Nobody can keep Magic Johnson and his energy away from the All-Star Weekend. His presence in LA also turned into a little Showtime reunion, despite not being on the Los Angeles Lakers’ turf. And this came at a time when we thought the two pillars of the Purple and Gold legacy were at odds over a potentially generational talent. However, they chose a more subtle route to deliver their message.

Johnson was among the many legends at the event, and in typical Magic style, he had to flex his weekend experience with a photo dump and this caption.

“What an incredible All Star Weekend! Cookie and I had so much fun & loved seeing so many familiar faces here in LA,” Johnson wrote.

Between pictures with Jalen Brunson, Barack Obama, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Reggie Miller was one photograph that couldn’t be missed. At the Legends of Basketball event, Magic was arm-in-arm with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Candace Parker.

The sight of the icons smiling has effectively silenced weeks of growing speculation regarding a potential betrayal and frostiness between the former Lakers teammates. Johnson’s post went viral immediately, garnering more than 8,000 likes in less than 12 hours.

Now, why would the reunion of one of the greatest duos in Purple & Gold history, whose camaraderie built the Showtime dynasty and continued for decades, cause such a reaction? Because Ivica Zubac convinced us that this friendship was fractured.

Magic Johnson’s greatest regret led to tension with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Recent revelations regarding Magic Johnson’s tenure as the Lakers’ President of Basketball Operations (2017–2019) indicated a complicated dynamic. It’s well documented that one of his biggest regrets as an exec was costing the franchise its next great center after Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O’Neal. It was Ivica Zubac that Johnson couldn’t keep on this side of LA. Years after that trade, Zubac revealed how it caused a rift internally.

According to him, Abdul-Jabbar was so impressed by the young Croatian’s potential that he personally sought a mentorship role in the organization. He met with Johnson to finalize a coaching position focused on developing the team’s big men.

“He had a meeting with Magic, and I don’t know what happened there, but he never got a job with the Lakers,” Zubac revealed on the X’s and O’s Chat. “He wanted some kind of role with the team just to work with me… unfortunately, that never happened.”

But Johnson had a ‘small-ball’ vision at the time. So he sent Zubac and Michael Beasley to the Los Angeles Clippers for Mike Muscala. The fact that Johnson reportedly blocked one of the greatest centers in history from teaching the signature skyhook to a willing pupil left fans wondering if Abdul-Jabbar felt disrespected by his former point guard.

Despite these much-criticized personnel decisions from 2019, their most recent All-Star appearance ended all speculation. By appearing together at the Intuit Dome festivities, Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar signaled that their brotherhood remains intact, irrespective of past front-office friction.