Lakers Rumors: Kurt Rambis Could Get Position on Coaching Staff, in Front Office

Magic Johnson is reportedly considering bringing another old friend from the 1980s back into the Lakers fold.

Tania Ganguli‏ of the Los Angeles Times reported the Lakers may hire Kurt Rambis as an assistant coach or for a front-office role.

Rambis, 60, spent the last five seasons as a coach with the New York Knicks, serving as both an assistant and interim head coach. He was fired alongside Jeff Hornacek in April.

A role player during the Lakers' "Showtime" era, Rambis spent a decade with the team on the court and another decade-and-a-half on the bench as a coach. He was a longtime trusted assistant of Phil Jackson during the Zen Master's tenure and was an interim coach during the 1998-99 lockout season.

Johnson has a relationship with Rambis that spans nearly four decades.

There's no word on a formal title for Rambis, but putting him on the bench could serve as a distraction. Many in the Knicks locker room questioned his motives while he was an assistant there, likening him to a yes-man for Jackson, who was serving as the Knicks president at the time.

Adding Rambis to the coaching staff could add another layer of distraction for Luke Walton, who already dealt with near-constant criticism from LaVar Ball during the 2017-18 season.