Magic Johnson reveals how Lakers were able to seal the deal on LeBron James
One of the reasons LeBron James took his talents to South Beach eight years ago was because of the way Pat Riley recruited him.
During a meeting with LeBron, Riley pulled out his then-seven championship rings and dumped them on a table in front of James.
The rest would become history in Miami Heat lore.
Now it turns out one of Riley’s disciples and former players, Magic Johnson, used his own tactics to persuade LeBron to take his talents to LA.
“When (Lakers GM) Rob (Pelinka) talked to his agent, Rich Paul, he wanted to talk to me one-on-one; that’s what he wanted,” Johnson explained Friday in a conference call with reporters. “So I was happy to go and represent the Lakers, and talk basketball, talk strategy, talk winning, talk team, and talk players. All of it rolled into one.
“This guy is a basketball genius in terms of his mindset. And it was so funny, I think we both thought we were talking to ourselves when we’re looking at each other. We’re mirrors of each other when it comes to basketball mindset, championship DNA, and just playing the game the right way and also being a great teammate. That’s what it was. It was a lot of just basketball conversation. And as I told him, we want to get to the championship one day and he could be a big part of leading us back to that. That’s it.”
Johnson’s line that “we were talking to ourselves when we’re looking at each other” was pivotal as LeBron could look across the table and see a peer who knows what he went through as a player.
There are many other teams run by former players, but only one other team besides the Lakers has someone who was on same level as LeBron, and LeBron has no interest in going to Charlotte.
Peyton Manning once said that John Elway’s experience in a similar position as him was one of the biggest reasons he decided to sign with Denver, and one can never underestimate the importance of working with, or for, a peer.
Magic Johnson also said that just as he was consulted by Lakers management on roster decisions when he was a player, he will do the same with LeBron.
Magic: "We're gonna go to LeBron and say hey if there's a deal to be made or a guy's available,'What do you think about this guy?'" That's how it was when he played w/ Jerry West and Dr. Buss. "The ultimate decision-maker … is me."
— Bill Oram (@billoram) July 13, 2018
Johnson said the Lakers are operating on a three-year plan and the arrival of LeBron helps accelerate that plan, but they will not rush things when it comes to free agency and roster moves.
“I asked him what his expectations are, and he said he understood where we were, as an organization, as a team, and what we’re building,” Johnson said. “He was really happy that Rob and I were not rushing, not making mistakes by rushing, and I told him that we had a three-year plan, we had a plan that we wanted to execute and that he could really take that plan to a whole ‘nother level.”
While many were impressed that the Lakers signed LeBron after striking out on so many other big free agents in recent years, one Lakers legend wasn’t overwhelmed.
“All due respect to the Lakers, who handled everything well,” said Jerry West, “but, as these things go, LeBron was not a tough free-agent signing. LeBron wanted to come to L.A. and he wanted to come to the Lakers. Period. He has a family he’s thinking about. He has a home here. He has a son whom he wants to keep in one school in Los Angeles. He will be a celebrity out here, sure, but it’s a place where, once in a while, he can get lost, be himself. You can’t do that everywhere.”
Perhaps “The Logo” is a upset that LeBron leaving the East means one of his dubious records probably won’t be broken. West lost in eight NBA Finals series, while LeBron’s count sits at six.
LeBron James has now lost 6 times in the NBA Finals, 3rd-most in NBA history among players to play at least 1 game in each Finals (Jerry West, 8; Elgin Baylor 7).
It is also the most losses in the NBA Finals by a former MVP. pic.twitter.com/zuPI6QhSMW
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 9, 2018
Now that he’s in the West, his road just to the Finals will get even harder, and as a wise man once said, you can’t lose in the Finals if you never get to the Finals.
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