Everyone knows the Lakers did not win the 2019 NBA Western Conference Finals. However, they may have won the Word of Mouth (WOM) game.
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Portland Trailblazers in a tenacious overtime contest on Monday evening May 20, 2019. This well-earned victory gives them a shot at another NBA championship. Earlier that day, sports journalist and commentators did not spend much time talking pre-game hype. Instead, they spoke about Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Before going further, let’s go back to April 9, 2019. On this day, Johnson called a press conference and announced his resignation as the Lakers President of Basketball Operations. This abrupt move by the basketball legend surprised the sports world and the entire Laker organization. In his media address, he said no one had any prior knowledge of the departure, not even owner, Jeanie Buss nor general manager, Rob Pelinka. Johnson’s reasons for leaving were his lack of fun, someone backstabbing him, and not having full control in decision making. He assured the public the Lakers had all the means necessary to someday acquire another superstar and eventually win a championship.
Back to May 20, 2019 and now Magic Johnson is a guest on ESPN’s morning show, “First Take.” The interview was about his resignation. He reiterated his purpose for departing the position and revealed Lakers GM, Rob Pelinka as the backstabber. This betrayal was in the form of gossip about Johnson’s frequent absences from his office at Lakers’ headquarters. He went on to say him and Pelinka have a nice relationship. Other issues in leadership and communication were also mentioned. However, he assured Laker fans of his lifelong loyalty and fidelity to the franchise and commitment to supporting it, Buss, and Pelinka. He even said he would attend every home game. Later he stated, “the Lakers are the premier team in the NBA, number one in social media and the Lakers are loved, not so much in the US but around the world more than any NBA team.” According to him, the Lakers are worth more than any other NBA franchise, between 4-5 billion dollars. As in his press conference, he said the team would acquire another superstar to accompany LeBron James and win another championship.
A few hours later, the Lakers held a press conference to introduce their new head coach, Frank Vogel. He was introduced by Rob Pelinka. After Vogel spoke about his vision and strategy, the media asked questions. One of them was directed toward Pelinka regarding what he thought about Magic calling him out as a backstabber. He stated, “Magic and I have a very good relationship and I am surprised and saddened about the comments.” He also said the two would meet and talk about this like men.
Every sports media organization immediately wrote and talked about the Lakers. Most comments were speculative in regard to the dysfunction of the team. Former NBA player and sports commentator, Jaylen Rose said, “It’s no accident Magic Johnson was on “First Take” today, the same day of the Western Conference Finals, the day after an Eastern Conference Finals game, the same day the Lakers are introducing their new head coach, Frank Vogel.” Rose alluded to Magic doing this to manipulate the media and make himself look good. However, besides pointing out the backstabbing and a little disorganization, Johnson showed support for the franchise and spoke of its potential with the current leadership. His appearance on the show was not about himself. It was more about brining attention to his beloved Lakers. Throughout the day media outlets continued to sensationalize and dramatize the Lakers front office. By the end of the day, the Lakers were spoken about more than any other NBA team on all media platforms. Think about the numerous search inquiries and shared news reports.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers made the decision to hire their new coach on May 9, 2019. Why did they wait 11 days to make it official? Magic Johnson is an intelligent successful businessman. His name is synonymous with the Lakers. Perhaps, part of the plan was to win on the business side of basketball. He appeared on “First Take” on the same day the Lakers announced their head coach. This gained the franchise attention across all mediums of mass media. Whether my take is true or false, the Lakers prevailed in the NBA online ecosystem, winning the WOM game on May 20, 2019.
ESPN. (2019). First Take Interview with Magic Johnson [Video]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/bT0HVhmWfT0
ESPN. (2019). ESPN Jalen & Jacoby – It’s not an accident Magic Johnson was on First Take today [Video]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/YaNmebIBlHg
Turner, B., Ganguli, T., & Turner, B. (2019). Frank Vogel interviews with Lakers for head coaching position. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/la-sp-frank-vogel-lakers-coaching-position-interview-20190509-story.html
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