I don't claim to know or understand every aspect of the NBA's tampering rules. But Magic Johnson, the former Los Angeles Lakers' great, is a vice president for the organization and I'm quite certain has just violated about 157 points of the league's tampering policy.
Submitted as evidence to the court is this series of Tweets:
If the NBA doesn't fine Johnson, something is wrong.
It's worth noting that Johnson used to have a minority ownership stake in the Lakers. But when he sold that stake in 2010, he remained as an unpaid executive. It's basically a figurehead position.
Clich here for a rundown of the Lakers' front office, via RealGM.com.
Here's what appears at the top of page 6 on the team's media guide:
Majority Owner Buss Family Trusts
Co-Owner Philip F. Anschutz
Co-Owner Edward P. Roski, Jr.
Co-Owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong
Director Dan Beckerman
Executive
President / Governor Jeanie Buss
Executive Vice President, Director Francis R. Mariani
Executive Vice President, Corporate Development Johnny Buss
Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations / Alternate Governor Jim Buss
Senior Vice President of Legal Affairs / Secretary Jim Perzik
General Counsel Dan Grigsby
Senior Vice President, Finance, CFO Joe McCormack
COO / SVP, Business Operations / CMO / Alternate Governor Tim Harris
Vice President Earvin Johnson
But to suggest that it's allowable for anybody whose name is on a staff directory for one franchise to openly talk about acquiring a player from another franchise would be silly, whether he's being paid or not.
Agree or disagree?
For what it's worth, the Hawks have been fined twice for tampering in recent years, in both cases LeBron James was central to the violation: In 2013 for a letter to prospective season ticket holders that mentioned both James and Chris Paul, and in 2010 for comments then co-owner Michael Gearon made about his willingness to give James a "max contract."
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