Magic Johnson QUITS as Lakers president without telling owner in SHOCKING move
MAGIC JOHNSON has resigned from his position as president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers after just two years, without even telling franchise owner Jeanie Buss.
The Lakers legend took up the post in 2017, and was critical in getting LeBron James to the franchise in free agency.
However, just before the Lakers took on the Portland Trail Blazers, he conducted an impromptu press conference and announced he was stepping down.
He told reporters that he had found the job to be beyond his capabilities at this time, and made reference to his past fines for tampering.
The former president had been fined by the NBA on multiple occasions for tampering with potential Lakers trade targets.
He received a $500,000 fine for admitting to a conversation with Paul George, while he was still under contract in Oklahoma City.
"What’s important to me is that I get to help everybody," Johnson said.
"When I get fines for tampering and this and that, I can’t help young people who want me to help.
"I also can’t tweet.
"When Russell Westbrook got that 20-20-20 game, that was a great week for him, if I tweeted out and said congratulations, everybody would have said I’m tampering.
"I don’t want that, I want to be free.
“What am I doing? I’ve got a beautiful life and I want to go back to that beautiful life.
“I’m going to have to tell my boss, because I know she’s going to be sick, I couldn’t tell her face-to-face even though I was just with her yesterday.
“We had a three-hour meeting about the direction of this great organisation.
“Today, I’m free.
“No, I haven’t [told Jeanie]. I couldn’t.
“I’ve been talking to people and they’re talking about next year and I’m thinking [shakes head] I’m not going to be here.”