ESPN has reportedly been working on a story for several months about Magic Johnson's treatment of employees. Johnson was asked if that looming story played a role in his decision to step down from his role with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“An article would never make Magic Johnson do something he don’t want to do,” he said, according to our Lakers beat writer, Bill Oram, who was there during the interaction. “I know me. Ask people who deal with me – ask them. They’ve been around me for 40 years. … Same dude I was when I first got off the bus. Never disrespected nobody, never did anything bad. Now, am I tough? Hell yeah I am. You work for me, I’m demanding. That’s who I am.
“But at the same time, I’m fair. (Is) an article going to stop – make me do something? No. I’m good. They’ve been talking about that article for how many months? (Laughs) Everybody run up, ‘Oh they writing an article.’ OK. Great. I’m going (to) say ‘Why didn’t you interview everybody at ESPN? You know how many times ESPN hired me? Twice. If I was doing something wrong to employees, disrespecting, you think they would have hired me twice? No. I know that article is not an accurate article. I can tell you that now. …Now it’s some disgruntled, former Laker employees (talking to reporters). Yeah, they gonna say (what) they gonna say, ‘cause they wasn’t doing their jobs. So what is a person going to do? Point the finger bad about the person who fired them. I’m good. I’m a big boy.”