Watch: Magic Johnson Explains Why He Is Quitting As President

Lakers director Magic Johnson decided to resign from his position in the organization, and confirmed his decision during an impromptu press conference.

Johnson didn’t miss the opportunity to say he “was happier when I wasn’t the president of the Lakers.” He is more into being a statesman for the game of basketball to running just one team. He also added that the Ben Simmons situation affected him because it made him look bad. Johnson is now free to talk about players employed by other organizations. He is no longer affected by the tampering rules.

It was an emotional decision for Johnson, and he didn’t even want to confront Lakers owner Jeanie Buss about it. He didn’t want to cry. It was emotional and Magic Johnson couldn’t hide his emotions. Everyone saw that.

“No, I haven’t. I couldn’t,” Magic said when asked if Jeanie Buss knows about his decision. “She doesn’t know I’m standing here because I knew I would be crying like a baby in front of her. Somebody going to have to tell my boss. I know she’s going to be sick, but I knew I couldn’t face her face-to-face and tell her, even though I was just with her yesterday.”

The Lakers released a statement in which they thanked Magic Johnson for his services and the time he spent working with the team.

“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.”

This was a rather shocking development for everyone, and Johnson’s resignation was the last thing the team needed at the moment. Did he just abandon the team?

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