"There was Magic and there was Earvin," is how one Lakers assistant described the public and private perception of Magic Johnson during his time as president of basketball operations in a new book released this week.
"'Magic was who you got when the cameras were on,'" the Lakers assistant said in "A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers" by Yaron Weitzman. "'Earvin was who we saw."
Johnson's short span as president of basketball ops is addressed in the book, and the anecdotes presented provide a look into what had happened during that time and painted a different side of the Lakers' legend.
Magic Johnson in 2018 during his time as the Lakers' president of basketball operations. AP
During an all-hands meeting in the summer of 2017, as part of a pep talk, Johnson told the staff that "any of you can be replaced at any time."
Johnson's actions also became notable to staffers as he prevented people from seeing into his office by frosting the glass doors, and would refer to lower-level employees by nicknames "like calling a tall staffer 'big guy' every time they passed each other in the hallway," Weitzman wrote in the book.
At the time, it did not appear that Johnson was interested in staffers' feedback, even regarding topics where they were the experts and he was not, as was the case with Tim DiFrancesco, who was the Lakers' strength and conditioning coach.
According to the book, during a meeting with the training staff following Johnson's rise to president of basketball ops, Johnson had been focusing in on body fat percentage and told the staff that he wanted data on all the players.
Magic Johnson in 2019. AP
"Tim DiFrancesco, the team's strength and conditioning coach, pointed out that from a medical perspective, body fat percentage was no longer viewed as the ultimate measure of fitness," Weitzman wrote in the book.
During the conversation, DiFrancesco noted that different players "carry fat differently."
After a back and forth between the two, Johnson ultimately declared, "I want it done, and I want it done by the end of the season."
DiFrancesco left the organization shortly after.
Former Lakers strength and conditioning coach Tim DiFrancesco (back row, first from left) clashed with Johnson. NBAE via Getty Images
Magic Johnson (l) and LeBron James (r) in 2023. NBAE via Getty Images
Johnson spent two seasons as president of basketball operations before resigning from the role in 2019.
The team never made the playoffs during his two seasons in the role and finished with a 72-92 record through that span.
