Magic Johnson reportedly got wind of emails by Lakers head brass criticizing his leadership
Since his abrupt resignation as the Lakers' President of Basketball Operations, there has been speculation as to why he would leave one of the most coveted positions in sports.
Magic Johnson’s decision to step down from his position as the Lakers' President could have been because Jeanie Buss and team executive Rob Pelinka was talking negatively about his decisions and criticizing him in emails.
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Magic Johnson’s decision to step down from his position as the Lakers’ President of Basketball Operations may have had more to do with in-house back-biting against the basketball legend.
According to NBA insider Ric Bucher, who spoke with sports personality Colin Cowherd, Johnson reportedly heard through the grapevine that owner Jeanie Buss and team executive Rob Pelinka were allegedly trash-talking his decisions and criticizing him in emails behind his back, Complex reports.
—John William King executed by lethal injection for brutal killing of James Byrd Jr.—
Buss is the same woman Johnson spoke of lovingly when he decided to step down, saying that he didn’t want to hurt her.
“It’s a difficult decision. I cried before I came here,” the NBA Hall of Famer said as he fought back tears when he announced his resignation. “I am about to cry now. It’s hard when you love an organization the way I love this organization. It’s hard when you love a person like I love Jeanie [Buss]. I don’t want to disappoint her.”
However, it seems that the magic between Buss and Johnson may have fizzled out, unbeknownst to him.
“My understanding is that there were some emails that were exchanged between Rob and Jeanie…about Magic and about what Magic was and wasn’t doing,” Bucher told Cowherd.
Bucher said Johnson was hurt by the betrayal, which makes since because he didn’t tell Buss or Pelinka about his abrupt exit.
—LeBron James reportedly stunned by Magic Johnson’s departure from the Lakers—
“Somehow, someway, Jeanie, from what I understand, was CC’ing or blind CC’ing Magic on everything. That was sort of protocol. Standard issue,” Bucher explained. “Somehow, the exchange between Rob and Jeanie ended up on that string of the blind CC’s that were going to Magic. So, Magic now is seeing emails from Rob to Jeanie that were critical of what he was doing… so when he talked about the backstabbing, to me, my understanding that’s what started it.”
Ouch.
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