Despite some skepticism over their signings since, Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers landing LeBron James in NBA free agency this summer inarguably validated the plaudits of this front office as recruiters.
That was always what Johnson was pitched as, and in his first real at bat, he called his shot and hit a home run by convincing James to don the purple and gold armor.
However, according to Johnson, his strategy wasn’t a wholly original one. He had seen his mentor, former Lakers owner Jerry Buss, do the same thing countless times with himself, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.