INGLEWOOD, California -- In a development that caught all of basketball by surprise, the Los Angeles Lakers confirmed that their former star, Magic Johnson, this week would become the team's new coach.
Johnson will replace coach Randy Pfund, the team said on Tuesday, a stunning development that came 11 days after the Lakers announced they had extended Pfund's contract by one season.
Laker assistant Bill Bertka will coach the team's next two games, at Dallas on Wednesday night and at Houston on Thursday night. Johnson, who has never coached before, will take over Sunday when the Lakers play the Milwaukee Bucks at the Forum.
Michael Cooper, Johnson's long-time teammate, will become one of his assistant coaches.
Neither Johnson nor Pfund could be reached for comment Tuesday night.
Said National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern: "Anything that would bring Magic Johnson back would be good for the league."
The timing may have been surprising, but the switch was not. Johnson said last spring that Laker owner Jerry Buss offered him Pfund's job but he turned it down. At the time, Johnson said he would be interested in coaching only if he also was allowed to buy a percentage of the franchise.
Johnson was then a member of a group applying for an expansion franchise in Toronto. Several months later, the franchise was given to a rival group.
Pfund was allowed to keep his job when the Lakers made a surprisingly strong showing in last spring's playoffs, taking a 2-0 lead over the heavily-favored Phoenix Suns before falling, 3-2.Buss said at the team's training camp in Honolulu in October that he planned to extend Pfund's contract, which was to run through the end of next season, adding he wanted to keep him in the organization "in some capacity."
Buss also said of Johnson in October: "I think it would be great for Earvin to be coach of the Lakers but at the same time, he has a lot of very big-time businesses. And whether he can devote the unbelievable number of hours weekly to one occupation to the exclusion of all others, I don't know. If he tells me he can, we're going to sit down and talk."
Talks for Pfund's extension took more than four months, with Buss asking for a clause to allow him to reassign his coach to the front office if he fired him.
Pfund finally got a one-year extension without the clause but sounded downbeat when talking about it.
"Without going overboard on it and trying to pin too much to it because I'm a realistic person," Pfund said, "I think it shows there is some confidence in our management in what I've tried to do the last year-and-a-half. I think you can leave it at that."
Meanwhile Johnson, a season-ticket holder who sat in a courtside seat a few feet from the Laker bench, was growing restless. In January, he blasted the team's performance and demeanor.
"I don't think the guys have pride," he said. "What's so bad about it is the fact that it is something that you have built up and you have pride in that. I never thought in my wildest dreams that after I retired it would be this bad so quickly."
Johnson reflected on the days when he ran Showtime, the Laker teams of the 1980s that won five championships.
"We had pride," he said. "We lost a game and you'd think we had lost 20 games. Nobody said a word. We showered and no words. And we came back and made a point the next game we were going to kick somebody's butt because we weren't going to lose two games in a row."
Pfund, a Pat Riley protege, was 66-80 in his brief tenure. Ironically, he was burdened in his first season by the loss of Johnson, who tried a comeback but called it off during the exhibition season. After that, the team began stocking younger players in a rebuilding program.
Johnson, one of basketball's greatest players, originally retired before the 1991-92 season when he learned he was HIV-positive. He has since taken the drug AZT, reporting no adverse affects, and kept up a hectic schedule that included color commentary on NBA telecasts and a barn-storming tour.
Johnson will replace coach Randy Pfund, the team said on Tuesday, a stunning development that came 11 days after the Lakers announced they had extended Pfund's contract by one season.
Laker assistant Bill Bertka will coach the team's next two games, at Dallas on Wednesday night and at Houston on Thursday night. Johnson, who has never coached before, will take over Sunday when the Lakers play the Milwaukee Bucks at the Forum.
Michael Cooper, Johnson's long-time teammate, will become one of his assistant coaches.
Neither Johnson nor Pfund could be reached for comment Tuesday night.
Said National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern: "Anything that would bring Magic Johnson back would be good for the league."
The timing may have been surprising, but the switch was not. Johnson said last spring that Laker owner Jerry Buss offered him Pfund's job but he turned it down. At the time, Johnson said he would be interested in coaching only if he also was allowed to buy a percentage of the franchise.
Johnson was then a member of a group applying for an expansion franchise in Toronto. Several months later, the franchise was given to a rival group.
Pfund was allowed to keep his job when the Lakers made a surprisingly strong showing in last spring's playoffs, taking a 2-0 lead over the heavily-favored Phoenix Suns before falling, 3-2.Buss said at the team's training camp in Honolulu in October that he planned to extend Pfund's contract, which was to run through the end of next season, adding he wanted to keep him in the organization "in some capacity."
Buss also said of Johnson in October: "I think it would be great for Earvin to be coach of the Lakers but at the same time, he has a lot of very big-time businesses. And whether he can devote the unbelievable number of hours weekly to one occupation to the exclusion of all others, I don't know. If he tells me he can, we're going to sit down and talk."
Talks for Pfund's extension took more than four months, with Buss asking for a clause to allow him to reassign his coach to the front office if he fired him.
Pfund finally got a one-year extension without the clause but sounded downbeat when talking about it.
"Without going overboard on it and trying to pin too much to it because I'm a realistic person," Pfund said, "I think it shows there is some confidence in our management in what I've tried to do the last year-and-a-half. I think you can leave it at that."
Meanwhile Johnson, a season-ticket holder who sat in a courtside seat a few feet from the Laker bench, was growing restless. In January, he blasted the team's performance and demeanor.
"I don't think the guys have pride," he said. "What's so bad about it is the fact that it is something that you have built up and you have pride in that. I never thought in my wildest dreams that after I retired it would be this bad so quickly."
Johnson reflected on the days when he ran Showtime, the Laker teams of the 1980s that won five championships.
"We had pride," he said. "We lost a game and you'd think we had lost 20 games. Nobody said a word. We showered and no words. And we came back and made a point the next game we were going to kick somebody's butt because we weren't going to lose two games in a row."
Pfund, a Pat Riley protege, was 66-80 in his brief tenure. Ironically, he was burdened in his first season by the loss of Johnson, who tried a comeback but called it off during the exhibition season. After that, the team began stocking younger players in a rebuilding program.
Johnson, one of basketball's greatest players, originally retired before the 1991-92 season when he learned he was HIV-positive. He has since taken the drug AZT, reporting no adverse affects, and kept up a hectic schedule that included color commentary on NBA telecasts and a barn-storming tour.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.
Remind me later.
×
Remind me next month
Thank you! Your reminder is set.
We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy.