Report: Jeanie Buss, Rob Pelinka Accidentally Copied Magic Johnson on Critical Email Exchange
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka mistakenly copied Magic Johnson in emails that were critical of the team's since-departed president of basketball operations, reports Bleacher Report senior writer and Fox Sports 1 analyst Ric Bucher.
Johnson abruptly stepped down as the team's president of basketball operations before the Lakers' final game of the season against the Portland Trail Blazers. In an impromptu press conference, Johnson told reporters that his position as the team's president did not allow him to be himself.
But on Wednesday, Bucher told Colin Cowherd that emails between Buss and Pelinka might have played a role:
"My understanding is is that there were some emails that were exchanged between Rob and Jeanie … about Magic and about what Magic was and wasn’t doing. They were critical emails. And somehow, some way–Jeanie, from what I understand, was CCing or blind CCing Magic on everything. That was sort of protocol, standard issue. Somehow, the exchange between Rob and Jeanie ended up on that string of the blind CCs that were going to Magic. So, Magic now is seeing emails from Rob to Jeanie that were critical of what he was doing.
"And maybe most important in all this is that there was no indication that Jeanie was backing Rob up in terms of either going to Magic and letting him know that this was going on or going back at Rob and defending Magic. That was not happening. And so when he talked about the backstabbing, to me, my understanding is that’s what started it. And the fact that Jeanie waved goodbye and said, “Thank you for all that you did,” was that she didn’t necessarily disagree with what Rob was saying."
Johnson shared this cryptic tweet Thursday.
The Lakers, who also agreed to part ways with head coach Luke Walton on April 12, have yet to find a replacement for Johnson.
