Magic Johnson Says 'No' To Returning To Coaching As Lakers Search Continues

Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. has no plans to return as the Los Angeles Lakers' head coach.

In a recent interview, the businessman asserted that those days of leading the basketball team were in the past. The team is currently without a coach after parting ways with Darvin Ham. 

Johnson declined to speculate on potential replacements for the Lakers' head coach position last week. When asked about the vacancy, the former professional basketball player, who briefly occupied the role over thirty years ago, said:

"I couldn't tell ya. It's up to the Lakers and Jeanie [Buss] and Rob Pelinka. I hope they get a good one, though."

As for whether the 64-year-old would contemplate another coaching opportunity, he emphatically told TMZ, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Thank you though."

Johnson's brief stint as the Lakers' head coach occurred when he stepped in towards the end of the 1993-1994 season, succeeding Randy Pfund and Bill Bertka. 

Despite a promising start, the team struggled, leading the ex-point guard to announce his resignation at the season's end, with a final record of 5-11. After his stint as coach, Johnson resumed playing for the Lakers and never returned to coaching.

With Johnson off the list of potential head coaches, reports have surfaced that his former team is set to contact coaching candidates soon.

According to insiders, the first round of interview requests will target current assistants and former head coaches that the Lakers have not previously met with or know less about than others.

One such candidate is ESPN analyst JJ Redick, who sources have said is being researched by Pelinka.

The outlet's informants added that the Lakers VP of Basketball Operations and general manager has repeatedly used the term "grinder" as a key characteristic he wants for the next coach during his discussions with league officials.

These sources further claimed that the initial interview lineup is anticipated to feature assistant coaches such as Chris Quinn from Miami and James Borrego from New Orleans.

They project that the search process will unfold in phases, commencing with this first batch. It will then move on to discussions with coaches who have a deeper history with the Lakers.

Subsequently, the list will be narrowed down to a final round of candidates. As already mentioned, the Lakers recently parted ways with Ham after his two-season tenure.

The 50-year-old's record stands at 90-74, including a trip to the Western Conference finals in his first season and a first-round playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets earlier in the year.

Besides trying his hands at coaching, Johnson also had a short career as a late-night show host.

As The Blast reported, the insight into the short-lived role coincided with the 2022 release of an Apple TV Plus docuseries titled, "They Call Me Magic."

In the series, which debuted on April 22, 2022, it was revealed that Johnson's late-night endeavor, "The Magic Hour," was axed after just three months.

Notably, the show had one standout moment when its producers invited Howard Stern as a guest following the comedian's public mockery of Johnson's interviewing prowess and comedic timing.

Upon Stern's arrival on the show's stage, Johnson promptly asked, "Let's get right to it. Why have you been talking about me so much, man?" In response, the media personality expressed:

"The thing you need to work on, in my estimation, is that you've gotta stop trying to talk like the white man. Everybody's anti-Ebonics. I say, let it fly! What you need to do, 'my brotha,' is to really get down with it. You talk Ebonics all you want." 

What followed were numerous remarks from Stern alluding to Johnson's race and his well-known HIV status.

Johnson later made it clear that he was not on board with the producers' decision to use the brewing conflict between him and Stern to increase viewer interest and subsequently improve the show's ratings. In his words:

"I was mad when they booked him. But there's nothing you can do. When people look for ratings, this is what happens. It is what it is. I learned a lot from that. I've never put myself — or HIV and AIDS, or my race — in that position again, ever again."

"So many times, I wanted to say something and hit him at the same time — on air," the 1992 All-Star MVP Award winner added.

Johnson further disclosed that he had never engaged in a conversation with Stern following their on-air encounter.