The Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA title last season in spite of Magic Johnson’s efforts, not because of them. Still, that is not stopping Johnson from flaunting the championship ring he received on social media.
The retired Lakers legend took to Twitter on Saturday to show off the rings that were gifted to him and his wife Cookie by team owner Jeanie Buss. Johnson boldly proclaimed it to be “my 11th NBA championship ring.”
The irony here, however, is that Johnson was the president of basketball operations for the Lakers from 2017 to 2019, running the team into the ground before abruptly quitting because he was no longer “having fun.”
Many Twitter users saw the comedy in Johnson’s post and roasted him.
During Johnson’s tenure, the Lakers made a number of boneheaded moves. Those included letting talented players like Brook Lopez and Julius Randle walk for nothing, trading young big man Ivica Zubac for essentially nothing, and making odd signings such as Michael Beasley and Lance Stephenson. The Lakers also never once made the postseason under Johnson. Then after Johnson resigned, he trashed former front-office partner Rob Pelinka as a backstabber. (But the two have since made peace.)
Meanwhile, LeBron James’ arrival in Los Angeles did admittedly happen during Johnson’s tenure. But the four-time MVP already seemed set on coming to the Lakers regardless of who was running the team.
Johnson won five rings as a player and had an ownership stake in the team for five more of their championship runs after his retirement. While he may have earned those rings, especially the first five, he most certainly did not earn this latest ring that he received from the Lakers.
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