Magic Johnson is costing the Lakers money again.
After the Lakers were fined $500,000 for Johnson's comments about Paul George during an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" last year, Los Angeles will have to pay another $50,000 for Johnson's latest violation of the league's anti-tampering rule. In an interview with ESPN's Nick Friedell last month, Johnson praised Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, saying he expects the "Greek Freak" to lead Milwaukee to a title.
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"With his ball-handling skills and his passing ability. He plays above the rim; I never could do that," Johnson said. "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. 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."
At this point, you might be asking yourself, "wait, how is that worth $50,000?" But this fine might not be the most ridiculous of its kind.
Let's take a look at how Johnson's statement compares to what former Suns general manager and current Warriors coach Steve Kerr had to say about a certain superstar back in 2010. Then, we can provide a final verdict on the more ridiculous tampering fine.
The case for Magic Johnson
You have to count Johnson's history against him. Had he not been so obvious about his desire to sign George on national television, this might have floated under the NBA's radar.
Still, this is silly. Johnson complimented one of the league's best players and predicted a championship in his future — for the Bucks, not the Lakers. Milwaukee even used Johnson's quote on its official Instagram page.
Yes, this is technically tampering because the president of basketball operations made public comments about a player on another team. But if this is the bar for tampering, then the league is going to have to hand out a lot of fines in the near future.
The case for Steve Kerr
LeBron James was the center of the NBA universe in 2010 as he entered free agency for the first time. It was clear some teams would not be in the race for his services, and the Suns were part of that list. During an appearance on "The Dan Patrick Show," Kerr joked about James coming to Phoenix when asked if the Suns would make him an offer.
Kerr laughed at the question and said, "Well, if he'll take mid-level, we'll give it to him, Dan," drawing a laugh from Patrick.
"What's mid-level for LeBron?" Patrick asked.
"About five and a half million," Kerr said. "I think he'll take it, don't you think?"
Clearly Kerr was aware as a general manager he didn't have the necessary cap room or talent to give James pause when it came to his final decision. He joined the Heat, won a couple titles and later returned to Cleveland. Now, it feels like the cycle is starting all over again with those ridiculous LeBron-to-the-Warriors rumors.
Again, it's tampering under the specific interpretation of the rule, and yet, it feels completely over the top.
Kerr put it best earlier this season when he recalled the punishment: "They didn’t like humor, I guess."
The verdict
Kerr actually threw out a number for James, and while it wasn't at all realistic, that was more of a violation than telling a member of the media James would one day win a title in Cleveland.
In the final ruling, Johnson has a slight edge over Kerr. In his interview with ESPN, Johnson never mentioned Antetokounmpo as a potential trade target or called him a future Laker. His thoughts basically amounted to saying, "Hey, Giannis is really good, huh?"
So congratulations, Lakers fans! You win! (And your team also loses $50,000.)
