Unexpected comments came out today from Laker legend, Magic Johnson, stating that he wants his former team to lose. The Los Angeles Lakers are currently 6-16, which is 25th in the league and Magic believes it’s in their best interest that they continue to lose. At Steiner Sports, Johnson was quoted in saying:
I hope the Lakers lose every game, because if you’re going to lose, lose. And I’m serious.
Johnson’s intentions in saying this is so that the Lakers can contend for a high draft pick in the next lottery. Magic has confidence that there are some superstars in college basketball right now that the Lakers could benefit from. He also went on twitter last night to explain his reasoning behind his desire for the Lakers to focus on losing.
Many saw this as shocking coming from such a great player and also someone with ties to the franchise. Coming from such a competitive player back in his day, it was unexpected to most. However, Kobe was asked by reporters about Magic’s comments and he stated,
“From an owner’s prospective, his opinion is to get top picks and to be able to use those as leverage to trade and get a competitive team and so on. From where I’m sitting, I just look at his point of view.”
Bryant also went on to say that the fans should also look at his prospective as an owner and realize that players are out there playing to win. Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant are on opposite sides of the fence on this topic, but the way the season is going for the Lakers, Magic just might get his wish.
