April 9th, 2019 could be one of the most unforgettable moments in Laker history to top a season that I think Laker Nation would want to be highly forgettable. 2019 is nothing more than a year of disaster for a team that's spent several years chasing the highs of the Kobe/Shaq era ever since Kobe Bryant retired. You could even argue that during the last few years of Kobe's tenure, things were just as bleak. Kobe was aging on a super expensive thank you contract when Lakers focus should have been on rebuilding.
This year they landed LeBron James who admittedly joined that team based on a conversation he had with Magic Johnson. LeBron, unfortunately, gets hurt around Christmas and weird rumors leak out around trades that involved a majority of the roster around the trade deadline, but then nothing happens. The Lakers season falls to pieces even with LeBron returning to the lineup, and on April 9th, Magic decides to step down.
Magic Johnson finally fully opened up about everything that happened during his time with the Lakers. In this first clip, he breaks down how his time with the Lakers started from DeAngelo Russell being sent to Brooklyn to the decision to draft Lonzo Ball. He also discusses the power struggles he had being unable to fire Luke Walton and the backstabbing in the organization.
Magic Johnson addressed LeBron James' reaction to him quitting the organization. Magic did agree that he could have done this a different way, but he had to do it 'his way.' He does not regret quitting the way he did it at all. They also talk about the coaching situation and how strange it was that Magic couldn't fire Luke Walton, but they ended up firing Luke Walton anyway. There's also the mystery of how much power Rob Pelinka has and how Kobe Bryant plays a role in that plus the number of people in Jeanie Buss' ear influencing her decisions lately.
Magic Johnson in this last clip talks about the Lakers being a gold mine that he would love to own despite no longer wanting to work there in the role he previously was in and responds to whether Jeanie Buss should sell the team.