NBA insider reveals Magic Johnson, Pat Riley and Showtime Lakers partied “hard” after embarrassing loss 

The Showtime Lakers are one of the most memorable teams in NBA history, headlined by NBA legends Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Those two get much credit, but the LA Lakers have acknowledged the supporting cast of those squads. Last night, the team honored Michael Cooper by retiring his jersey.

Even though the Lakers dropped the game against the San Antonio Spurs 126-102, that didn't stop the Showtime Lakers from celebrating the night. According to Jovan Buha, the Lakers beat writer for The Athletic, Pat Riley, Magic Johnson, and the rest of the guests of honor were partying throughout the night, even hours after the game had ended.

"I heard it after the game [after the buzzer] and I heard it well after an hour-plus postgame," Buha said.

Buha went on to mention that the ceremony itself was a proper way to honor Cooper's 12-year Laker career as one of the key pieces to the Showtime squad. According to him, Cooper and the rest of his teammates were "still going hard," celebrating the night despite the Lakers' loss.

"The Showtime group knows how to party," Buha added.

The jersey retirement was the highlight of the night for Magic Johnson and Showtime, but the Lakers continue to struggle

Reminiscing about the Showtime Lakers was a nice way for LA Lakers fans to spend the night, but it would have been much sweeter if the team had capped the event with a win. Instead, their 24-point loss dropped them to 20-17 on the season, leaving them in the 7th seed in the Western Conference, albeit only a half-game behind the LA Clippers.

The Lakers continue to have high expectations and are starting to feel the pressure of improving their roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. General manager Rob Pelinka had already begun making deals to do just that, trading away D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton.

The Lakers have been heavily rumored to be active on the trade market this season, being attached to many of the big names that are expected to move teams before the Feb. 6 deadline. Such names include Chicago Bulls' Nikola Vucević, Washington Wizards' Jonas Valanćiunas, and the Utah Jazz's Walker Kessler and Colin Sexton.