Zubac Claims Lakers Legend Blocked Kareem Mentorship

Former Lakers center Ivica Zubac says Magic Johnson prevented Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from working with him.

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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In a recent podcast interview, former Los Angeles Lakers center Ivica Zubac claimed that Lakers legend Magic Johnson blocked Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, another Lakers great, from mentoring Zubac during his time with the team. Zubac also revealed that the Lakers' front office, led by Johnson, made the surprising decision to trade him to the rival Los Angeles Clippers in 2019, a move that has since been criticized as a mistake.

Why it matters

Zubac's revelations shed light on the dysfunction within the Lakers' front office during Magic Johnson's tenure as president of basketball operations. The blocking of a mentorship opportunity with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one of the greatest centers in NBA history, is particularly puzzling and raises questions about Johnson's decision-making and priorities.

The details

According to Zubac, the Lakers traded him to the Clippers in 2019 because they saw Mike Muscala, the player they acquired in the trade, as a better fit as a "stretch five" who could shoot. Zubac went on to become a successful starting center for the Clippers. Zubac also revealed that the Lakers had initially told him they would pick up his team option for the third year, but then changed their mind a week before the deadline, leading his agent to "go ballistic."

  • In 2019, the Lakers traded Ivica Zubac to the Los Angeles Clippers.
  • After Zubac's second year with the Lakers, the team told him they would pick up his team option for the third year, but then changed their mind a week before the deadline.

The players

Ivica Zubac

A former Los Angeles Lakers center who was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019.

Magic Johnson

The former president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers, who made the decision to trade Zubac to the Clippers.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

A Lakers legend and one of the greatest centers in NBA history, who was prevented by Magic Johnson from mentoring Zubac.

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What they’re saying

“It's funny, everyone was surprised, but that year Muscala scored 20 points against us in L.A. I guess they saw him as a stretch five, someone who can shoot and all that. That's how they explained it to me when they called.”

— Ivica Zubac (X's & O's Chat podcast)

“Magic never called from his own number. Nobody had his phone number. It was always a hidden number, and Magic would be on the other end. After my second year, I had a team option for the third year. At the exit meeting after the season, they told me they were definitely picking it up. A week before the date of that option, they called my agent and said, 'We're not going to take him.' That's when my agent went ballistic.”

— Ivica Zubac (X's & O's Chat podcast)

“After that, he [Abdul-Jabbar] had a meeting with Magic, and I don't know what happened there, but he never got a job with the Lakers. He wanted some kind of role with the team just to work with me and the big guys, but unfortunately that never happened. After a few games, he came to watch and Luke Walton drew up a play for me to shoot a baseline sky hook. I missed it and that was the end of them drawing plays for me.”

— Ivica Zubac (X's & O's Chat podcast)

The takeaway

Zubac's revelations highlight the dysfunction and poor decision-making within the Lakers' front office during Magic Johnson's tenure, including the surprising trade of a promising young center and the blocking of a mentorship opportunity with a Lakers legend. This episode raises questions about the team's priorities and the impact of such decisions on player development and the franchise's long-term success.