After the Los Angeles Lakers reached the end of the road of their 2023-24 NBA campaign in a heartbreaking 108-106 loss on the road to the Denver Nuggets, franchise icon Magic Johnson hopped on the internet and decided to blame load management for the team’s fate.
“The Lakers have nobody but themselves to blame. They wouldn’t have been in the play-in game or finished as a 7th seed this season if they hadn’t lost too many games because of load management,” Johnson shared on Tuesday.
But after major backlash from Lakers and basketball fans in general, Johnson changed his tune and issued an apology.
Magic Johnson Posts Apology for Blunt Comment After Los Angeles Lakers G same 5 Loss to the Nuggets
After giving it some thought and realizing that the Lakers genuinely dealt with injuries and didn’t really manage their players’ availabilities simply because they wanted them rested, Johnson shared the following apology, via X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter).
“Laker Nation, I have to apologize to the Lakers organization. It was injuries that plagued the Lakers this season, not load management.”
For what it’s worth, Anthony Davis played 76 games this season while LeBron James saw action in 71.
Johnson’s careless take will be forgotten eventually as well as his apology. Those are going to be just part of the sad story for the Lakers in the 2023-24 NBA campaign which they hoped to strongly rebound from next season.
The Lakers concluded the season with a 47-35 record.
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