Since Magic Johnson resigned as the Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations on April 9, many have naturally brought up Kobe Bryant as a potential candidate.
However, with owner Jeanie Buss reportedly having ‘no plans’ to hire Johnson’s replacement, the team’s coaching search has provided hints about the direction of the Lakers.
After general manager Rob Pelinka initially met with potential candidates for the head coaching job, he was eventually joined by the Buss family (Jeanie, Joey, and Jesse), Kurt and Linda Rambis, and Tim Harris.
In his first public comments about Johnson’s resignation, Bryant was surprised like the entire organization and fanbase, via The Ellen Show:
“A little bit. Yeah, a little bit. A little bit of a shocker.”
When host Ellen DeGeneres asked if Bryant would be stepping in, he quickly denied having any interest in the president of basketball operations job:
“No, no, nope, nope. I’m staying right on the sidelines and coaching my daughter.”
Buss has tried to get Bryant more involved with the Lakers in the past, but he has been consistent with his message. While Bryant has given Buss advice, he has numerous projects and is coaching his second daughter’s basketball team.
Since there is a lot of uncertainty, the hope is Buss addresses the state of the Lakers soon. With a lottery pick and cap space, the Lakers have an opportunity to significantly upgrade the roster for the 2019-20 NBA season, but it will be difficult if they do not stabilize themselves.
