“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. 4

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 als

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