Magic Johnson Credits Redick for Putting Luka, Lakers 'On Notice' About Conditioning
Los Angeles Lakers legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson praised Lakers head coach JJ Redick on Thursday for emphasizing the importance of conditioning ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season.
During an appearance on ESPN's Get Up, Johnson noted that he is aligned with Redick, and he also commended superstar guard Luka Dončić for already taking Redick's advice to heart:
"Well, first of all, great job by coach JJ Redick to put everybody on notice on the Lakers team that they have to be in better conditioning for them to win an NBA championship. And I'm glad that Luka listened to JJ, and now look at him. I mean, he looks great right now, and the rest of the Lakers have to do the same thing, right?
"And Luka, it's great what you did in Dallas, but the difference is, in Los Angeles, we expect championships, and we expect our superstars to lead us to a championship."
In Redick's first season as head coach of the Lakers, L.A. went 50-32, which was good for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. However, the Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated the Lakers in five games in the first round of the playoffs.
Shortly after getting knocked out of the postseason, Redick told reporters that the players would have to hone in on their conditioning to take the next step, saying:
"I'll start with the offseason and the work that's required in an offseason to be in championship shape. And we have a ways to go as a roster. And certainly, there are individuals that were in phenomenal shape. There's certainly other ones that could have been in better shape. That's where my mind goes immediately is we have to get in championship shape."
At the time, it was fair to wonder if Redick's comments were primarily directed toward Dončić given that his conditioning has long been a topic of conversation throughout his career.
Dončić is a five-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA selection and one-time scoring champion at the age of 26. He also led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals and finished third in NBA MVP voting in 2024.
Despite all of that, the Mavs shockingly traded Dončić to the Lakers in February for a package headlined by likely future Hall of Famer Anthony Davis.
After the trade was made, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that some in the Mavs organization felt Dončić was "lazy" and not committed to being in great shape.
Earlier this week, Dončić took to Instagram to post a video of himself working out, and he appeared to be in excellent condition:
Of course, the 2025-26 season is months away from starting, but it was a positive sign that Dončić is all in on helping the Lakers contend for a championship.
In 28 games with the Lakers following the trade last season, Dončić was his productive self, averaging 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 3.6 three-pointers made and 1.6 steals per contest.
He even averaged 30.2 points per game during the playoffs, although he and LeBron James didn't get much help from their supporting cast.
If Dončić and James are at their best next season, coupled with some shrewd moves by general manager Rob Pelinka, the Lakers could have a chance to vie for the 18th championship in franchise history.
