Lakers News: Jeanie Buss, Magic Johnson Publicly Voice Support Of Luke Walton After LaVar Ball Criticism

Trevor Lane
3 Min Read
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton has been under fire recently. It began with comments from LaVar Ball last week suggesting that he lost control of the locker room during a nine-game losing streak.

It spawned speculation that Lakers ownership or the front office had not publicly voiced their support of Walton since Ball’s criticism in part because of a possible plan to hire former Memphis Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale. But a vote of confidence in Walton was provided during Saturday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Owner Jeanie Buss pushed back on recent reports by taking to Twitter to support Walton by revealing her dinner plans and using the hashtag “InLukeWeTrust”:

Additionally, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN then confirmed that Buss was indeed using her tweet to respond to the Fizdale rumor:

Not long after Buss’ tweet, Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson also backed Walton on Twitter:

Much of the thought process behind the Lakers potentially targeting Fizdale is tied to his relationship with free-agent-to-be LeBron James.

Other than Johnson’s tweet, he and general manager Rob Pelinka have largely remained mum of late. Nonetheless, his and Buss’ tweets suggest that the Lakers do indeed support Walton, which would, therefore, nullify any likelihood of Fizdale becoming the head coach of his hometown team.

While Walton hasn’t been perfect, it would be a surprise if he were let go. He still has three seasons after this current one on his contract and has improved the team’s defense while playing at the fastest pace in the NBA, which were both goals of Johnson’s heading into the season.

Additionally, with their overtime win against the Mavericks, the Lakers are on a season-best four-game winning streak.

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Trevor Lane is a longtime NBA and Los Angeles Lakers fan who had the good fortune to grow up during the glory days of the Showtime Lakers, when Magic Johnson, Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and the rest ruled the Great Western Forum. He has written about basketball, soccer, fantasy sports, MMA, and even pro wrestling over the course of his career, but the spectacle that is the Lakers is his true passion. He made the leap into podcasting for Lakers Nation and provides voice-over analysis for our YouTube channel. With a who's who of stars gracing the Lakers lineup over the years, including Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol, and many others, the Lakers always provide plenty to talk about. When he isn't writing or recording, Trevor can be found spending time with his wife and daughter or on the sidelines for one of the youth teams he coaches. Outside of the Lakers, Trevor is a supporter of the LA Galaxy, US Soccer, Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Contact: trevor@mediumlargela.com
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