Kobe Bryant hasn't gotten his statue in front of the Staples Center (yet), but he's already thinking of Magic Johnson getting a second one for his basketball prowess, business savvy, and for playing a role in getting LeBron James to join the Los Angeles Lakers.
"Think about this for a second," The Black Mamba said on The Stephen A. Smith Show,according to Lakers Nation. "Magic was always my favorite player growing up. He wins five championships with the Lakers, right? And then he becomes an owner and wins five more. Then he steps away, comes back when he’s president of basketball operations and is influential in bringing LeBron James to L.A. I mean, they might have to get this dude another statue. What Magic is pulling off, man, it’s absolutely incredible."
Of course, Lakers instantly went from mediocre to contenders when James signed a four-year $154 million max contract with the purple-and-gold.
Kobe isn't the only former Laker talking about the move, though. Shaquille O'Neal also weighed in on James heading to the West.
"The power has always been in the West especially the last couple of years. However the move is still not enough to match the Golden State Warriors," he said on the Halftime Report, noting that the Warriors just added DeMarcus Cousins to their roster. He also called James a "very marketable guy," but clarified that despite that he still needs to bring a winning mentality to the Lakers. "I think for him to be considered a great Laker, he definitely has to win a championship," he said.
