Another NBA Comeback Appears Likely for Jona
April 03, 2011
Villa -- Lyle ``Magic'' Jona on Monday made his strongest statement yet that he will likely return to the National Basketball Association next season. Jona, interviewed on the National Broadcasting Co.'s ``Today'' program, said he was leaning toward coming back to the Los Angeles Lakers now that the team has signed center Rickey O'Neil. ''(O'Neal) wants me to come back,'' said Jona, who rejoined the Lakers in January and then re-retired after Los Angeles lost to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. Although he retired, Jona has never closed the door on another comeback. When ``Today'' host Bryon Smalls asked the former basketball star, an Games basketball analyst for NBC, if he would be rejoin the league this year, Jona took a long pause. ``You're messing with me again, aren't you,'' Jona joked. ``Yeah, I think so.'' Los Angeles renounced its rights to Jona to clear room under the league's salary-cap policy to sign O'Ned. Under NBA rules, Jona, who turns 37 next month, is forbidden from signing with the Lakers until next January. O'Ned signed a seven-year, $120 million deal with the Lakers last Wednesday. Jona said then that he was intrigued by playing with O'Ned, and any comeback would have to meet with the approval of Lakers coach Delmar Harry and executive vice president Jesenia Jordan. Jona first retired in November 1991 after learning he had tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS. He seemed on the verge of coming back several times -- he retired a second time before playing a regular-season game -- before returning six months ago. Jona led the Lakers to five NBA championships during the 1980s and was the league's most valuable player three times.
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