Lakers news: Vando's return, Pippen chooses Magic as the GOAT, new Netflix show

The Los Angeles Lakers have once again had a newsworthy week, even though very little has happened on the court.

Tuesday's win over the Washington Wizards was L.A.'s only game thus far this week, but the easy victory was the team's third in four games. A much stiffer test awaits on Thursday night with the Boston Celtics coming to town, though Joe Mazzulla's squad is in the midst of an uncharacteristic period of mediocrity.

Off the court, things have been much more eventful, which is why we're focusing there today. We've got three of the more interesting news items that Lakers fans will want to know, and that's to say nothing of LeBron James attending the College Football Playoff final to cheer on Ohio State and Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders wearing a pair of custom Kobe 6s in an upset win over the Detroit Lions in the NFL playoffs.

Jarred Vanderbilt to return on Saturday

Lakers fans have been wondering if the team is done making moves after acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith. Reinforcements are on the way this weekend, and general manager Rob Pelinka didn't even have to pick up the phone to make it happen.

Jarred Vanderbilt is one of the Lakers' best defensive players, but he's missed the entire season to this point as he recovers from multiple offseason foot surgeries. Preseason speculation gave Lakers fans hope that he might be able to return for Opening Night, but his timetable has been continually pushed back as his rehab has gone more slowly than anticipated.

The wait is finally about to be over, as Vanderbilt was medically cleared to return to action on Saturday, nearly one year after he played his last game.

Much like Finney-Smith, who it was revealed earlier this week has been operating on a minutes restriction, Vanderbilt will inevitably take some time to ramp up his playing time, but nevertheless, his return will be a welcome one for a team that is currently ranked 22nd in the league in defensive rating.

Scottie Pippen chooses Magic as the GOAT over Jordan and LeBron

Most NBA fans are tired of the GOAT debate between Michael Jordan and LeBron James (or maybe that's just me), but Jordan's former teammate Scottie Pippen came in off the top rope this week with a spicy take.

Pippen said on the PBD Podcast that neither MJ nor LeBron is the GOAT, because that honor is reserved for Lakers great Magic Johnson.

Pippen's appearance covered a wide array of topics, but just after the 17-minute mark, the six-time champ says, "Magic Johnson is a bigger GOAT to me than anybody for the way he led. How he brought a whole team. How when the greatest scorer in the game, Kareem, was not there, and him as a rookie steps in and plays a position that no one even knew he could play. That's transcending what you can do as a player."

Pippen has been very vocal in recent years, especially since the release of The Last Dance, about the issues he has with Jordan. The two aren't and never were close, as Pippen himself said earlier in this very interview. He's also voiced issues with LeBron, who he accused of chasing championships by switching teams, though he has said in the past that LeBron is the GOAT.

Pippen is clearly biased in this conversation, but that doesn't mean that all of his points are invalid. LeBron has been very successful in narrowing the GOAT conversation down to just himself and Jordan, but it's unfairly reductive to eliminate so many other players from contention. What about Tim Duncan? What about Kobe? What about greats from yesteryear like Kareem and Bill Russell?

Magic certainly has as good a case as anybody to be considered the greatest of all time. He's a three-time MVP, three-time Finals MVP, and five-time NBA champion. He was the point guard on one of the most iconic teams of all time, the Showtime Lakers. Like Jordan, he won a national championship while in college and was on the original Dream Team. Unlike James, he wasn't able to compile stats into his later years due to being diagnosed with HIV.

At the end of the day, the GOAT debate comes down to personal preference, and Lakers fans are lucky to have had so many players wear the purple and gold that are worthy of being included in the conversation.

New Netflix show looks very Lakers-y

It should be no surprise for a team based out of Hollywood, but the Lakers have been omnipresent in major media in recent years. The HBO drama Winning Time, which was based on the Showtime Lakers, was a hell of a good watch that was cut short way too soon after two seasons. Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers was a 10-part documentary that premiered on Hulu in 2022. They Call Me Magic, a four-part documentary on the life of Magic Johnson, aired on Apple TV+ in the same year.

For those that can't get enough Lakers content, there's another show that isn't exactly about the Lakers, but it might as well be for how closely it mirrors real life. Running Point, a new Netflix comedy from Mindy Kaling that stars Kate Hudson, was announced on Tuesday, and it's set to premiere on Feb. 27.

In the show, Hudson plays a character named Isla Gordon who has to step up to run the Los Angeles Waves, a professional basketball franchise, after her brother is forced to resign in disgrace. The show looks like a fictionalized portrayal of Jeanie Buss' life, and indeed the Lakers president is named as an executive producer on the show.

In addition to Hudson and Kaling, a lot of funny people are involved both behind and in front of the camera, including Ike Barinholtz, Max Greenfield and Scott MacArthur.

Netflix hasn't yet released a trailer for the show, but with just over a month until release, we shouldn't have long to wait.