Los Angeles Lakers Legend Never Wanted To Be Traded To The Knicks, Says Agent

KEY POINTS

Magic Johnson's longtime agent said the Laker great did not want to be traded to the Knicks
Johnson suited up for the Lakers during his comeback in 1996
Pat Riley and Johnson spearheaded the Showtime Lakers in the '80s

An old report claiming Lakers legend Magic Johnson demanded a trade to the New York Knicks was debunked. Johnson's longtime agent Lon Rose flagged the rumor to be untrue, insisting the basketball great never planned to suit up for any team other than the Los Angeles franchise during his playing career.

“(Magic) did not try to arrange a trade," Rosen told Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. “That did not happen. Something else happened but more of a friendship thing between Pat and Earvin and a driver hearing them talk. How’s that? It was never going to happen.”

The birth of the rumor took place after Pat Riley, who was the mind behind the Showtime Lakers in the '80s, left Los Angeles in 1990 and took the job as the new head coach of the Knicks in the following year.

Speculations about a reunion in New York then sparked as the former Michigan State standout was reportedly mulling over a comeback in basketball after retiring in 1991 due to health issues.

But despite the cryptic signals, Johnson never landed at the Big Apple as he opted to suit up for the Purple and Gold anew during his brief return in 1996, which also turned out to be his last season in the NBA.

“There was no talk of setting up a trade between the Knicks and the Lakers,” Rosen continued. “Trust me, I was the one that was involved deep in the middle of anything that would have happened, and I know what happened. There was nothing. It was a made-up story back then.”

Johnson and Riley won several championships together as the Lakers, alongside their rivals in Boston, ruled the NBA during the pre-Michael Jordan era in the league.

Arguably the greatest point guard in the history of the sport, Johnson had five NBA titles and won the Finals MVP thrice. Selected first overall in the 1979 draft, he spent 13 seasons playing professional basketball and averaged 19.5 points, 11.2 assists, and 7.2 rebounds. The 6’9 guard was also a two-time Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, a three-time regular-season MVP, a 12-time All-Star, and an Olympic Gold Medalist.