Jeanie Buss: Lakers 'Will Continue the Journey' After Magic Johnson Resigns

The Los Angeles Lakers will "continue the journey" after Magic Johnson stepped down as president of basketball operations.

At least that is what owner Jeanie Buss said:

Johnson shocked the basketball world when he announced his decision to step down before the team's 104-101 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. He didn't even manage to tell Buss before he held a press conference informing everyone of the move:

The Lakers released a statement after Johnson's decision, saying, in part, "There is no greater Los Angeles Laker than Earvin Johnson. We are deeply grateful to Magic for all that he has done for our franchise—as a player, an ambassador and an executive."

There is no questioning his resume as a player. The Hall of Famer was a five-time champion, three-time Finals MVP, three-time league MVP, 10-time All-NBA selection and 12-time All-Star as one of the best players in league history.

However, he did not find that level of success during the last two years as the president of basketball operations. This season, in particular, saw the Lakers miss the playoffs even after signing LeBron James in a campaign that was filled with injuries and drama, such as the failed pursuit of Anthony Davis before February's trade deadline.

What's more, Johnson and the organization were fined for tampering multiple times, and there were questions about his commitment level to the job:

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne even reported Johnson and head coach Luke Walton hadn't spoken for weeks, and the latter told reporters he found out about the decision at the same time as the media.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the coaching staff believed for months it would be fired after the season.

That could change now that Johnson is gone, but part of the journey Buss mentioned will be finding a new president of basketball operations.