of our organization.

Buss later shared her appreciate for Johnson in the impromptu farewell. 

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Magic Johnson Steps Down From Job As Lakers President Of Basketball Operations  was originally published on getuperica.com