Los Angeles Lakers: How former Laker players fare as head coach

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 26: LeBron James #23 speaks with Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton during the second half of the game against the Washington Wizards at Staples Center on March 26, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images) /

6 of 9

Stephen Dunn /Allsport – Los Angeles Lakers /

Magic Johnson

1994
Record: 5-11
Playoff games: 0

There is no Laker fan who doesn’t know about the greatness of Magic Johnson as a player. But perhaps few know that for 16 games late in the 1993-94 season Magic coached his old team.

There is probably a good reason there is hardly anything memorable about those few games. Johnson was hired by owner Jerry Buss to help the Lakers avoid missing the playoffs for the first time in 18 years.

It started out great as the Lakers won five of six games to start his tenure, but then the bottom fell out and the Lakers lost 10 straight games to miss the playoffs.

That was it for Magic as he went back to being a businessman, he would return to the court two years later making a comeback as a player before retiring for good.

Of course, he also made another return to the Lakers as the president of basketball operations. And while that lasted longer than his head coaching tenure, it still was not all that successful for the former star point guard.

Home/Los Angeles Lakers