Magic Johnson has been no stranger to tampering violations since he took over the Los Angeles Lakers’ basketball operations department, but the NBA has determined that he was not guilty of any such activity with Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons.
On Tuesday, the NBA said it concluded that it was, in fact, the 76ers who reached out to the Lakers about a potential meeting between Johnson and Simmons. Magic simply responded to the inquiry, which does not constitute tampering.
NBA's official statement on Magic Johnson/Ben Simmons situation: pic.twitter.com/nUhv5G6c8M
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) February 12, 2019
Johnson said Sunday that he would like to meet with Simmons to share some tips on becoming a better player, as the two have similar styles and are both big guards. Sixers GM Elton Brand said he blocked the meeting from happening, and the NBA seemed to escalate things by saying they would look into whether the contact between Simmons and the Lakers was inappropriate. The Lakers later revealed that it was the 76ers who reached out to them, and Brand would not give them the written permission they needed for Johnson to meet with Simmons.
Brand has since tried to put the controversy to bed, and the NBA’s statement should help both sides do that.
