The Los Angeles Lakers' Magic Johnson era has officially ended for the team, as a big announcement arrived Tuesday night. Magic announced his decision to resign as the Lakers president of basketball operations. It surprised many people to learn the news, including LeBron James, and a lot of fans. While some are disappointed, others feel this is a step in the right direction. LeBron James' interesting reactions to the latest events may tell a further story about his feelings on everything that happened to the Lakers this season.
LeBron reacts to Magic stepping down
The Magic Johnson news caught plenty of people, linked to the team, off guard. Magic even admitted he hadn't told Jeanie Buss or LeBron James of the decision, despite meeting with them this past weekend. Magic said he felt if he told Jeanie he would have stayed because "we would have cried...and I would have felt bad." He said with the decision, he'll now be able to tweet or talk about NBA issues without worrying about being fined.
Of course, Jeanie may have been surprised by the news, but how about King James? It seems LeBron was quite surprised by it too. In fact, ESPN said he was "stunned."
Even so, ESPN went on to say LeBron "stands behind" the Lakers' front office despite the resignation.
That seems apparent by he and his teammates' post-game celebration Tuesday evening.
LeBron lets loose after a tough season
King James may have been surprised to learn of Magic's big move away from the front office. However, he and his teammates certainly weren't down in the dumps about that or the season that was. Instead, LeBron and several teammates decided to head out for a party on Tuesday evening in LA.
According to TMZ Sports, LeBron was out partying with many of his Lakers' teammates. The group included Rajon Rondo, Kyle Kuzma, JaVale McGee, and others. They decided to hit up Tao Restaurant in LA to see Sheck Wes performing. That was after the Lakers' season officially ended, on a losing note, at the buzzer to the Portland Trail Blazers.
TMZ also posted a video showing the group (below). TMZ and other people there tried their best to provoke some answers to the big questions. That included things like asking how players felt about Magic leaving or "is Luke Walton next?"
However, the players weren't in the mood for that and stayed mostly silent. LeBron did answer "yeah" when asked, "are you going to the memorial?" That refers to the memorial service for slain hip-hop star Nipsey Hussle.
Apparently, LeBron James and his Lakers teammates were in celebration mode. No more basketball worries, at least right now. One could even surmise that it was just a way to escape the difficulties of the past season as they prepare for their summer vacation.
The Lakers won't be in the NBA Playoffs, although LeBron admitted during a Spectrum SportsNet interview that he will still be watching. So LeBron's reaction to missing the playoff is driving him to get better this summer for next season.
Meanwhile, the Lakers will now move forward without Magic as part of the front office. The next big move could very well be the dismissal of head coach Luke Walton before they start looking at roster moves such as free agent signings or NBA trades.