Magic Johnson helped bring LeBron James to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. Now, with James reportedly preparing to leave the franchise, Johnson is publicly thanking him for what came next.
Johnson posted a message to James and agent Rich Paul after ESPN reported that James plans to leave the Lakers and play elsewhere next season. James’ potential departure would end an eight-season Lakers run that included the 2020 NBA championship and one of the most consequential superstar arrivals in franchise history.
“I want to thank LeBron James and his super agent Rich Paul for taking a meeting with me back in 2018 when I was President of the Lakers and deciding to sign with us,” Johnson wrote on X. “He created a whole new era for the Lakers, including leading us to an NBA Championship in 2020 and all the milestones he surpassed in a Lakers jersey. I’ll always love and be grateful for him and wish him all the best in the next phase of his life, on and off the court!”
The wording landed like a farewell from one Lakers icon to another, and from the executive who sold James on Los Angeles to the player who restored the franchise to championship relevance.
Did LeBron Leave the Lakers? Magic Johnson Treated It Like the End of an Era
The Lakers have not publicly announced a final separation, but the reporting around James’ future has moved well beyond routine offseason uncertainty.
Reuters, citing ESPN, reported that James plans to leave Los Angeles after eight seasons and continue his career with another team. The Guardian also reported that James is expected to leave the Lakers, with free agency opening the possibility of a late-career move to another contender.
That is what made Johnson’s post notable. He did not simply offer a generic congratulations. He tied James’ Lakers tenure back to the original 2018 meeting with Paul, when Johnson was still the Lakers’ president of basketball operations.
That detail matters. James’ arrival changed the Lakers’ immediate credibility after years outside the championship picture. The Lakers later traded for Anthony Davis, won the 2020 title and returned to the center of the NBA conversation. Johnson’s message framed James’ time in Los Angeles as a completed chapter, not merely a contract update.
Is LeBron Retiring? Magic’s Message Was a Farewell, Not a Retirement Announcement
Johnson’s reference to “the next phase” may have fueled searches about whether LeBron is retiring, but the current reporting points in the other direction.
James plans to continue playing elsewhere, not walk away from the NBA.
That distinction is important for Lakers fans. Johnson’s post reads like a goodbye to James’ Lakers career, not necessarily a goodbye to James’ playing career.
James’ next team is now the larger NBA question. The Golden State Warriors are among the teams connected to James, which would create a stunning late-career pairing with Stephen Curry after years of Cavaliers-Warriors Finals history.
A Cleveland Cavaliers reunion is also an obvious fan conversation point because of James’ history there, but any next-team discussion should be treated as fluid until James, Paul or a team confirms the move.
Magic Johnson’s Message Captured What LeBron’s Lakers Run Meant
Johnson’s post also served as a reminder that James’ Lakers tenure will not be judged only by how it ended.
James delivered the franchise’s 2020 championship, became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer while wearing a Lakers uniform and later played alongside his son Bronny James in Los Angeles. Reuters noted those milestones while reporting on James’ expected departure.
That combination gives his Lakers chapter a complicated but undeniable place in franchise history. It was not the longest Lakers superstar era, and it did not produce a dynasty. But it did produce a title, restored national relevance and connected the franchise’s post-Kobe Bryant transition to one of the greatest players in NBA history.
That is why Johnson’s message carried more weight than a standard tribute. Magic is one of the few people who can speak to both ends of the story: the recruitment that brought James to Los Angeles and the legacy conversation now following him out.
For the Lakers, the practical questions come next. If James is gone, the franchise has to reshape its roster, identity and expectations around a post-LeBron future. For James, the question becomes where he can chase one more championship before retirement becomes real.
Johnson’s message did not answer that part. It did make one thing clear: from the Lakers’ side, the goodbye has already started.
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