With the Los Angeles Lakers having one of their worst seasons in franchise history, the team has made some moves that will drastically reshape the leadership within the organization. Owner Jeanie Buss has fired long time Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, and has named Magic Johnson as President of Basketball Operations. Jeanie's brother, Jim Buss, was also removed as executive vice president of basketball operations.
Even though Jim is no longer an executive, he still retains his ownership stake in the Lakers. However, the final say still goes to Jeanie in accordance to a structure setup by her father, the late Dr. Jerry Buss. Jeanie has used her authority to rebuild the management of the storied franchise which currently has the third worst record in the NBA at 19-39.
The Lakers are on their way to potentially missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season which is a team record. They have also posted some of the worst records in franchise history in each of the last three seasons.
Jeanie Buss says it was one of the most difficult decisions she has ever had to make, but one that she waited too long to do. It has been barely 3 weeks since Johnson returned to the Lakers to assume an executive role, but Jeanie has decided that the Hall of Famer will be in charge of basketball operations-related decisions despite having no prior experience as an executive.
According to a report by NBA.com, Johnson has been moving quickly to surround himself with the right team to help him in his transition. Rob Pelinka, a prominent sports agent, has reportedly been telling his clients that he plans on resigning from Landmark Sports Agency to become the general manager of the Lakers.
Johnson says he will also be putting aside his role with the Dodgers as well as his many business obligations so he can focus on leading the Lakers as an executive. Per ESPN, Johnson will also step down from his role on NBA Countdown. Johnson was drafted as the first overall pick in 1979 by the Lakers. He helped lead the team to nine NBA Finals appearances winning five before abrupty retiring at the end of the 1990-1991 season after testing positive for HIV.
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