NBA legend Magic Johnson endorsed incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Monday morning, creating a high-profile split with his former Lakers boss Jeanie Buss, who donated the maximum $1,800 to challenger Spencer Pratt in February and was photographed courtside with the reality TV star at Crypto.com Arena on March 15.
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See subscription optionsBass released Johnson's endorsement video across her Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok accounts at 11:47 AM Pacific Time. The five-time NBA champion and current Lakers part-owner cited his 30-year friendship with Bass dating back to her days as a community organizer in South Los Angeles. Johnson specifically praised her record on reducing the city's unsheltered population by 14.2 percent in 2024 and overseeing a 12 percent drop in homicides compared to her predecessor's final year.
She's doing a tremendous job. Mayor Bass has to have a second term and I'm excited to say that. Listen, you took on a tough job here and you've done a fabulous job and all of us appreciate your effort and what you're doing.
Lakers Leadership Divides Over City Hall
The endorsement exposes a rare public disagreement within the Lakers organization. Jeanie Buss, who inherited control of the franchise from her father Jerry Buss, filed her maximum $1,800 contribution to Pratt's campaign on February 23, according to Los Angeles Ethics Commission records. Campaign finance filings show Buss listed her occupation as "NBA Executive" and her employer as "Los Angeles Lakers."
Pratt appeared as Buss's guest at the Lakers' 127-109 victory over the Denver Nuggets on March 15, sitting in the owner's section behind the team bench. Photos from that game show the pair in animated conversation during timeouts. The "Hills" star has leveraged his Lakers connection in fundraising appeals, telling supporters that "even Lakers royalty knows LA needs new leadership."
Johnson holds a small ownership stake in the Lakers through his investment group but has not attended games regularly since the endorsement announcement. Team sources indicate the basketball legend cleared his political statement with the NBA office beforehand to avoid potential conflicts with league policies.
Wildfire Response Becomes Campaign Flashpoint
Pratt has built his campaign around Bass's handling of the January 2025 wildfires that killed 18 people and destroyed 16,047 structures across Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and Sylmar. The fires caused an estimated $78 billion in property damage and forced 847,000 residents to evacuate at the peak of the crisis.
Only 30 structures have been fully rebuilt in the 14 months since the fires, a pace that Pratt calls "inexcusable government failure." The challenger lost his own $2.8 million Palisades home in the January blazes and has made his personal story central to his outsider campaign message.
Johnson's endorsement video ran 2 minutes and 47 seconds but made no mention of the wildfire response or rebuilding efforts. Instead, the Lakers legend focused on Bass's pre-fire accomplishments, including the opening of 847 interim housing units in 2024 and her administration's $1.2 billion investment in mental health services for homeless residents.
Celebrity Politics in America's Second City
The Johnson-Buss split reflects broader celebrity engagement in what has become the most watched mayoral race outside New York. Bass has collected endorsements from Oprah Winfrey, Kerry Washington, and the editorial boards of the Los Angeles Times and La Opinión. Pratt counters with support from Joe Rogan, several prominent YouTube creators, and now the Lakers ownership.
This celebrity attention mirrors previous Los Angeles political moments, from Ronald Reagan's gubernatorial campaigns through Arnold Schwarzenegger's recall victory in 2003. The city's entertainment industry has long blurred lines between fame and political influence, making endorsements particularly valuable in reaching low-propensity voters.
What Comes Next
Both candidates face a March 28 deadline to file their final pre-primary fundraising reports with the city Ethics Commission. Bass currently holds a $4.7 million to $1.9 million cash advantage over Pratt, according to February filings.
The primary election occurs on June 3, with early voting beginning May 19. If no candidate receives over 50 percent, the top two finishers advance to a November runoff. Recent polling shows Bass at 43 percent support compared to Pratt's 31 percent, with 26 percent undecided in a March 18 Loyola Marymount University survey of 1,247 likely voters.
