Page 26 - Florida Sentinel 4-12-19

Sports
Magic Johnson
In His Final Miami Performance, Heat's
Steps Down As
Dwyane Wade Shows Why His Enduring
Lakers President
NBA Legacy Goes Far Beyond Basketball
Magic Johnson dropped some shocking news on the NBA world before the Los An- geles Lakers’ final game of the disastrous 2018-2019 season. Johnson announced that he is stepping down as Lakers President of Basketball Oper- ations.
Johnson held an im- promptu press conference on Tuesday night before the Lak- ers hosted the Portland Trail Blazers in their final game of the season to announce the news, which may have caught many within the Lakers off- guard. He apparently did not give advanced warning to Jeanie Buss or Rob Pelinka that he would be stepping down.
Johnson announced the news the same day he was criticized for not speaking
MAGIC JOHNSON
with head coach Luke Wal- ton in weeks. He also had been described by The Ath- letic as an “absentee execu- tive.”
The criticism may have taken its toll on Johnson. He said he enjoyed things more when he was an ambassador and did not have an active ex- ecutive role with the team.
With just over a minute re- maining in his final home game at American Airlines Arena, Dwyane Wade walked to the bench one last time. The crowd, in full throat all night long, rose to its feet, chanting and cheer- ing like they were never going to again. Sixteen years. Three championships. One last dance.
And it all happened in a flash.
"My thoughts are all over the place," Wade said in his on-court interview moments after the final buzzer sounded. "As I sit here, I think about the moment my agent came to the table in New York in 2003 and told me the Heat were about to pick me at [No.] 5."
The Heat beat the 76ers Tuesday night, 122-99, but they were eliminated from playoff contention some- where around the start of the fourth quarter when it went final that the Pistons had ral- lied to defeat Memphis. From just about that point forward, a game that was re- ally all about Wade from the start officially went into trib- ute mode. And man did Wade ever rise to the occa- sion, finishing with 30 points, many of which were deposited in the pure show- man form with which D-
Miami Heat legend, Dwyane Wade, center, is officially retiring after 16 years in the NBA.
LeBron James 'Stunned' By Magic Johnson's
synonymous.
"I have seen him go into
his bag of tricks many times this year and compartmen- talize," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "But I am truly amazed he was able to perform at that level tonight. All the emotions of the last 48 hours and his whole ca- reer reflecting on that. ... It's like you blitzed him with a wave of emotions and then tell him to go win it and put on a show for the fans. It's a gift he's always had, the un- derstanding of the theater of it, the competitive entertain- mentofit.Hehasawayof rising to that moment."
Barack Obama Salutes Dwyane Wade On Heat Star’s Final Game
In Miami on Tuesday, it
was a night to pay tribute to Dwyane Wade. The Heat star was playing in his final NBA game in the city where he spent the vast majority of his 16-year career, and among those saluting Wade was former president Barack Obama.
In a recorded address shown on video and posted by the Heat, Obama re- ferred to Wade’s roots in Chicago, a place to which the ex-president also has long- standing ties. Congratulating “D-Wade” on “a great run,” Obama said, “From all of us who are fans of the game, we just want to congratulate you on an extraordinary career, a career for the record books. I hope that the next phase of your life is just as fulfilling and just as spectacular as this one has been.”
Lakers Resignation
The four-time MVP still "stands behind Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and the organi- zation," according to the re- port.
Wade has
become
LEBRON JAMES
News of Magic Johnson's abrupt resignation took the sports world by storm, but even those close to the former Lakers president didn't see it coming.
ESPN reported Wednesday, citing unidentified sources, LeBron James was "stunned" by Johnson's de- cision. Additionally, John- son and general manager Rob Pelinka met Saturday with James and his agent, Rich Paul, and there was no indication Johnson was going to make such a big an- nouncement.
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