Before his team’s season finale Tuesday night, Magic Johnson announced he is stepping down from his role as the Los Angeles Lakers' president of basketball operations, a move that shocked everyone, including LeBron James.

In a press conference with reporters, Johnson explained he was “happier” before he took on the position.

"When you gotta make trades, you're not happy,” he told reporters during the media session at the Staples Center.

The Hall of Famer went on to reveal that there were many aspects of the job that he did not like, including the limit on his ability to tweet.

"The fines and the tampering and the this and the that, I can't help young men who want me to help them, or I can't tweet out. Like Russell Westbrook, that was a great feat the other day,” Johnson said, referencing Westbrook’s 20-20-20 triple double.

“I couldn't even tweet it out to say, 'Hey, congratulations.' If I had did that, everyone would have said, 'He's tampering.' I don't like that. I like to be free,” he added.

While Johnson may have personally known that he was not going to continue with the team next year, many important figures with the franchise, including owner Jeanie Buss and star player LeBron James, were left in the dark.

"[Jeanie] doesn't know I'm standing here," Johnson said, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

"Somebody's going to have to tell my boss, because I knew I couldn't be face-to-face and tell her," he added, according to Bill Oram, of the Athletic. "... I couldn't stand to tell her."

When it comes to James, the Lakers' star had no idea that Johnson was planning on stepping down, reported ESPN.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Johnson and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka visited with James and his agent, Rich Paul, on Saturday. During the meeting, Johnson made no indication of his plans and never told James in private.

After his announcement, Johnson took to Twitter and thanked the franchise for giving him the opportunity.