The Los Angeles Lakers and president Magic Johnson just can’t get out of their own way.
Having already been fined for tampering within the past calendar year, the NBA is now investigating whether Johnson’s recent comments pertaining to Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons fits under that umbrella.
The NBA is looking into whether any contact took place between Ben Simmons and the Los Angeles Lakers that violated NBA rules, league spokesperson Mike Bass tells @TheAthleticNBA.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 11, 2019
Johnson just recently indicated that he’d be open to mentoring Simmons.
Magic Johnson takes one last question and says Ben Simmons contacted the Lakers about getting together to learn from a fellow big guard. Magic said he’s game – as long as the league signs off.
Seems like a good time to mention Simmons is represented by Rich Paul and Klutch. pic.twitter.com/djgq9TOWNk
— Bill Oram (@billoram) February 10, 2019
For his part, Sixers general manager Elton Brand is not about to let the head of another organization mentor Simmons.
“Rob Pelinka called me and said that Ben (Simmons) wanted to talk to Hall of Famers after the season, Magic was on the list,” Brand told 97.5 The Fanatic. “He asked for authorization… I said no. This was over a month ago.”
Magic obviously has an issue understanding the complexities that come with running an organization. For the most part, Johnson has been on the outside looking in since his Hall of Fame career ended.
Being the Lakers president changes the entire dynamic as it relates to what he can and can’t do.
Whether this ultimately leads to another fine or even a loss of draft picks remains to be seen. But Johnson needs to get over this early learning curve sooner rather than later. It’s that simple.