Report: Magic Johnson Admonished LaVar Ball Associate for Luke Walton Comments

The Los Angeles Lakers have been publicly mum about LaVar Ball's public comments on his son Lonzo Ball, the status of the team and head coach Luke Walton.

Privately, however, is reportedly a different matter.

Team president Magic Johnson "admonished" an associate of the Big Baller Brand founder for Ball's comments about Walton, according to a report by ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne. Johnson, when contacted for comment about the story, took a measured approach but did not deny reaching out to the associate:

"Look, we had lost nine in a row and you didn't hear nothing from me, right? I was supporting Luke through all nine in a row. So now, LaVar comes out and says something, and everybody asks, 'Why didn't you say nothing?'

"I'm not gonna respond to people saying different things. [Walton] already had my vote of confidence. There's never been a question about his job security here. But everybody else was trying to make a big deal out of it. I was good with Luke, I was good with Jeanie [Buss]. So I said we should do nothing because if we react to this, now anytime somebody says something about the Lakers, we gotta react.

"We know what we have, we know who we are. And the team responded, and we're better. So I'm happy we just didn't jump out there."

LaVar Ball told ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman last month that Walton "doesn't have control of the team no more" amid a midseason swoon. The Lakers at that point had lost nine straight games and were headed back to the bottom of the Western Conference.

"That's a good team," Ball said then. "Nobody wants to play for him. I can see it. No high-fives when they come out of the game. People don't know why they're in the game. He's too young. He's too young. ... He ain't connecting with them anymore. You can look at every player, he's not connecting with not one player."

The Lakers have played much better since, including a recent run of winning basketball without Lonzo Ball, who is out with a knee injury. According to Shelburne, the Lakers were reportedly concerned with how the controversy would affect Lonzo, the No. 2 overall pick in last June's draft who has been billed as a franchise savior—both by fans and LaVar Ball himself.

As team officials rallied behind Walton, some wondered if the split of opinion between management and LaVar Ball would affect Lonzo's play. The recent success will likely quell concerns when Lonzo rejoins the lineup—at least until the next controversy.