Ivica Zubac
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Ivica Zubac believes that former Lakers general manager Magic Johnson dissuaded Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from working with him during his time in L.A.
During the NBA trade deadline, Ivica Zubac was one of the most sought-after players on the market. Right before the buzzer, he was dealt from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Indiana Pacers in a blockbuster move, bringing an end to his time out west. Of course, before he found his way to the Clippers, Zubac began his career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Zubac never managed to find his footing with the Lakers for one reason or another, and while he’s moved on from his failed stint with the team, it’s clear he didn’t forget how things went down. In fact, Zubac recently shared an eye-opening story that suggests former general manager Magic Johnson may have gone out of his way to dissuade franchise legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from working with the team’s young center.
Ivica Zubac Throws Shade at Magic Johnson
Zubac was initially selected by the Lakers in the second round of the 2016 NBA Draft. While he wasn’t exactly a flashy prospect, Zubac’s ability to anchor the paint on both ends of the floor stood out, and the hope was that with the proper development, he could develop into a solid big man for Los Angeles down the line.
Over the first two-and-a-half seasons of his career, Zubac played in 114 games with the Lakers before he ended up getting dealt to the Clippers. During his time with the team, Zubac struggled to carve out a consistent role, and while he has no hard feelings about how things played out with the Lakers, it doesn’t seem like he’s a very big fan of their front office.
At the time, Johnson, the Lakers’ iconic former point guard, was the team’s general manager. Another franchise icon, Abdul-Jabbar, met with Zubac and revealed that he wanted to work with him to help develop his game. According to Zubac, Abdul-Jabbar met with Johnson and the front office, but nothing ever came of that meeting, leading him to believe Johnson shot down the idea.
“He told me he wanted to mentor me,” Zubac said on “X’s & O’s Chat.” “He was working with the Lakers then. He had some meeting with the front office. I don’t know what happened, but it never materialized in the end.”
Lakers May Have Messed Up with Handling of Ivica Zubac
GettyLos Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac looks on. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
While it may have simply been his view of the situation, Zubac believes that he was never truly wanted by the Lakers. In a way, though, it worked out for Zubac, as he turned himself into a starting-caliber center who now appears poised to help the Pacers in their quest to return to the top of the East when Tyrese Haliburton returns to action next season.
Things haven’t gone poorly for L.A. since moving on from Zubac, as they won a title in 2020 and now have a talented trio in Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves leading the way. Giving up on talented players is never a good look, though, and regardless of whether this story about Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar is true or not, it’s clear that the Lakers overlooked Zubac’s potential during his time with the team.