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As of late it appears some NBA stars love nothing greater than a great ol’ commerce request. However again in 1981, Magic Johnson was asking out of his contractual obligations earlier than it was cool.
As lined in Episode 2 of the brand new documentary collection Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers, Magic needed out of the Lakers after simply two full seasons with the workforce.
Johnson was fed up with head coach Paul Westhead, regardless of profitable the 1980 championship with him simply 18 months prior. Magic needed to play at breakneck velocity, however Westhead most well-liked to run the offense by means of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Johnson’s frustrations boiled over early within the 1981-82 season, when he publicly said that he needed out.
”I can’t play right here anymore,” he stated on the time. ”I need to depart. I need to be traded.”
The Lakers gave Westhead his marching orders lower than 24 hours after Magic’s feedback had unfold like wildfire.
Crew proprietor Dr. Jerry Buss denied that Westhead’s abrupt dismissal had something to do with Johnson’s commerce request, regardless of it coming simply 11 video games into the season.
The Lakers then elevated Pat Riley from assistant to go coach, and the remainder was historical past.
Riley ushered within the Showtime period along with his free-wheeling offence and hard-nosed defence, serving to LA to seven Finals and 4 championships throughout his famed tenure with the workforce.
Because it turned out, demanding a commerce was among the best factor Magic might have accomplished.
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