Magic Johnson Jokes He'd Call Jimmy Kimmel Before LaVar Ball About LeBron James

Los Angeles Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday and offered some insight regarding his recruitment of LeBron James.

As seen at the 3:18 mark of the following video, Johnson and Kimmel joked about LaVar Ball's role in the process:

When Kimmel asked if Johnson had to call Ball before meeting with James, Johnson responded, "I would've called you first before I called LaVar Ball. Trust me."

Ball is the boisterous father of Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball, and he has been outspoken about LeBron in recent years.

The Ball family patriarch even suggested that his son would make James better, and not the other way around.

Regardless of that dynamic, there is no question that the Lakers will be a much better team in 2018-19 with James joining the likes of Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma.

L.A. likely still has a ways to go before catching up with the Golden State Warriors, but Johnson appears to be pulling the right strings and could be primed for another big signing next offseason if Kawhi Leonard hits the open market as expected.