Magic Johnson, Who Disappeared From ESPN, Pitches for 3x NBA Champ to $24 Billion Worth Network

No longer a part of the network himself, but Magic Johnson believes he has a perfect fit for ESPN. The $24 billion network had once arranged for the former LA Lakers star’s frequent appearances on its show, “NBA Countdown”. But Johnson disappeared from the network himself back then. And now he has come up with a name that he believes should have permanent appearances on ESPN.

Taking to his X account, Buck urged the network to consider Udonis Haslem’s addition to their present set of analysts. “ESPN – You definitely have an excellent team of ex-players already with Kendrick Perkins, Jay Williams, Tim Legler, and JJ Reddick…but you should hire Udonis Haslem permanently!” he posted on ‘X’. Further in his post, Magic Johnson spotlighted Haslem’s NBA playoffs’ break down as spectacular.

The former Lakers star also believes UD to have great insights on the X’s and O’s of the game. “Udonis has done it with intelligence, charisma, and flair. And he’s funny too!” the 5x NBA champ claimed. And most of the reply section seems to be in agreement with Magic Johnson’s chain of thought, furthering Haslem’s credibility.

One such instance of UD’s take was his opinion on the difficulty the Celtics could face with their championship aspirations. “[The Celtics] haven’t been battle tested yet… I don’t know if you want to get battle-tested in the Finals…,” he said on ESPN. Though Haslem believed it would be teams like the Nuggets or Wolves who would be testing Celtics in the finals. But the fact remains that he brought up a good point in the Celtics’ context. The competition the Celtics will directly face in the finals as compared to the Eastern Conference could take them by surprise.

Now, coming back to Buck’s disappearance from ESPN, let’s have a closer look at the circumstances back then.

Why did Magic Johnson distanced himself from ESPN?

The ESPN’s announcement of its crew for “NBA Countdown” in October 2021 included Magic Johnson’s name as well. The 5x NBA champ was to have frequent appearances as an analyst on the network. But he made just one appearance on the show in March 2022.

The head of NBA and studio production for ESPN said in a statement back then that the reason for this was “unexpected scheduling conflicts as Magic continues to expand his business commitments”. He had also mentioned that the network has a great relationship with Magic, and is always open to working with him.

However, some media reports stated back then that Johnson’s exit was a result of a behind-the-scenes clash “NBA Countdown” colleague Bill Simmons. As per the reports, Michael Wilbon’s departure from the show, allegedly to appease Simmons, did not go down well with the former Lakers star. Now, the question is if ESPN will consider his suggestion regarding Udonis Haslem after all that has transpired.