LeBron James admits 'Magic' Johnson's departure from the LA Lakers took him totally by surprise
Sunday 5 May 2019 07:27, UK
LeBron James has admitted that Earvin 'Magic' Johnson's departure from the LA Lakers caught him completely by surprise.
Johnson stunned the NBA when he left his role as the Lakers' president of basketball operations in April in a dramatic announcement to the media before the team's season came to an end.
James had met with Johnson and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka just days before the NBA legend announced his shock departure from the franchise.
The 34-year-old revealed he was limbering up ahead of a game with the Portland Trail Blazers when he was told of Johnson's announcement.
Johnson was the only Lakers representative who met with James before the 15-time All-Star decided to make the move to LA last summer.
On his TV show 'The Shop', James spoke publicly for the first time about his reaction when business partner Randy Mims told him of what Johnson had done.
He said: "Man, get the f*** out of my face! You bulls***!
"I came here to be a part of the Lakers organisation having a conversation with Magic.
"So it was just weird for him to be like, 'I'm out of here'. And not even have no like, 'Hey, Bron... kiss my a**. I'm out of here'. I would have been OK with that."
