Peter Vecsey reports that the NBA is investigating whether the Los Angeles Lakers tampered with Paul George after the Indiana Pacers filed charges with the league.

The video seen above with Magic Johnson appearing on Jimmy Kimmel and ironically explaining what tampering is and why he can’t do it could be enough on its own for at least some small penalty to be reached against the Lakers. It seems as though Johnson’s urge to make a joke on TV caused him to forget what he learned in “tampering school.”

Vecsey reports that the Lakers were asked to turn over “any correspondence pertaining to” George, his agent and his parents.

In the CBA tampering is defined as when a team directly or indirectly entices, induces or persuades someone that is under contract with another team in order to negotiate for their services.

In the past, teams have been fined undisclosed amounts due to tampering charges. In perhaps the biggest case, the Miami Heat ended up giving the New York Knicks $1 million and a first-round pick to the New York Knicks for tampering with Pat Riley while he was still under contract.

The Pacers obviously were in a tough spot once George and his agent told the team he wasn’t returning and his agent told other teams that he was only interested in re-signing with the Lakers. If the Lakers were talking with George or his agent along the way, that made the Pacers challenge even more difficult.

It’s unlikely the Pacers get anything back from the Lakers like the Riley situation, especially with George not with the Lakers yet. This would seem to gain more traction next off-season when/if George does what everyone expects and signs with Los Angeles.