Magic Johnson is over the moon about the Lakers’ surprise acquisition of former Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic over the weekend.
On Sunday, the Showtime-era legend posted no fewer than seven times on X expressing his pleasure with the transaction and his excitement for the Lakers’ future. Johnson said he “can hardly wait to see Luka in a Lakers jersey in Crypto arena,” that the deal “is amazing for the NBA” and that Doncic “will definitely make the Lakers a championship-contending team.”
He also compared the move to the Dodgers — a team in which Johnson owns a minority stake — signing Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani before their 2024 World Series championship season.
Johnson did, however, have one tiny critique of sorts aimed at Doncic, tucked at the very end of one of his posts.
“LeBron James will be a positive influence on Luka,” Johnson wrote, “teaching him his championship mentality that includes taking his conditioning seriously.”
Doncic has been named an All-Star in five of his seven NBA seasons. Last year, he finished third in the league’s MVP voting, won the trophy for Western Conference finals MVP (which happens to be named after Johnson) and helped the Mavericks make the NBA Finals.
He is scheduled to be introduced as a Laker on Tuesday morning, days after a blockbuster trade sent him, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to L.A. in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round draft pick (the Utah Jazz also received Jalen Hood-Schifino from the Lakers and second-round picks from L.A. and Dallas to facilitate the trade).
The Times reported that Dallas general manager Nico Harrison approached Lakers GM Rob Pelinka about the possibility of a deal. According to ESPN, one of the reasons the Mavericks initiated the talks was “significant frustration within the organization about Doncic’s lack of discipline regarding his diet and conditioning, which team sources considered a major factor in his injury issues.”
The 6-foot-6 Doncic is listed at 230 pounds, but ESPN reports that “his weight ballooned to the high 260s early this season.” He hasn’t played since suffering a calf injury on Christmas.
If there has ever been a role model for the kind of physical commitment needed to achieve consistent greatness, Johnson is correct in noting that it’s James. At age 40 and in his 22nd season, James remains in top condition and is still one of the league’s best players, even after playing more regular-season minutes than anyone in NBA history.
So far, James’ only public comments on the trade have been in appreciation of and well wishes for Davis, with whom he helped the Lakers win their 17th NBA championship in 2020.
“Love you my dog!!” James wrote on his Instagram Stories. “Go crazy over there!”
Johnson also gave high praise to Davis, as well as Christie, in his X comments.
Here’s everything Johnson had to say about one of the biggest trades in league history.
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