The NBA has fined the Los Angeles Lakers $50,000 on Tuesday for violating its anti-tampering rules.
Lakers president Magic Johnson was asked on ESPN last week about parallels between himself and Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, and said he thinks the Greek superstar will one day lead the Bucks to a championship.
“He plays above the rim; I never could do that. But in his understanding of the game, his basketball IQ, his creativity of shots for his teammates … that’s where we [have the] same thing. Can bring it down, make a pass, make a play,” Johnson said.
“I’m just happy he’s starting in the all-Star game because he deserves that. And he’s going to be like an MVP, a champion. This dude, he’s going to put Milwaukee on the map. And I think he’s going to bring them a championship one day.”
This is the second time public comments from Johnson regarding players on opposing teams has drawn attention from the league office.
Last April, while appearing as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Johnson was asked about pending 2018 free agent Paul George. “We going to say ‘Hi’ because we know each other,” Johnson said. “You just can’t say, ‘Hey, I want you to come to the Lakers,’ even though I’ll be wink-winking like, ‘You know what that means, right?'”
Johnson and the team reportedly received a warning from the NBA.
In August, the Lakers were fined $500,000 for violating anti-tampering rules when the league learned that Los Angeles GM Rob Pelinka had been in contact with George’s agent.
[relatedlinks]
