It’s not a stretch to say that Magic Johnson’s No. 1 goal this summer was getting LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers. If that is indeed the case, Johnson managed to check off that box early on in free agency, as James joined the team less than 48 hours into the start of the festivities this summer.
As it turns out, the deal between the two sides might have been made much sooner than that, as Johnson was at James’ house right at the start of free agency to sell him on coming to the Lakers. While the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Philadelphia 76ers were in the hunt to acquire James’ services, ultimately Los Angeles won out.
Since the signing, the Lakers have been active, but they’ve also been curiously quiet. It’s an organization that is famous for being flashy, so the fact that Los Angeles hasn’t responded to this hiring with a lot of glitz and glamor is a bit surprising.
That silence was broken on Tuesday, when Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka spoke to Spectrum SportsNet about the signing. As we learned, the best player in the world was able to break down the Lakers’ roster simply, with Pelinka calling him a “basketball savant.”
Magic Johnson on his meeting with LeBron:
“The thing I was really impressed with was he knew every single guy, their strengths and weaknesses, on our team, and he was really excited about how the young guys performed last season.”
Full interview w/ Magic at 3 pm on @SpectrumSN
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) July 10, 2018
Rob Pelinka on the types of players they want around LeBron, as detailed on “Connected With…” exclusively on @SpectrumSN, airing right now. It’s Rob and Magic next to @geeter3 and @Mike_Bresnahan: pic.twitter.com/S553UFGM4u
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) July 10, 2018
Johnson revealed that, from the start of things, he was able to connect with James. He also let it be known that he got to the meeting super early, to the point that he just sat outside for a little.
Magic Johnson said he connected with LeBron James “right when I walked in the door.”
“We had a great time of going back and forth about, ‘Here we are, two guys, similar, both from the Midwest, both grew up poor, both love to compete, both love to win,’ ” Johnson said Tuesday.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) July 10, 2018
Magic Johnson told @SpectrumSN he arrived an hour early for his 9:01 pm meeting with LeBron on June 30 in Los Angeles.
“I was going to sit outside for an hour until it was my time to go up to his home,” Johnson said.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) July 10, 2018
A major question that has existed has been the team’s roster construction, as Los Angeles decided to go in an opposite direction from what Cleveland decided to do with James. Instead of surrounding him with shooters, the Lakers signed noted non-shooters JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo, and Lance Stephenson.
It had been believed that the Lakers were in touch with James about these moves, and as it turns out, that was the case. Johnson admitted that the reason the team went with these guys was because James was able to bring insight about what they are as players, even conceding that he know more about all of them than the Lakers do.
Magic said he consulted LeBron about signing Lance, JaVale and Rondo:
“LeBron’s won championships, been to eight straight Finals. You think Rob and I are not going to ask him? No, we’re going to definitely ask him his opinion because he knows those players better than us.”
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) July 10, 2018
After agreeing to terms with LeBron, Lakers tabbed JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo.
It was all part of the plan if they got LeBron.
“We had spent months and months studying film, doing analytics, doing background on guys,” Rob Pelinka told @SpectrumSN.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) July 10, 2018
And to add a little bit of brevity to what was surely a stressful situation, Pelinka revealed how his iPhone made the news of James’ signing made the whole thing a little more fun.
How did GM Rob Pelinka find out LeBron would join the Lakers? Via text from James’ agent.
“The text just said ‘Congrats,’ and it had balloons,”Pelinka said. “It was one of those moments in life you’ll never ever forget.”
Full interview w/ Pelinka + Magic at 3 pm on @SpectrumSN
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) July 10, 2018
If that’s as grand of a celebration as the Lakers have for James joining the team, well, at least it sounds like a very pleasant experience.
