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RMJH4 · 03-17-2020, 01:31 PM

Vancouver NBA Group Appoint Magic as President of Basketball Operations.

May 1st, 1995 | by espn.com

The dust has barely settled with the expansion papers being signed in Vancouver, but that hasn't stopped the ownership group putting their stamp on the franchise. As expected part owner Magic Johnson has been appointed President of Basketball Operations. It is unknown if Johnson will appoint an experienced General Manager to work under him to navigate the muddy salary cap waters.

Magic Johnson famously played point guard for the Lakers for 13 seasons. After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Lakers. He won a championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his rookie season, and won four more championships with the Lakers during the 1980s.

Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award.

Johnson was a member of the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team "The Dream Team", which won the Olympic gold medal in 1992. After leaving the NBA in 1992, Johnson formed the Magic Johnson All-Stars, a barnstorming team that travelled around the world playing exhibition games. Getting Johnson on board with this bid was vital, as the franchise needs some positive PR to get started on the right track.

"You have to engage the community and the city of Vancouver to believe in what you're trying to achieve," Owner Arthur Griffiths said. "What I'm trying to achieve is to have a fantastic team that wants to win championships. The second thing you have to do is sit down with local leaders and municipalities and make this our team."

Magic Johnson is now taking up the role as President of Basketball Operations in Vancouver.

"Owning an NBA team has been one of my goals in my professional life," Johnson said. "I will be forever grateful to Arthur Griffiths for allowing me to come on board with this project. I am especially excited to connect with our great Canadian basketball fans. I am sure they will support us from the very beginning. I am proud that we have managed to get a team in Vancouver and we are both confident that our future ownership will start building some success. We want to bring an exciting and winning brand of basketball to the people of Vancouver."

03-17-2020, 01:31 PM	#8
RMJH4 Retro NBA Nut OVR: 19 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Ireland Posts: 1,525 Blog Entries: 17	Vancouver NBA Group Appoint Magic as President of Basketball Operations. Vancouver NBA Group Appoint Magic as President of Basketball Operations. May 1st, 1995 \| by espn.com The dust has barely settled with the expansion papers being signed in Vancouver, but that hasn't stopped the ownership group putting their stamp on the franchise. As expected part owner Magic Johnson has been appointed President of Basketball Operations. It is unknown if Johnson will appoint an experienced General Manager to work under him to navigate the muddy salary cap waters. Magic Johnson famously played point guard for the Lakers for 13 seasons. After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Lakers. He won a championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his rookie season, and won four more championships with the Lakers during the 1980s. Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. Johnson was a member of the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team "The Dream Team", which won the Olympic gold medal in 1992. After leaving the NBA in 1992, Johnson formed the Magic Johnson All-Stars, a barnstorming team that travelled around the world playing exhibition games. Getting Johnson on board with this bid was vital, as the franchise needs some positive PR to get started on the right track. "You have to engage the community and the city of Vancouver to believe in what you're trying to achieve," Owner Arthur Griffiths said. "What I'm trying to achieve is to have a fantastic team that wants to win championships. The second thing you have to do is sit down with local leaders and municipalities and make this our team." Magic Johnson is now taking up the role as President of Basketball Operations in Vancouver. "Owning an NBA team has been one of my goals in my professional life," Johnson said. "I will be forever grateful to Arthur Griffiths for allowing me to come on board with this project. I am especially excited to connect with our great Canadian basketball fans. I am sure they will support us from the very beginning. I am proud that we have managed to get a team in Vancouver and we are both confident that our future ownership will start building some success. We want to bring an exciting and winning brand of basketball to the people of Vancouver." __________________ Part 1 and Part 3: Nowhere to Hide. The Mike Hobbs Story. Part 2: No Country for Old Men: A Utah Jazz Story. Last edited by RMJH4; 04-02-2020 at 10:08 AM.