Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson delivered what he promised he would. At the outset of free agency, Johnson was meeting face-to-face with LeBron James, convincing him to join the Lakers.
James becomes the latest in a line of superstars to be the face of the franchise and the team had been searching for one since the retirement of Kobe Bryant. Johnson has been celebrated ever since the announcement and Bryant himself has even suggested giving him something that no one else has.
Bryant appeared on The Stephen A. Smith Show and suggested that with this latest accomplishment, Johnson may have earned another statue outside of Staples Center:
“Think about this for a second. Magic was always my favorite player growing up. He wins five championships with the Lakers, right? And then he becomes an owner and wins five more. Then he steps away, comes back when he’s president of basketball of operations and is influential in bring LeBron James to L.A. I mean, they might have to get this dude another statue. What Magic is pulling off, man, it’s absolutely incredible.”
Jonson is one of only 10 people to have a statue outside of Staples Center along with Wayne Gretzky, Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Luc Robitaille, Chick Hearn, Bob Miller, and Oscar De La Hoya. In all likelihood, Bryant himself will be the next in line to join them.
It is hard to argue with Bryant’s suggestion as Johnson’s credentials certainly warrant it and this move of bringing in LeBron James is monumental. Bryant just recently became the first Laker to have two jerseys retired so why not have someone with two statues.
Regardless of whether it happens or not, Johnson continues to add to his legacy as arguably the greatest Laker ever.
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