Magic Johnson made no attempt to hide his glee over Mike D’Antoni resigning as Lakers coach.
And even the extremely outspoken Charles Barkley thought Johnson took his excitement too far.
“Magic Johnson’s bigger than that,” Barkley said on TNT’s “Inside the NBA,” according to USA Today.
“Listen, Mike D’Antoni is a good coach. They didn’t give him a lot to work with. But Magic Johnson, he’s bigger than that.”
Johnson has been outspoken since the Lakers chose D’Antoni over Phil Jackson to replace Mike Brown early last season that the team made the wrong call.
“The Lakers weren’t going to win with Phil Jackson, either,” Barkley said.
“They don’t have good players. … We know Phil Jackson’s arguably the greatest coach ever. The Lakers don’t have players, Ernie [Johnson, TNT studio host]. They’re not a good team. Kobe Bryant is one of the 10 greatest players ever. He’s never going to be what he was. They don’t have good players. I’m not sure if Phil Jackson really wanted that job. The Lakers stink, and they’re going to stink.”