1984 saw one of the most unprecedented contracts in sports history being agreed upon: Magic Johnson signed a 25-year deal worth $25 million with the Los Angeles Lakers. A contract spanning over a quarter of a century could feel like a lifetime for some. Seems as though that might be the case for Dennis Rodman.
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“He’s never gonna leave,” said Jerry Buss to his daughter, Jeanie, after she’d told him Magic wanted to leave the Lakers after 3 years to sign with the Pistons. “Magic is more Los Angeles than anybody here.”
It was Buss’s idea to sign Johnson for 25 years given how close they were to one another. “You have to figure the kid has 10 years of playing left. After that, you and I both know he will be a legend. And he’ll know plenty about basketball and because I’m going to teach him.”
This contract of Magic’s ended in 2009, a time where Magic getting $1 million a year seemed like pocket change for him. Rodman commented on this deal and how iconic Jerry was for engineering it while on live stream with ‘Neon’.
“Jerry Buss brought Magic in…. he gave him a lifetime contract. And Jerry Buss probably one of the coolest owners on the planet. He said, ‘Here’s all the money. Just win. Just win.’”
It should be noted that Magic never got a lifetime contract with the Lakers. Though, his 25-year deal is long enough to where some may perceive it as well.
In all fairness to Rodman, Magic has been associated with the Lakers since 1979 in some capacity or the other. Either he’s a player, a stakeholder, a front office exec, or an advisor. So, in a way, it does feel as though the 5x champ has a lifetime contract of sorts with the Lakers.
Rodman played for the Lakers
Rodman did actually suit up for the purple and gold for a short stint. He played 23 games for them in 1999 averaging 2.1 points and 11.2 rebounds a night. However, a poor locker room and on-court fit led to them parting ways.
“Kobe and Shaq would be so envious of me. They [Lakers] catered to me so much about me coming to the game, going out of the game, having parties, doing this, doing that, hotel stuff. They couldn’t stand me on that damn team,” said Dennis a couple years ago on why it didn’t work out.
This might sound like a bit of a conspiracy from Rodman. However, there is a bit of truth here as Shaq has been on the record, stating his displeasure playing alongside ‘The Worm’.
“Worst teammate? Dennis Rodman. He was a great player, but he made it hard. Like when you try to corral the guys together and the people above you [are] letting this one guy do whatever he wants.”
Decades later, it isn’t clear if they’ve buried the hatchet on this minor feud between them. Though, Shaq is quoted as saying that the biggest superstar in a trio including himself, Kobe Bryant, and Dennis is the latter. So perhaps O’Neal has come to terms on their relationship from his side.
