Lakers Remove Johnson's Ceremonial VP Title To Avoid Conflict-Of-Interest Situations

The Lakers on Saturday announced that Basketball HOFer Magic Johnson, an unpaid VP for the team, "had his ceremonial title removed," according to Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. TIMES. Johnson is "often critical of the Lakers and other teams on his Twitter feed." The franchise "appeared to want to create distance from his wide-ranging opinions to eliminate conflict-of-interest issues, among other things" (L.A. TIMES, 6/12). The removal of Johnson's title came at his request. Johnson "sold his ownership stake in the Lakers" in '10. He has "been known to tweet about other players, particularly free agents, which did not always sit well with others around the league" (ESPN.com, 6/11). The team in a statement said Johnson made the request "in hopes of clarifying any confusion over (his) involvement" with the team (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 6/12).