LeBron James And Lakers

SPECI A L COMMEMOR ATIV E ISSUE

LeBRON JAMES AND THE WORLD CHAMPION

A SEASON LIKE NO OTHER

$12.99 U.S. DISPLAY UNTIL FEBRUARY 1, 2021

AND THE WORLD CHAMPION

CELEBRATION The Lakers, and the entire city of Los Angeles, finally had reason to cheer after a long and grueling season.

CONTENTS

22

ON A M I S SI ON After off-the-court drama and a reshuffling of the roster, the Lakers returned for the new season ready to take on all challenges.

2

L AKE R S

04

14

30

38

I NT ROD U CTIO N The 2019-20 season played out like an epic movie for the Los Angeles Lakers, one with unexpected twists and, ultimately, a happy ending.

KO BE The unexpected death of beloved Laker legend Kobe Bryant was an emotional distraction for the Lakers, the entire NBA, and close friend LeBron James.

G R E AT E X PE C TATI O N S LeBron James joined the Lakers with one goal: to win the championship. But his first season in L.A. did not end well.

A G L O BA L CRI S I S Not long after the team finally returned to “normal” following Kobe’s death, a new issue emerged: the global pandemic that halted play entirely.

46

54

64

72

80

88

RE TU RNI N G FOR A CAU SE Once a plan was put in place for basketball to resume, the league and its players worked together to devote the season to social justice.

TH E WE S T E RN CO NF E R E N C E F INA LS Against the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles continued to show a knack for adjusting its lineup to overcome any opponent.

TH E PLAYO F FS In the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers took on the red-hot Portland Trail Blazers. But an act of violence in Wisconsin almost led to a complete player walkout.

TH E NBA FINAL S The underdog Miami Heat appeared to be outmatched from the start. But Miami superstar Jimmy Butler made it a series before L.A. clinched its 17th title.

T H E WE S TE R N C O N F ER EN CE S E MI F I NALS The Lakers’ defense shut down James Harden and the Houston Rockets.

L E B RON ’ S L E GACY LBJ is one of only four players ever to win NBA championships with three different teams. But how will he be remembered in history?

LAKER S

3

INTRO

A SEASON LIKE NO OTHER

O

n Sept. 27, 2019, the spotlights flickered on the Lakers’ annual media day at UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo. New head coach Frank Vogel raved about the team’s latest 1-2 punch: Anthony Davis and the NBA’s biggest star, LeBron James. Vogel also issued a telling statement about the long rest that James had after a groin injury shortened his premier season in the City of Angels. “That’s good news for us and bad news for the rest of the league,” Vogel said.

At the time, no one could have predicted how “good news-bad news” would come to epitomize the Lakers’ 2019-20 season over the following 380 days: a near-record setting start, the pathos after the tragic death of a revered team legend, the hiatus brought on by a deadly global pandemic, the hermetic Bubble-plan to finish the season, a near boycott brought on by widespread social injustice, and finally the elation of the franchise’s 17th title. Only the beginning

4

L AKE R S

and ending followed the script of this Hollywood story.

The peaks and valleys of happiness and heartache really were like watching a movie.

There was the hero, LeBron, and his sidekick, AD. There was the cast of supporting characters: veterans Rajon Rondo, Danny Green, JaVale McGee, and the redemption-seeking Dwight Howard; role players Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, Markieff Morris and Bubble opt-out Avery Bradley. The villains were also epic-worthy, from the crosstown rival Clippers, to the Blazers, Rockets, Nuggets, and Heat—and, just to make you gasp—the global pandemic and a nation on the brink.

No need for spoiler alerts with this one.

Everyone knows how it ends. The King returns to rule the day and restore the Lakers to glory. But the tale is worth revisiting because it’s hard to imagine a more gripping story. Not even a sequel could match the drama. So sit back and relax for a moment. After all, it’s Showtime!

NEW LAKER MAGIC LeBron, shown here on Jan. 31, 2020, brought championship expectations and his ceremonial pre-game chalk ritual to title-starved Los Angeles.

LAKE R S

5

HIGH FIVE Fans reach out to slap hands with the King following a game in Phoenix on Nov. 12. By March, the crowds would be gone because of COVID-19.

6

L A KER S

A SEASON LIKE NO OTHER

SLAM DUNK It took patience and a blockbuster trade to finally bring Anthony Davis to the Lakers. But the move proved to be the missing piece to a championship puzzle.

LAKER S

7

A SEASON LIKE NO OTHER

8

L AK ER S

HUSTLE LeBron dives for a loose ball against Golden State on Oct. 5, 2019. The season before, he hurt himself making a similar play and missed several games.

LAKER S

9

A SEASON LIKE NO OTHER A LWAY S R E M E M B E R LeBron pays tribute to Kobe Bryant during a game on Jan. 31. Kobe’s shocking death gave the Lakers even more purpose and motivation for the season.

10

L A KER S

REDEMPTION Center Dwight Howard jumps for the tip-off in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

Howard had a disappointing stint with the Lakers in 2013, but proved to be vital in the title run.

BRIGHTER DAY A Lakers fan watches his team clinch it’s 17th title in downtown Los Angeles.

12

L A KER S

A SEASON LIKE NO OTHER

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED LeBron celebrates the Lakers’ title clinching Game 6 blowout of the Miami Heat. The victory fulfilled his promise of bringing a championship back to L.A.

LAK ER S

13

01 CHAPTER

GRE AT E XPE CTATIO NS

“ IT’S A

CHAMPIONSHIP FRANCHISE, AND THAT’S WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO GET BACK TO.

”

14

L AK ER S

MEET THE PRESS LeBron James takes questions during his first Media Day as a Los Angeles Laker, on September 24, 2018.

I

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

NEW ERA, ROUGH START LeBron’s first home game as a Laker resulted in a 124-115 loss to the Houston Rockets.

In the summer of 2018, LeBron James, the most influential player in basketball and one of the most famous athletes in the world, was a free agent. James had played in eight straight NBA Finals, won four MVP awards, and claimed three titles with two different teams, the Miami Heat and his home-state Cleveland Cavaliers. There was no doubt that wherever LeBron landed, his presence would immediately elevate that team’s title hopes and alter the NBA landscape.

One marquee franchise, in the shadow of Hollywood, harbored the greatest hopes: the Los Angeles Lakers. L.A. had missed the playoffs for five straight seasons, by far the longest drought in team history. Prior to the dismal stretch, the storied franchise had never missed the playoffs more than two consecutive seasons. More damning, the Lakers hadn’t won an NBA title since 2010—an infinite wait in L.A. The Lakers hadn’t even appeared in the NBA Finals in the interim. The pressure to win a championship—making the playoffs is a perennial expectation— mounted in the City of Angels, and LeBron James was exactly the man that fans believed could make all the difference.

The opportunity to join the Lakers used to be an honor for any player in the league. But that was no longer the case. Unable to attract top free agents—or even retain their own big names—the previous five summers, the Lakers tried a different tack for courting King James.

Instead of the cadre of team brass and flashy presentations used in past off-seasons, they sent only one emissary to speak to LeBron: team president Magic Johnson. On the night of June 30, Johnson arrived in front of James’ Brentwood home an hour early and sat in his car. The NBA free agency period commenced at 9:01 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, and Magic abided by the rules for good reason. In 2017, the Lakers incurred a $500,000 tampering fine after Johnson’s comments about Paul George that April, and G.M. Rob Pelinka’s further expressions of

LAK E R S

17

FEEL THE HEAT After leaving his hometown Cavs, LeBron won his first NBA title and Finals MVP Award with Miami in 2012.

interest in May. (The team also was fined $50,000 in Feb. 2018 after Magic made comments about Giannis Antetokounmpo.) At the appointed minute approved by the league, Johnson entered James’ house. Then, the two men simply talked basketball well into the night. Johnson, and the Lakers’ championship aspirations, hung on LeBron’s willingness to join a team that had won only 35 games the season before despite having a core of young talent.

Just like he did on the court, Magic proved that he still had the Midas touch. On July 1, James agreed to a four-year, $153.3 million contract with the Lakers.

The only public acknowledgement was a onesentence announcement by Klutch Sports, the firm run by James’ super agent Rich Paul. Desperate Lakers fans still worried that the deal might fall apart because James couldn’t actually sign the contract until the free agent moratorium period ended. During Laker Nation’s anxious waiting, LeBron took a European vacation on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. He didn’t formally sign until July 9, when the

18

L A KER S

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

32

APP E AR A NC E S IN T HE NB A F INA LS, T HE M O S T O F ANY T EA M I N L E AGU E H IS TO RY

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

H O L LY WO O D R OY A L T Y ?

Laker fans weren’t sure if they wanted to embrace James right away. The King would have to earn their love.

news was relayed not with a splashy press conference, but a casual Instagram post in which G.M. Pelinka had his right arm draped over James’ shoulder. “He’s not looking to celebrate signing. He’s looking to celebrate championships and he made that real clear,” Pelinka said. On July 30, LeBron publicly expounded on his reasons for choosing the Lakers via a video released on his Uninterrupted website. Said James: “You look at the Lakers. Being able to play for a historic franchise with so much history, and now being able to partner with Magic Johnson, someone I kinda like looked up to when I was younger and wanted to make no look passes like Magic, wanted to get on the break and be Showtime like Magic, and then for it to all come to fruition at this point...I think timing is everything.”

For the third time in eight years, LeBron James had changed teams. When he left Cleveland the first time in 2010, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert wrote a scathing letter in which he called the departure a “cowardly betrayal.” James returned to Cleveland in 2014 and said he wanted to finish his playing days

there. This time, after the league’s biggest star chose to leave once again, to sign with the Lakers, Gilbert was gracious. “We will always remember the evening of June 19, 2016 as the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, ended the 52-year drought, delivering the long-elusive championship that many thought they would never see,” he said.

N

ow LeBron faced a new challenge: Cleveland was happy to have won the NBA title once.

Lakers’ fans were accustomed to collecting titles with regularity, almost on an annual basis. The franchise boasted 16 championships overall, and 11 since moving to L.A. in 1960.

The euphoria of the James signing didn’t last very long. In fact, some Los Angeles fans weren’t so welcoming. Two different murals of King James were vandalized around the city. To some, Kobe Bryant was still the king of L.A., but clearly the franchise now rested on James’ broad shoulders. As

LAK ER S

19

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

“[LeBron’s] not looking to celebrate signing.

He’s looking to celebrate championships.”

ROB PELINKA, LAKERS G.M.

far as supporting help, the team signed free agent point guard Rajon Rondo and re-signed shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The rest of the roster was youthful, but playoff deprived: point guard Lonzo Ball (the second overall pick of the 2017 draft); second-year forward Kyle Kuzma (16.1 points per game in his rookie year); second-year forward Brandon Ingram (16.1 ppg), and second-year swingman Josh Hart (7.9 ppg).

A championship lineup? Not quite. The Lakers started the season with three straight losses, but then won 17 of 24. LeBron scored 44 points in a 126-117 home win over Portland on Nov. 14, and four nights later, had a season-high 51-points in a 113-97 win at Miami, one of his former teams. By late December, the LeBron-led Lakers remained in playoff position. Then, on Christmas, the Lakers blew out James’ old nemesis, the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, 127-101. But what should have been a season highpoint became the genesis of the season’s undoing. Midway through the third quarter of the win, LeBron lunged for a ball.

His leg slid across the floor and he felt a pop. The next day, an MRI confirmed a pulled left groin.

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

17

NBA C H A M P IO N SH IPS IN FR AN C HISE H IS TO RY

20

L A KER S

T

he Lakers were 20-14, fifth in the Western Conference, but James missed the next 17 games—the longest stretch of career—and the Lakers struggled to a 6-11 record in his absence. On Jan. 31, LeBron returned for a 123-120 overtime victory over their Staples Center-sharing L.A. rivals, the Clippers, but the excitement was short-lived. James woke up “pretty sore”, according to coach Luke Walton, and as part of “load management”, King James was held out of the next game, a 115-101 loss at Golden State.

While James continued to battle through a tender groin, rumors swirled around the younger players. If they couldn’t help deliver a championship on the court they’d be useful in another way: as trade bait.

In a 42-point blowout loss at Indiana on Feb. 5, Pacers fans taunted Ingram at the free-throw line with chants of “LeBron’s gonna trade you.”

The looming trade deadline brought more disappointment when New Orleans G.M. Dell Demps refused to deal with the Lakers until the last minute. The Lakers wanted to make a blockbuster trade for impending free agent Anthony Davis, but the teams couldn’t reach an agreement. For the time being, Davis remained a Pelican. The failure to close a midseason trade for Davis, a guy who wasn’t planning on re-signing long term with New Orleans, cost Demps his job on Feb. 15, and Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry called the situation “a dumpster fire.”

Meanwhile, the Lakers were flaming out as well.

The team was out of playoff contention, so, on March 30, it decided to shut down LeBron for the remainder of the season. James sat a total of 27 games, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2005, ending a remarkable 13-year run. The Lakers finished 37-45, 10th in the conference, just a two-game improvement over the previous season.

LeBron’s first season with the Lakers was officially in the books and it was a failure. The streak of playoff-less Laker seasons now extended to six. If Los Angeles couldn’t find a way to win with King James, what hope was left? And, incredibly, things were about to get worse before they got better.

HARD LANDING Despite some highlights, LeBron’s first season as a Laker fell far short of everyone’s expectations.

02 CHAPTER

ON A MISSI O N

“ YOU CAN’T

BE AFRAID TO FAIL. IT’S THE ONLY WAY TO SUCCEED.

”

22

L AK ER S

DY NA M I C D U O It took patience, and a three-team trade, but LeBron was finally joined by Anthony Davis for the 2019-20 season.

LeBron James chose to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers to win championships, for its stable front office bolstered by NBA legend Magic Johnson, and for the chance to live out his childhood dream of emulating Magic and Showtime on the basketball court. After his first season with the team, all three outcomes looked to be in disarray. As the Lakers first season neared its dispiriting end, the front office started to unravel. Behind the scenes, Johnson and Rob Pelinka clashed over the direction of the team and where to turn next.

On April 9, 2019, Magic, the president of basketball operations, abruptly resigned in an

E N O U G H A L R E A DY The frustrations of the 2018-19 season finally became public when Magic Johnson surprisingly resigned on camera.

24

L A KER S

ON A MISSION

“I was happier when I wasn’t the president.”

MAGIC JOHNSON, DURING THE IMPROMTU PRESS CONFERENCE IN WHICH HE SURPRISED MANY AND QUIT THE LAKERS

impromptu news conference about an hour and a half before the Lakers last game of the season, a loss to Portland. The man who won five titles with the franchise in the 1980s and brought King James to Hollywood, was out. Before a gaggle of reporters, and without naming names, Magic accused people within the organization of “backstabbing” and “whispering” about him. “I was happier when I wasn’t the president,” he said. Magic hadn’t notified LeBron or anyone else in the franchise about his decision, even the Lakers controlling owner, Jeanie Buss—the daughter of beloved longtime owner Dr. Jerry Buss—who died in 2013.

Jeanie was accustomed to family feuds. In 2017, she won a month-long power struggle with her older brothers, Jim and Johnny, to run the majority ownership trusts. Magic Johnson and the Buss family were very close, yet Jeanie remained strangely silent about his departure.

The downward spiral didn’t end there. Three days after Magic’s resignation, the team fired head coach Luke Walton, the ex-Laker who had helped orchestrate the Golden State Warriors’ NBA-record 73-win season as one of Steve Kerr’s assistants.

Magic reportedly hadn’t spoken to Walton in weeks, and an atmosphere of enmity blanketed the team.

TURN HEEL Johnson’s departure from the team was sudden, but the fallout lingered and created unwelcome drama for the Lakers.

LAK ER S

25

ON A MISSION

CHAMPIONSHIP FORMULA With LeBron and Davis in place, the Lakers built an effective supporting roster, including Alex Caruso (far left) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (far right).

N

ext, Pelinka made a surprising coaching choice. On May 13, the Lakers named Frank Vogel, known as a defensive tactician, as their new head coach. Vogel had led the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014, where they lost to LeBron’s Heat. But Vogel had missed the playoffs in his two most recent seasons in Orlando, and had been out of the NBA for a year. Now, he would be teaming up with an old antagonist.

Meanwhile, the fallout of Magic Johnson’s departure lingered. Appearing on ESPN’s “First Take” on May 20, Magic said: “If you are going to talk betrayal, it’s only with Rob.” Pelinka denied Johnson’s accusations at Vogel’s introductory press conference the same day: “It’s saddening and disheartening to think he believes things are a misperception.” Then, on May 28, ESPN posted a story entitled “Lakers 2.0: The Failed Reboot of the NBA’s Crown Jewel.” Written by Baxter Holmes, the expose charted the Lakers dysfunctional front-office

26

L A KER S

dynamic that mired LeBron’s inaugural season in L.A. This was certainly not the kind of “showtime” that LeBron imagined. Just one season removed from a team-wide spirit of hope and optimism about the future, the Lakers had devolved into a basketball soap opera.

In late June, Jeanie Buss commented on Magic’s departure for the first time, telling a group of reporters on the red carpet at the NBA Awards in Santa Monica, “[Magic’s] got good instincts. He’s gotta stay true to who he is and do what’s right for him. I wish I would’ve had a little bit more notice [about his leaving the team] but I think we’re gonna be just fine.”

Buss also backed Pelinka and her new coach. “I have 100% confidence in [Pelinka] in running his basketball operations,” she said. “He’s brought us a great new head coach in Frank Vogel, whose teams have had a lot of success in the playoffs and who have played consistently, ranking high in defense, which means not only does he emphasize defense but the players buy into his defensive schemes.”

NEW MAN WITH A PLAN Coach Frank Vogel had been out of the league for a year when he was tapped to lead the Lakers.

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

118 PL AYO FF WINS U N D E R C OAC H P H IL JAC KSON, TH E MO S T IN TE A M H ISTORY

A

s the drama of Magic Johnson’s departure gradually started to dissipate, attention was turned to the roster. Top target Anthony Davis was set to become a free agent in 2020, so talks with the Pelicans renewed, and through the spring, Davis’ fate kept the league abuzz. Could the Lakers finally land Davis and give LeBron a superstar sidekick?

The Lakers needed a third team—the Washington Wizards—to make it happen. On July 6, 2019, the Lakers obtained Davis in a blockbuster deal. New Orleans finally traded him to the Lakers in exchange for Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, 2019 draft pick De’Andre Hunter, Brandon Ingram, cash, a 2021 1st round draft pick, a 2023 1st round draft pick and a 2024 first-round draft pick. The Lakers also traded Isaac Bonga, Jemerrio Jones, Moritz Wagner and a 2022 second-round draft pick to the Wizards, who sent cash to the Pelicans. After numerous missteps, LeBron had his running mate, and Laker Nation envisioned a new dynamic duo bringing home

LAK ER S

27

ON A MISSION

“It’s a great opportunity for this franchise to have such an all-around great person....

The basketball will speak for itself.”

LEBRON JAMES ON NEW TEAMMATE ANTHONY DAVIS

championships, just like Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal did in the early 2000s.

A

t Davis’ introductory press conference, L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke asked the former Pelican about making a long-term commitment to the Lakers.

“When that time comes around… then you can ask me that question,” Davis said.

“Right now, my focus is on this year, and trying to figure out how I can help this team, and help the organization, become a championship team.”

Many hoped the Lakers big offseason wasn’t finished. There was rampant speculation that Kawhi Leonard would also sign with the Lakers to form the next super team. But on July 10, Leonard opted for the cross-building rival Clippers, which created nationwide playoff anticipation of a future LakersClippers Western Conference Finals in 2020.

After Leonard passed, the Lakers pivoted, filling out their roster with deft Plan B signings. They added Kawhi’s former Toronto teammate Danny Green, a three-point specialist, on a two-year, $30 million contract; shooting guard Avery Bradley to a two-year $9.7 million deal; center DeMarcus Cousins—a former teammate of AD’s in New Orleans—to a one-year deal, re-signed another former Pelican, Rajon Rondo, and added Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, both to two-year contracts.

In August, after Cousins tore his ACL in an off-season workout, the Lakers brought back a former Laker, Dwight Howard, who hadn’t fulfilled expectations in his sole season with the team in 2012-13. Howard played alongside Kobe and Steve Nash in an injury-plagued season that was the Lakers last playoff appearance. Then Howard stunned the team by signing with the Rockets in free agency. The Lakers wanted more commitment from him this time around, offering a non-guaranteed contract. It was another free-agent signing—one that at the time was very under-the-radar—that would later prove equally prescient. Guard Alex Caruso, who the Lakers had signed to a two-way

28

L A KER S

contract in 2017, was re-signed at two years and $5.5 million for his tenacious style of play.

What the team needed to do now was jell. Davis and LeBron spent the summer bonding. They hung out together while filming Space Jam 2 and held a private workout retreat in Las Vegas. When training camp arrived, the Lakers seemed like they had finally put the disasters of 2018-19 in the past and were looking nowhere but forward.

“I think the front office did a great job of including LeBron and myself in the decisions to build this team,” Davis said on media day. “Every guy that is on this team, me and LeBron had a say-so in, and I think that’s very important. It would be pretty weird to go to war with a guy you don’t really like, so they made sure to include us in every decision.”

James’ words that same day praised Davis on more than just his basketball skills. “It’s a great opportunity for this franchise to have such an all-around great person,” LeBron said. “The basketball will speak for itself.” It was a King’s way of saying everything would be alright. It was a new team, a new season, and soon a new year. What could possibly go wrong?

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

.842 W I N NI NG PE R C E NTAG E I N 19 7 1- 72 , B E S T IN T E AM HI S TO RY

INTENSE LeBron celebrates a basket against the Clippers on March 8.

Just three days later, the entire season, and soon the world, would be put on pause.

03 CHAPTER

KOBE

“ I PROMISE YOU: I’LL CONTINUE YOUR LEGACY.

”

30

L AK ER S

A LWAY S R E M E M B E R LeBron speaks to the Staples Center crowd on January 31, less than a week after Kobe Bryant’s shocking death.

KOBE

Early on the morning of Jan. 26, 2020, LeBron James took a call from Kobe Bryant as the Lakers boarded a plane in Philadelphia bound for Los Angeles. The night before, in Kobe’s hometown against the Sixers, LeBron passed Bryant to become the NBA’s third all-time leading scorer.

The play on which the torch was passed was insignificant; LeBron scored on a driving layup midway through the third quarter and finished with 29 points in a 108-91 loss, the last stop on a fivegame road trip. The Lakers still led the Western Conference with a 36-10 record. LeBron keenly understood the historical significance of an otherwise ordinary basket.

“I’m happy just to be in any conversation with Kobe Bean Bryant, one of the all-time greatest basketball players to ever play, one of the all-time greatest Lakers,” James said after the game. “The man has two jerseys hanging up in Staples Center.

It’s just crazy.” Kobe tweeted to mark the moment: Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames.

Much respect my brother #33644.

A public expression of mutual admiration

32

L AK ER S

MOURNING MAMBA The grief of Kobe’s death gripped the city of Los Angeles for weeks.

It would not be the last moment of discomfort and unrest.

OV E R F L OW I N G The memorial built by fans in front of Staples Center showed just how much the Laker legend meant to everyone.

between sports legends is a common courtesy.

Sometimes the players really mean it. Other times, they do not. In the case of Kobe and King James, it was the former. Maybe that’s why, according to The Athletic, James’ Lakers teammates listened in when Kobe called. This conversation was going to be real.

And, unbeknownst to anyone, it would be the last time they’d hear Kobe’s voice outside a recording.

B

y the time the Lakers’ plane arrived at LAX, Kobe Bryant was—shockingly—dead. Only 41 years old, the face of the Lakers for more than two decades lost his life in a horrific helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. With him was his 13-year old daughter Gianna, a rising basketball star herself, and seven other passengers who were on their way to a youth hoops tournament.

A tidal wave of sorrow immediately descended

34

L A KER S

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

350 PA IR S O F S NE AK E RS L E F T AT STA P LE S C E N T E R TO HO N O R KO BE

KOBE

T H E G OAT With tears flowing, Michael Jordan spoke at a televised memorial celebration on February 24.

upon L.A., the NBA, and basketball fans from every background as news of Bryant’s death started to spread. Mourners flocked to Staples Center, the home that Kobe decorated with five championship banners and where his No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys hung retired, the only Laker so honored. Staples Center president Lee Zeidman told Sports Illustrated: “First thing, we decided we’d be respectful. I told our staff, ‘Let them write on the pavement and on our neighbors’ walls. Let them bring whatever they want to bring and leave it wherever they want to leave it.

We’ll figure it out later.’ ” By the end of the eighth day, the downtown campus was filled with 25,000 lighted candles, 1,300 basketballs, 1,000 hats; 500 stuffed animals, 350 pairs of shoes and infinite rosaries. Three hundred thousand people passed through the site, now suddenly a Kobe museum.

Distraught, James did not make a public statement until Monday evening, posting a heartfelt letter on Instagram: “Man I love you big bro. My

heart goes to [wife] Vanessa and the kids. I promise you I’ll continue your legacy man!” James added: “There’s so much more I want to say but just can’t right now because I can’t get through it! Until we meet again my brother!!” The post surpassed 15.5 million likes, and drew close to 300,000 comments.

With the world still in shock, the Lakers grieved privately. The NBA postponed the team’s next game, scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 28, against the Clippers.

When the Lakers returned to the court, each player wore a black heart patch with “KB” in the center for the remainder of the season. Now the goal of winning a championship wasn’t just about adding to the Lakers’ legacy. It was about paying respect to Kobe in the way that would have meant the most to him: by earning a 17th banner.

The first Lakers home game after Kobe’s death was against Portland on January 31. Before the game, James spoke to the Staples Center crowd. He ended with the words “Mamba out”, then solemnly

LAK ER S

35

KOBE

“It’s never going to be closure....

We continue to live on [Kobe’s] legacy and continue to have our hearts heavy.”

LEBRON JAMES

placed the microphone on the court, re-enacting Kobe’s mic drop after his last NBA game in 2016. The Lakers lost to the Trailblazers, 127-119, but the game helped the team get back to some semblance of normal. The Lakers won nine of their next 10 games.

The Lakers went on to win 13 of their next 17, including a seven-game win steak that featured victories over the Nuggets, the archrival Celtics, and Anthony Davis’ old team, the Pelicans.

A

t the NBA All-Star Game in Chicago on Feb. 16, the league honored Kobe and Gianna, with Team LeBron all wearing her No. 2 and Team Giannis all wearing his No. 24. After James scored 23 points and his team won, 157-155, a reporter accidentally called James “Kobe” in the post-game press conference. The mistake was not unwelcomed.

“I don’t mind being Kobe this weekend, ” James said.

“You could definitely feel Bean’s presence from the start.... He was definitely here.” It was only the All-Star Game, but LeBron believed that Kobe would help guide him for the rest of the season.

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

5

NBA C H A M P IO N SH IPS WO N B Y KOB E B RYA N T

36

L A KER S

Eight days later, on Feb. 24, Staples Center held Kobe’s Celebration of Life. Late night host Jimmy Kimmel emceed the tribute as NBA royalty paid their respects to the fallen star. Magic Johnson attended but didn’t speak. Another Laker great did: Shaquille O’Neal, who teamed with Kobe for an NBA title Threepeat from 2000-2002 before their egos started to clash. Now Shaq wanted to set the record straight. “Make no mistake,” he said, “even when folks thought we were on bad terms, when the cameras were turned off, he and I would though a wink at one another say, ‘Let’s go whoop some ass.’.. in truth, Kobe and I always maintained a deep respect and a love for one another.”

M

ichael Jordan spoke for just under 12 minutes with tears flowing down his face.

“What he accomplished, as a basketball player, as a businessman and a storyteller, and as a father, in the game of basketball, in life, and as a parent, Kobe left nothing in the tank, he left it all on the floor.” Jordan later added “when he died, a piece of me died.”

After the memorial, reporters asked LeBron how Kobe’s death might affect the teams focus for the rest of the season. LeBron answered stoically.

“It’s never going to be a closure,” he said. “I mean, we continue to live on his legacy and continue to have our hearts heavy with both sadness and with happiness for his family that are still here. So it’s not a closure. But it was a celebration which was well received from not only the Laker faithful, not only the family here, but everybody around the world.”

Everyone on the Lakers had Mamba mentality now—a sense of urgency underscored by the fact that the roster was built to win immediately, not years in the future. If the title wasn’t won, no one would be satisfied. The sting of 2018-19 was still fresh. And, in the moment, it felt like Kobe’s passing might be the biggest and most unexpected challenge the team would have to overcome. That would soon change, just six weeks later.

THE MISSION CONTINUES LeBron points to Kobe’s retired jerseys at the Staples Center before taking on Portland, on January 31.

04 CHAPTER

A

G LOB A L C RIS IS

“ AS SOON AS

IT’S SAFE, WE WOULD LIKE TO FINISH OUR SEASON.

”

38

L AK ER S

ALL AT ONCE Still mourning the loss of Kobe, Laker Nation would also deal with Chinese politics, a global pandemic, and social unrest.

NBA POLITICS As the new season began, LeBron was drawn into international politics with China.

Soon, he’d be forced to take a stand on issues closer to home.

In October 2019, LeBron and the Lakers traveled to China, specifically Shanghai and Shenzen, to face the Brooklyn Nets in two pre-season games. The trip was a goodwill mission, part of the NBA’s continued push to grow globally. At the same time, pro-democracy protests swept through Hong Kong, and Rockets G.M. Daryl Morey caused an international firestorm when he tweeted support for the protestors while the NBA players were in China.

Instead of growing the game, the NBA was at the epicenter of a growing problem. Promotional banners were pulled from Shanghai buildings, media interviews were cancelled or cut short, and Chinese companies suspended their league sponsorships. A meeting was called hastily between NBA commissioner Adam Silver and the players on the trip at their Shanghai hotel. In that meeting, according to reports, LeBron implored Silver to clarify the league’s stance. He believed the teams and players should present a united front. Silver had said he was “not apologizing” for the controversial tweet.

LeBron then spoke out about the situation himself, causing another uproar on Monday, Oct. 14, when he said Morey “wasn’t educated on the situation at hand” and had spoken without concern for the repercussions. This caused more backlash, and James clarified his stance in subsequent tweets: “My team and this league just went through a difficult week. I think people need to understand what a

40

L A KER S

A GLOBAL CRISIS

NO-WIN SITUATION Rockets G.M. Daryl Morey tweeted in support of Hong Kong protesters, leaving NBA players in China to deal with the backlash.

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

24-3 L. A.’S RE C ORD TO S TA R T TH E 20 1 9- 2 0 N B A SE A SON, ON E O F T HE B EST IN LE AGU E HISTORY

tweet or statement can do to others. And I believe nobody stopped and considered what would happen.

Could have waited a week to send it.” The China incident would be the first of many times during the season that LeBron spoke about a social issue, leveraging his superstar influence to enact change.

A “difficult week” would soon become an unrelenting string of tough weeks. As winter approached, in the Chinese city of Wuhan, a viral outbreak began sending patients to local hospitals.

The virus, COVID-19, would soon become a part of everyone’s daily existence around the world.

Because of the pandemic, no one will ever know how many games the 2019-20 Lakers might have won. L.A.’s 24-3 start to the season was on par with the beginning of the Golden State Warrior’s NBArecord 73-win season of 2015-16. And even with the emotional distraction of Kobe Bryant’s death, the Lakers entered March atop the Western Conference standings, poised for a serious championship run.

Of course, basketball records soon didn’t matter to anyone as reports of people dying around the

LAK ER S

41

A GLOBAL CRISIS

“This is not just a public health crisis, it is a crisis that will touch every sector, so every sector and every individual must be involved in the fight.”

DR. TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESU

world started dominating the daily headlines. Soon nation after nation entered lockdown to try to stop the spread of the virus while doctors scrambled to assess how to treat patients, and how to advise people on what they could do to prevent the virus from spreading further.

For a couple of weeks, the global problem did not quite feel like an American problem—at least not one that required unprecedented and proactive action from every single person regardless of who they were, where they lived, or what they did.

A

gainst that backdrop, the highpoint of the Lakers regularseason occurred the weekend of March 4-6. On Friday, LeBron scored 37 points (Davis added 30) in a 113-103 win over the leagueleading Milwaukee Bucks and their young superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Then, on Sunday, the Lakers beat the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George led Clippers, 112-103, in a nationally televised game.

LeBron, Davis and Avery Bradley combined for 88 points in the win. The Lakers were playing their best

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

30

DAY S, M I NI MU M L E N G T H O F T HE N B A ’S PL A N NE D PAU SE

42

L A KER S

basketball of the season. After the team’s triumphant weekend, things devolved rapidly.

Pressure built on American sports leagues to ban fans from attending games. These large gatherings would later have a name: super-spreader events.

There was even talk of suspending sports seasons entirely until it was safe to play.

The debate soon turned from a matter of caution to one of necessity. On March 11, two days after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert touched all the microphones at a press conference in a poor attempt at humor, Gobert became the first NBA player to test positive for the Coronavirus.

The same day, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic with 118,000 cases and rising in more than 110 countries. “This is not just a public health crisis, it is a crisis that will touch every sector, so every sector and every individual must be involved in the fights,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu said.

After Gobert contracted Coronavirus, the NBA took no chances. Shortly after 9:30 p.m. the night of the 11th, league commissioner Adam Silver made a “split-second” decision to suspend league play minutes before Utah was about to tipoff in Oklahoma City. Both teams had to coordinate with local health officials before they were allowed to travel home. The next day, Silver posted a letter to fans on NBA.com, which also included guidelines on how to keep safe during the pandemic. “This hiatus will last at least 30 days and we intend to resume the season, if and when it becomes safe for all concerned,” Silver wrote. “In the meantime, we will continue to coordinate with infectious disease and public health experts along with government officials to determine safe protocols for resuming our games…This remains a complicated and rapidly evolving situation that reminds us that we are all part of a broader society with a responsibility to look out for one another.”

The night before the NBA shutdown, the Lakers hosted the Nets at Staples. Cruising atop the Western Conference, with a 49-13 record, the Lakers stumbled, 104-102, to a team that had recently fired

FA S T S TA RT Before the pandemic, LeBron and the Lakers looked ready to storm through the season and post one of the best records in league history.

A GLOBAL CRISIS

THE COMMISH Adam Silver played a major role in working with the players to keep the NBA going despite historic challenges.

“[The pandemic] is a test of our mental side, our spiritual side, it’s a test for everything.”

LEBRON JAMES

its coach. In the final moments, LeBron missed a layup, and Anthony Davis missed a game-winning three at the buzzer. On Thursday night, the Lakers were supposed to face the Rockets on national television, but with the season in limbo, the loss would linger in fans’ minds much longer than expected.

F

rom March 11 until July 30, there was no basketball. The United States was in the midst of an unprecedented national crisis on numerous fronts: the pandemic, a resulting economic downturn, social unrest, and a looming presidential election in which political wrangling over things as simple as

44

L A KER S

whether or not masks should be worn to stop the spread of the virus became a matter of debate. As health-care workers worked around the clock to save lives, basketball—and all sports—faded into the background. Never did the saying “there’s more to life than just sports” feel more meaningful.

There were 259 games remaining on the NBA schedule, about one-fifth of the season, and nobody was certain when, or if, the season would resume.

Despite the uncertainty, the Lakers worked out privately at their homes. The league’s intent was always to figure out a safe way to return to play and the Lakers wanted to finish what they had started.

Coach Frank Vogel and G.M. Rob Pelinka kept in constant online contact with their players. LeBron and Pelinka often held Zoom meetings and workouts

UNITED LeBron, with fist raised, kneels with his teammates during the national anthem on August 5.

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

20

WEE K S, L E NG TH T HE NB A EV EN TUAL LY M I S SED B E CAUS E O F THE PA N D E MIC

with the media. In one such session, LeBron offered his take on the situation: “I believe that this is a roadblock for all of us, not only as Americans, but for the world…it’s a test for all of us. It’s a test of our mental side, our spiritual side, it’s a test for everything.”

Privately, LeBron and the Lakers did not know how much more testing they would have to face. On March 13, Louisville police shot Breonna Taylor five times while she was sleeping in her bed during a botched raid. On Memorial Day, normally the heat of the NBA playoffs, a Minneapolis man, George Floyd, died as a white policeman pressed on Floyd’s neck for seven minutes and 46 seconds. Peaceful protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement were held in cities across America. But flashes of violence, riots and looting erupted in several cities nationwide after Floyd’s death.

Given the state of the country and the world, before the NBA could even think about resuming its season, everyone involved needed to search their hearts and souls to figure out a reason why.

LAK ER S

45

05 CHAPTER

RET U RNING FOR A CAUSE

“ EVERYTHING THAT I DO HAS A PURPOSE.

”

46

L AK ER S

FULL SPEED AHEAD After a bumpy restart, LeBron and the Lakers showed their resolve to finish the season with a championship to their name.

Hot zones, case counts, vigorous hand washing, abundant sanitizer, and wearing masks: Why did NBA players choose to risk their health, leave their families and resume their season, when the world was turned upside down?

In a word: Reform. While the pandemic raged, an array of societal issues from protests and police brutality to the disproportionate Coronavirus deaths among black Americans commanded the news. For most NBA players, regardless of race or background, the issues hit close to home. The players realized that as professional athletes, lots of people looked up to them or at least paid attention to what they did and said. So, instead of only commenting on a game, they saw an opportunity to express how they felt about something more.

A T T E N T I O N, P L E A S E Anyone watching games played inside the Bubble couldn’t help but notice what players and coaches wanted to tell the world.

48

L A KER S

RETURNING FOR A CAUSE

“[LeBron] is ready for this moment....

You can tell.”

JARED DUDLEY

Not everyone agreed or welcomed mixing sports with social issues. But most Americans were desperate for something “normal” to return: like the simple pleasure of watching a basketball game. So, having found a purpose they felt was worthy of the moment, the players and the league agreed that the NBA would return to action to finish the season.

In late May, to help build back chemistry, LeBron began conducting private, on-court workouts with one to two Lakers teammates at a time. This wasn’t traditional basketball team training, but it was what was necessary to maintain appropriate safety.

Within the confines of the team, LeBron was the

leader on group chats and Zoom calls. Publicly, he let other Lakers do the talking about how this unusual situation was coming together. “He’s ready for this moment,” forward Jared Dudley said. “You can tell.”

One area where LeBron did feel motivated to speak out was on larger social causes. On June 10, in the wake of George Floyd’s death, LeBron and a group of black athletes and entertainers formed More Than A Vote, an organization dedicated to protecting black voting rights and securing arenas in several battleground states to be used as polling places for the November 3 presidential election.

“Because of everything that’s going on, people are

COURTSIDE The Lakers are well known for having famous fans at their games. Here, the tradition continued virtually with rapper Lil Wayne (front row, center).

LAK ER S

49

RETURNING FOR A CAUSE

“We feel like we’re getting some ears and some attention, and this is the time for us to finally make a difference.”

LEBRON JAMES

finally starting to listen to us — we feel like we’re finally getting a foot in the door,” James told The New York Times. “How long is up to us. We don’t know. But we feel like we’re getting some ears and some attention, and this is the time for us to finally make a difference.”

M

eanwhile, with the United States approaching 130,000 COVID-19 cases and counting, the NBA worked to come up with a plan that allowed for resumed play in a safe environment. It was a challenge without any playbook to follow.

The ESPN Wide of World of Sports Complex near Orlando emerged as a logical place to play. With state-of-the-art facilities and an abundance of nearby hotels, the complex had what the league needed logistically to host many teams. It also didn’t hurt that ESPN, with its parent company Disney, held a multi-million dollar TV contact with the NBA. How could the league possibly guarantee the safety of players, team staffs, media, and all the associated workers? By maintaining a self-contained environment where frequent testing, disinfecting, quarantines, and added security measures ruled. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but if treated with care it might work as a thin layer of protection from the ongoing pandemic in the outside world. It was also soon given an appropriate name: The Bubble.

Now the challenge rested with the players.

Traditionally, when there are games to be played professional athletes are expected to show up for work, no excuses. But COVID-19 called into question an entirely new set of legitimate concerns, including pre-existing medical conditions that might put a player or his family at a high level of risk.

So, in an effort to be reasonable and respectful to all, the league established an opt-in deadline of June 24, the date by which players had to decide if they would play in the Bubble or not.

Avery Bradley, a key part of the Lakers rotation, was one of about a dozen players who opted out of

50

L A KER S

the Bubble. Bradley wanted to be available for his entire family because his six-year old son had a history of respiratory illness, which put him in the high-risk category for contracting COVID-19. In an interview with ESPN, Bradley said, “as committed to my Lakers teammates and the organization as I am, I ultimately play basketball for my family. And so, at a time like this, I can’t imagine making any decision that might put my family’s health and well-being at even the slightest risk.” It was an understandable decision—“family first” in G.M. Rob Pelinka’s estimation. To fill Bradley’s roster spot, on July 1, Pelinka signed one of LeBron’s former Cleveland teammates, small forward J. R. Smith.

Dwight Howard also considered opting out.

Unbeknownst to the public until mid-May, the mother of one of Howard’s children died in March after suffering a seizure. Ultimately, Howard decided to continue playing.

O

n July 7, the first NBA teams started to arrive in Orlando for three-week training camps before play resumed on July 30.

Eight teams were left out of the Bubble: from the East, Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte, New York, Cleveland and Detroit; and from the West, Golden State and Minnesota.

(Only teams that were within six games of a playoff spot when the season was suspended received an invitation.)

The media wasn’t allowed in certain areas, and once you arrived you could not leave. One NBA reporter ordered 64 ounces of peanut butter off Amazon within 24 hours of arriving. Security abounded, both in the form of guards and in protection against the virus. Scanning thermometer checkpoints ensured no one had a fever, one of the most common symptoms of a Coronavirus infection.

The entire experience was surreal. One day at practice, Pelinka and Vogel served as human cones in a drill because they couldn’t find any plastic ones.

The team stayed at the Gran Destino Tower hotel and Lakers center JaVale McGee called the Bubble

2020 AD With the season restarted, all eyes were on Anthony Davis to prove that he was worth the blockbuster trade that brought him to L.A.

NEW NORMAL Without fans in the stands and messages about social justice all around, the NBA embraced a different kind of season in Orlando.

“a three-month road trip.” This assumed the Lakers made it that far, but the team knew that anything short of the championship would be an enormous disappointment.

T

o support social justice, the league and the players agreed on more than two dozen slogans that players could opt to wear on their jerseys, among them Floyd’s haunting “I can’t breathe,” a phrase that has been heard several times before in police killings of black men. “Vote,” “Education Reform,” and “Black Lives Matter” were among the other choices, and Black Lives Matter also adorned the hardwood for every game played at the Bubble’s campus.

LeBron James decided not to display a message on the back of his jersey for the league’s restart.

“Everything that I do has a purpose, has a meaning, so I don’t need to have something on the back of my jersey for people to understand my mission and know what I’m about and what I’m here to do,”

52

L A KER S

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

25.3 L EB RON JAM E S ’ SC O RI N G AV ER AG E F OR THE 20 1920 R E G UL AR S E A SO N

RETURNING FOR A CAUSE BACK IN ACTION LeBron celebrates after the Lakers defeat the Clippers on July 30, the team’s first game inside the Bubble.

James explained on a video conference call with reporters on July 11. LeBron chose not to get into the complexities and instead focused on basketball.

“Never crossed my mind that we did not need to play this beautiful game... that brings so many people together, that brings happiness, that brings joy to the households, to so many families, from kids just born, and they’re just born and their parents put on their favorite team’s clothing to all the way, you’re 60, 70 80 years old,” James said.

“This is all about sport, and I’m happy to be part of one of the biggest sports in the world and that’s the game of basketball. I’m happy to have a platform where not only will people gain joy from the way I play the game, from the way our team plays the game but also what I’m able to do off the floor as well.”

With LeBron finding his voice as a black man and concerned American, he didn’t need to have a slogan on his back. All eyes were on him regardless, be it on TV, on the floor, or through social media. His words mattered, regardless of the topic. He was the leader for the entire league.

O

n the Bubble court, the first of the Lakers eight seeding games was against their Staples neighbors: the Clippers. The league piped in crowd noise and virtual “fans” lit up digital screens surrounding the players. L.A. fans buzzing at the Staples Center this was not. Nevertheless, it didn’t faze the purpleand-gold; they were basketball ready.

Anthony Davis scored 34 points and the Lakers won, 103-101. It was their second victory against the Clippers on the season, and NBA fans anticipated a Western Conference Finals showdown.

The Lakers finished 3-5 in the restart, but Vogel and his coaching staff appeared more concerned with figuring out their playoff rotations than winning once they clinched the West’s best record.

What did the seeds matter? Technically, there were no home teams in the Bubble, unless you counted the two participants from Florida: the Orlando Magic, and the long-shot team that seemed to be jelling at the perfect time, the Miami Heat.

LAK ER S

53

06 CHAPTER

T HE PLAYOF FS

“ WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT.

”

54

L AK ER S

WEIGHT OF T H E WO R L D The loss of Game 1 to the hot Portland Trailblazers had many wondering if LeBron and the Lakers had met their match.

TRIPLE-DOUBLE LeBron, shown here in Game 5, averaged 27.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game for the series.

Despite the fact that most of LeBron’s two-year tenure with the Lakers had not exactly glittered like gold, the arrival of the 2020 postseason felt like a moment of much-needed relief. The NBA’s most glamorous franchise was finally back to playing playoff basketball—Lakers basketball—and now, with the path to a 17th franchise championship clearly mapped out, the players could focus on completing the mission.

Portland was one of the hottest teams in the Bubble, having essentially been in playoff mode from the beginning of the restart. They won six of eight seeding games and finished a half-game ahead of Memphis. Since teams had played an uneven amount of games when the season was suspended on March 11, the Blazers had to face the Grizzlies in a one-game playoff to determine who would advance to face the top-seeded Lakers. Portland’s winning ways continued as they beat Memphis, 126-122, and the Blazers’ super backcourt duo of Damian Lillard (31) and C.J. Collum (29) combined for 60 points.

Portland vs. L.A. had fans harking back to the 2000 playoffs when Shaq and Kobe defeated the Blazers in the Western Conference Finals on the way to their first NBA championship together.

Would LeBron and AD have similar success against Portland? Though the Lakers would be favored in all of their playoff games, many pundits, including TNT’s Inside the NBA analyst and Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, believed the No. 8-seed Blazers would present a significant challenge.

In Game 1, Sir Charles looked to be right. Lillard scored a game-high 34 points, including six threepointers, and the Blazers closed the game on a 19-6 run to give Portland a 1-0 series lead. Statistically,

56

L A KER S

T H E P L AYO F F S

LAK E R S

57

T H E P L AYO F F S SPEAKING UP Jacob Blake Sr., makes his opinions heard about the Breonna Taylor case in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 25.

LeBron played an excellent game: He contributed his 24th career playoff triple double with 23 points, 16 rebounds and an astounding 15 assists, joining Magic Johnson as the only players with a tripledouble in their Lakers playoff debut.

B

ut LeBron knew that stats didn’t matter in a losing effort. After Game 1, he called upon his considerable playoff experience when asked if he was frustrated by the loss. “The game is the game,” he said. Coach Vogel echoed LeBron’s calm demeanor. “He would’ve had over 20 assists if we knocked down threes at the rate that we’re capable of and at the rate we will,” he said.

In short, the Lakers needed to step up as a team.

The bench contributed only 25 points and fell short of creating enough space on the floor for Davis and James to take control of the game. The roster had been built to compliment the two stars, and that’s exactly what they needed to do. If the Lakers were to

58

L AKE R S

win the championship, or even get past the Blazers, it couldn’t be a two-man version of Showtime.

Never one to shy away from an “I-told-you-so” moment, Barkley had predicted a Blazers sweep if Portland took Game 1. After Game 2, Barkley was proven wrong as Anthony Davis pounded Portland for 31 points and the Lakers won by 23 to even the series. LeBron only needed to score 10 points because the Lakers bench had 41, a 15-point improvement over the opener. In Game 3, LeBron (38) and Davis (29) combined for 67 points and just like that, the Lakers had yanked control of the series.

The playoffs were rolling. Despite the lack of fans in the stands, there was still a charge of excitement generated by the players on the floor. On the first night of the first round, the Nuggets beat the Jazz in overtime, as Utah’s Donovan Mitchell dropped 57 points and Denver’s Jamal Murray scored 36. The game was an enjoyable diversion from the world.

Then, as the two teams prepared for Game 3, the league’s most potent nemesis—2020—returned to challenge everyone’s resolve once again.

CIVIL UNREST Protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, were echoed throughout the country and were followed closely inside the NBA Bubble.

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

41

P O IN TS C O N T RI BUTE D B Y TH E B E NC H I N GA M E 2 AG A I N S T T HE TR AI LB LA ZER S

A

nother viral video of a black man’s brutal run-in with police emerged, this time from an August 23 incident in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Twenty-nine-year old Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times by that city’s police, while his three young children looked on. The grainy video shot by an across-thestreet resident showed Blake walking around his car to get inside the vehicle as police followed. When he opened the door, one of the officers opened fire.

NBA players had resumed their season with the intent of helping to make the world better. Yet another act of violence against a person of color— and the painful and divisive feelings that followed as a result—left many players wondering if their efforts were futile.

Once again, LeBron was thrust into the role of league spokesman. “If you’re sitting here telling me that there was no way to subdue that gentleman or detain him before the firing of guns, then you’re sitting here and you’re lying to not only me, but

LAK ER S

59

T H E P L AYO F F S GIVE ME A BREAK LeBron sprawls on the floor after commiting a foul against the Blazers. But the sentiment applied just as well to most of the 2019-20 season.

60

L A KER S

LAKE RS

61

T H E P L AYO F F S

“Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action. So today our focus cannot be on basketball.”

STERLING BROWN

you’re lying to every African-American, every Black person in the community because we see it over and over and over,” LeBron said.

N

ightly protests in another Midwest city flared, and two nights later, a 17-year old boy named Kyle Rittenhouse—who is white—gunned down two protestors with a Smith and Wesson AR-15 rifle. Apart from the heinous killings, one fact was very disturbing. After the shootings, Rittenhouse, who had driven up from suburban Illinois to “protect” Kenosha businesses, calmly walked down the center of the street, weapon at hand. Astonishingly, police allowed Rittenhouse to drive back home after the terrible incident. On social media, people wondered how Rittenhouse would have been treated if he were black. Based on recent events, the answer seemed pretty clear.

Maybe that’s why, on Wednesday Aug. 26, a day after Rittenhouse gunned down the two protestors (which was caught on video), LeBron made his most outspoken and exasperated tweet of the entire season in all caps: “F*** THIS MAN!!!! WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT.” Pressure mounted on the league, and especially the Milwaukee Bucks, to make a definitive stand against the horrific incidents in Wisconsin. Many Americans also wanted to see players stand up against police brutality and the unequal treatment of black Americans by the criminal justice system. If there wasn’t a stance, how could the “Coaches for Racial Justice” pins and slogans on player jerseys be taken seriously? What was the point of kneeling during the national anthem?

That Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks acted. The team refused to come out of their locker room for their 4 p.m. first-round playoff game against the Orlando Magic. Bucks teammates Sterling Brown, himself the victim of a racial profiling arrest in Jan. 2018, and George Hill took turns reading a statement about their decision. “Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no

62

L AKE R S

action. So today our focus cannot be on basketball,” Brown said. Soon, other sports leagues, including the WNBA, MLB, and MLS would show solidarity with the NBA and stop play. The question now facing the league was did the players even want to return.

In a closed-door players meeting that night, James reportedly advocated for boycotting the rest of the season. For a player who was so driven to bring a championship back to L.A. and pay tribute to his lost friend, Kobe Bryant, it was a decision that showed just how complicated and conflicting the year had become.

The Lakers and Clippers, according to reports, voted to cancel the season early, and then walked out of the meeting. Other teams reportedly voted to continue. Ultimately, the wishes of the majority ruled. Play would resume, but not before the NBA suspended games for three days, to give everyone time to try to reflect and heal.

For L.A., the stoppage resulted in a five-day break.

They returned to easily win Game 4 against the Blazers on 30 points from the King, then closed out the series in Game 5. The Lakers season, which had been on the brink twice in 2020, would continue.

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

260 PL AYO F F G AM E S PLAY ED B Y LEBRON, TH E LE AGU E RE CO R D

DRIVE LeBron gets by Hassan Whiteside during Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round.

07 CHAPTER

T HE WEST ERN CO NFERE N CE SE MIFINALS

“ SOME

PEOPLE ARE BUILT FOR THIS MOMENT AND SOME PEOPLE AREN’T.

”

64

L AK ER S

KING JAMES? High scorer James Harden of the Rockets had, to some, surpassed LeBron James as the league’s most effective offensive weapon.

N O T S O FA S T. . .

The Lakers used constant defensive pressure, here from Alex Caruso, to make sure Harden had to work every time he touched the ball.

THE WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

The story of the 2019-20 NBA season has plotlines that are by turns heroic, heartbreaking, human, and horrific. Lost in the narrative is a subplot that didn’t mean much to a casual sports fan, but was awfully personal to LeBron James: It was the sentiment that LeBron had lost his superior edge and was no longer “The King.”

Why? Because LeBron hadn’t won an NBA title since 2016 and hadn’t won league MVP since 2013.

Perhaps a scoring threat like James Harden was now a more exciting offensive player and effective centerpiece for a winning team.

Five years earlier, on Sunday, March 1, 2015, the LeBron-led Cavaliers lost to Harden’s Rockets in a chippy, nationally-televised game. Tempers flared throughout. LeBron received a third-quarter technical for a scuffle with Rockets guard Patrick Beverley, and then with just over two minutes to go in the same quarter, LeBron and Harden wrestled for control of the basketball. Harden fell to the court and kicked James in the groin. To add insult to injury, in the waning seconds of overtime, with the Cavs trailing by one, LeBron missed two free throws and the Rockets went on to win, 105-103.

LeBron outscored Harden 37 to 33, but it didn’t matter. Not only had the Rockets literally kicked LeBron below the belt during the game, after the win Houston’s Twitter account posted this missive: “Long live the new King,” followed by a picture of Harden beneath the headline KING James. Further fueling the Harden-as-new-King flames, in 2018 the Rockets superstar won the NBA MVP Award over LeBron and Anthony Davis, then of New Orleans.

This was the back story of what looked to be another challenging series for the Lakers. In addition to Harden, the Rockets had point guard Russell Westbrook, who grew up in Southern California and played college ball at UCLA. The series was a battle of dueling duos: LeBron and AD pitted against “King James” Harden and Westbrook.

But if LeBron harbored any extra motivation to defeat Harden’s Rockets, he kept it close to his Lakers vest.

The Rockets also gainfully employed coach Mike D’Antoni’s small-ball offense. The fact that D’Antoni coached the Lakers in the team’s last playoff appearance in 2013 was another subplot. One more wrinkle was Westbrook’s lackluster play following his return from a right quadriceps injury. He missed Houston’s first four games in their seven-game series against his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and only averaged 14.7 points in Games 5 through 7, well below his season-average of 27.2.

In Game 1 versus the Lakers, Harden left no question as to who won the Harden-James war of supremacy. Harden scored 36 points, to go along with five assists and two steals, while LeBron only had 20 points. The Lakers, who hadn’t played in six days, looked flat. The Rockets won going away, 112-97. For the second straight series, the Lakers had lost the opening game.

In the post-game press conference, LeBron appeared unworried. He repeatedly pointed to his team’s high number of turnovers (15), something the Lakers needed to “clean up” against Houston, a

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

4

LE AG UE M VP AWA RD S WO N BY L E BRO N JAME S

LAKE RS

67

THE WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

quick-in-transition “100-yard dash team.” He also spoke about a special visitor he had in the Bubble that helped him stay even. “It’s a blessing to have my wife [Savannah] here,” James said. “But I keep the main thing [basketball] the main thing when I’m on the floor. When I’m on the floor, it’s all about how I can be better for my teammates.”

To be sure, life in a basketball bubble was starting to wear on everyone. With his children still at home in L.A., and his mom in Ohio, LeBron addressed the challenges of being in basketball isolation as well and the long layoff between games. But, in true leadership form, LeBron concluded: “No excuses.”

The Lakers wouldn’t lose another game in the series. In a 117-109 Game 2 victory, Davis scored a game-high 34 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while LeBron improved drastically over his Game 1 numbers, coming within one assist of another playoff triple-double (28 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists). Harden, meanwhile, was held to 27 points and Westbrook had only 10.

PERSONAL PRIDE The Lakers also emphasized defense to effectively neutralize the Rockets other scoring threat, Russell Westbrook.

68

L A KER S

W

hile each team’s superstars battled back and forth in Game 3—LeBron and AD combined for 62 while Harden-Westbrook accounted for 63—another player impacted the game even more: Laker point guard Rajon Rondo. The 14th-year veteran, who was known as “Playoff” Rondo for his propensity to turn in memorable postseason performances, scored 21 points in 30 minutes off the bench, and helped apply full-court pressure on Harden. Westbrook, bouncing back from his dismal 10-point performance in Game 3, scored 30 points but it wasn’t enough.

After Game 3, LeBron, who had 36 points, seven rebounds and five assists, made comments that were widely interpreted as being directed at Harden and Westbrook.

“Some people are built for this moment and some people aren’t,” James said. “When you’ve been building your mind, body and soul for the

“When you’ve been building your mind, body and soul for the postseason, no matter the circumstances and environment, you’re able to rise.”

LEBRON JAMES

postseason, no matter the circumstances and environment, you’re able to rise.”

The Lakers took a series controlling 3-1 lead two nights later with a masterful 110-100 win in which LeBron once again was an assist shy of a triple double with 16 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists.

The Lakers defense was a key factor. Alex Caruso, the unheralded Laker who had risen from the D-League and was a low key free-agent signing, contributed 16 bench points and helped put a clamp on the Rockets speedy attack with his disruptive pressure.

Westbrook had a team-high 25 points, but Harden

shot an atrocious 2-of-11 from the field and finished with 21 points. For anyone bold enough to challenge LeBron’s excellence, it was more than an off night.

But, despite the rivalry that had been brewing between the two players for several seasons, LeBron expressed only respect for his series counterpart when speaking to the media after the game.

“James is probably one of the best offensive players we’ve ever seen in this league,” King James said, without irony. “He had 20 free-throw attempts and one of our game plans is to not send them to the free-throw line. The guy is just so clever. He’s still able to get 20 free throw attempts.”

FRUSTRATING As the series wore on, Harden and Westbrook grew increasingly worn and ineffective, especially when the Lakers played together as a team.

LAK ER S

69

C

oach Vogel, whose hiring a year earlier had left some fans incredulous, validated G.M. Rob Pelinka’s instinct to bring in the defensive guru. Keeping a fresh defender on Harden was an astute tactic that Vogel’s team used, and the Lakers also made sure to rotate quickly onto the free player when they double-teamed the Rockets scoring pillar.

Two “DNP coaches’ decision” indicators on the final box score highlighted another successful Vogel move: centers Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee never left the bench in Game 4, with the Lakers matching up against Houston’s smaller lineup.

Said Davis, who scored 29 points and had 12 rebounds: “We have confidence in all our guys. We can play big. We can play small. We can play in between.” Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Danny Green and Rondo all scored in double figures.

“I don’t think the rest of the guys get enough credit,” Vogel said.

The fifth and ultimately final game in the series wasn’t even close, a 119-96 Lakers win. LeBron scored 29 points to Harden’s 30, but the true King had more help: five other Lakers scored at least 10.

Harden showed he was a natural scorer, and even his defense had improved. But in the end, LeBron proved he was built for the moment. For the series, James registered an MVP-caliber line: 25.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.8 blocks.

Next up on the road to Title 17: the Denver Nuggets.

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

27.7 A D ’ S T E AM HIGH S COR I NG AV E R AG E I N T HE PL AYOFF S

70

L AK ER S

SMOOTH LeBron and AD, shown here wearing the Mamba uniforms and celebrating in Game 2, reveled in silencing Houston.

THE WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

LAK E RS

71

08 CHAPTER

T HE WEST ERN CO NFERE N CE FINALS

“ THE

JOB IS NOT DONE.

”

72

L AK ER S

G A M E FAC E James jams in Game 1. As the Lakers crept closer to the endgame, LeBron’s focus became more and more intense.

THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Throughout the season, Clippers versus Lakers with the NBA Finals on the line was all anyone could envision. But inside the Bubble, in a year when nothing seemed to go according to plan, a different outcome unfolded. Down 3-1 in their first-round series to the Utah Jazz, not many thought that the Denver Nuggets would rebound to take the series, let alone continue to advance to meet the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

But, led by the ascension of guard Jamal Murray and the agility of Serbian center Nikola Jokić, the Nuggets roared back to win three straight in what was arguably the most exciting series of the entire playoffs. Murray and Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell traded dazzling performances and combined to score 475 points, the most by two opposing players in a single playoff series in NBA history.

In the next round, the Nuggets fell behind 3-1 in their series against the Clippers, and the expected Battle of L.A. appeared imminent. But, once again, Denver stormed back and won three straight to advance. The Clippers looked like the perennially hapless “Paper Clips”—a disappointment that later led coach Doc Rivers to leave the team by “mutual decision.” The Lakers watched the Clippers’ fall not without a touch of schadenfreude. They had noticed all those Clipper banners around the city before the COVID-19 hiatus.

“They didn’t want to be in the bubble,” said Lakers reserve Jared Dudley on the Bill Simmons podcast a month after the Clipper collapse. “They didn’t want to be there, and I don’t blame them for certain times, but the world needed to see the

74

L AKE R S

Clippers and the Lakers and it was unfortunate we didn’t get to see that.”

The Lakers quickly switched their own expectations to not look past the opponent that they now needed to beat: Denver. In Game 1, Anthony Davis scored 37 points in 33 minutes, adding 10 rebounds and four assists. For the Nuggets, Jokić was in foul trouble for most of the game which hampered the team’s hopes to steal the momentum.

Game 2 seemed like a rerun. The Lakers took control early and built a 16-point lead in the second half. But as Coach Vogel put it after the game, “leads mean nothing against this team. They’re a nightmare to guard.”

The coach was right. There was a reason Denver could roar back against seemingly superior opponents. But the Lakers could cause problems of their own, and Davis was getting hot at just the right time. In Game 2, AD seemed to be un-guardable. He scored seven straight Lakers points in the waning minutes and his team led by one with 26 seconds left. After a Nuggets timeout, a Jokić hook shot put Denver up one, 103-102, with 20 seconds remaining.

Following the Lakers’ own timeout, Alex Caruso missed a three, then Danny Green had his shot blocked out of bounds—by none other than Murray—with 2.1 seconds left on the clock. The stage was set, and the Lakers were ready to steal the show. Rajon Rondo, who wasn’t in the game, sidled

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

10

Y E A R S B ET W E E N NB A F I NA L S AP PEAR ANC E S, L ON G E ST IN T EAM HI S TO RY

SUPERMAN RETURNS Dwight Howard was a disappointment in his first stint as a Laker, but a key player for the 2019-20 team.

76

L A KER S

THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

up to his coach, and asked if Vogel wanted him in the game for his passing. The answer was yes. Rondo then entered for Caruso.

N

uggets center Mason Plumlee thought there would be a switch, and with a veteran’s touch, Rondo found an open Davis beyond the arc. AD extended over a hardcharging Jokić, and as the clock wound down…nothing but net. Davis turned back up the court and shouted “Kobe!”

“He’s hit countless shots like that to win games,” Davis said of Bryant after the game, notably in the present tense. “Regular season, playoffs, NBA Finals.” There was now no doubt: the Lakers players were convinced that they had the ultimate secret weapon: Kobe Bryant, the most competitive player of his era, was pushing his team toward the title.

Davis looked back and also noted his missed three-point shot at the end of the game versus the Brooklyn Nets, the last game the Lakers played before the season was suspended for four months during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. ”It was the same spot, slightly different play, and I missed the shot,” Davis continued. “I was at upset at myself but [LeBron] said hey man we’re going to live and die with you shooting that shot.”

Said LeBron simply: “Special moment for a special player. Happy to be a part of it.”

Vogel put it in even greater terms. “That’s a shot Kobe Bryant would hit. To me, AD coming off, just

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

LIGHTS OUT AD hits the winning three-pointer in Game 2.

His elevated postseason performance fulfilled all expectations.

7

HEA D C OAC HE S D U R IN G T H E 1 0- YE A R D RO UG HT

LAK E R S

77

THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

“Go out there and dominate, from first quarter to fourth quarter....Play Laker basketball and get a good win.”

DWIGHT HOWARD

flying to the wing like that, catch-and-shoot with the game on the line in the biggest moment of our season, nothing but net.” Vogel paused then smiled slightly. “It’s a Mamba shot.”

Mamba mentality. The shots were almost identical. Fittingly, the Lakers were also wearing their Black Mamba uniforms, snakeskin textured black uniforms with gold trim designed by Kobe in 2017. The Lakers moved to 4-0 in the playoffs when wearing the Mamba uniforms. “In the jersey we wore tonight, it just makes it even more special,” Vogel added.

F

ollowing the elation of Davis’ Mamba moment, the Lakers fell from the clouds a bit in Game 3.

Murray, who had 28 points, and Jokić, who scored 22, found a third dangerous scoring force: forward Jerami Grant, who added 26, stifling the Lakers with his driving baskets and persistent play. The loss pointed to a familiar Lakers problem. James (30) and Davis (27) scored their points but the bench only had two players in double figures and JaVale McGee only played eight minutes, adding four points.

Vogel moved Dwight Howard into the starting lineup for the rest of the series. In Game 4, Howard added 12 points, and his defensive harassment of Jokić in the paint was vital. Davis had another superb game, scoring 34 points, as James added his reliable 26. The Lakers won, 114-108, to take their own 3-1 series lead.

“Dwight was a beast,” said LeBron James to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Gave us opportunities when we missed shots … he was cleaning glass both offensively and defensively. Got us put-backs and was able to control the paint. We know we got smashed in the rebounding category in Game 3, so we wanted to do a better job in that. Dwight brought that physical presence. It was great for our ball club.”

But against Denver, no one took the rest of the series for granted. If not for Davis’ buzzer-beater in

78

L AKE R S

Game 2, the Lakers might have been in real trouble, or possibly down 3-1. The Game 4 win had not come easy, and given the Nuggets very recent history, the Lakers did not want to give them any hope.

In Game 5, the Lakers took care of business and dispatched Denver. LeBron posted another triple double with 38 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists to power the team to their first NBA Finals in 10 years.

L.A.’s tough defense held Murray and Jokić to 20 points each, and Howard’s energy was markedly different from his first Lakers stint in 2013. Howard knew Lakers fans had been disappointed in him seven years ago, and after Game 4, he discussed his new mindset playing alongside James and Davis.

“Go out there and dominate, from 1st quarter to 4th quarter,” Howard said. “Play Laker basketball and get a good win.”

Breaking the decade-long Finals drought was immensely satisfying but, also, not enough. There was a bit more more work to do for the Lakers to achieve their ultimate goal, which LeBron made absolutely clear in the media session following the Game 5 series clincher. “The job,” he said, “is not done.”

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

32

C ON F ER E N C E T ITLE S I N T EA M H ISTO RY, T HE LE AGU E R EC O RD

NOT DONE YET Confetti flies to mark the Lakers as Western Conference champs, but LeBron remained focused on the only title that mattered.

09 CHAPTER

THE NB A FINALS

“ I WANT

MY DAMN RESPECT.

”

80

L AK ER S

HANDS FULL LeBron holds the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy in his right hand and the Finals MVP trophy in his left.

THE NBA FINALS

When LeBron James took his talents from South Beach and returned to Cleveland in 2014, Heat president Pat Riley felt betrayed. LeBron won just two of the “not two, not, three, not four, not five, not six, not seven….” NBA titles he prognosticated at his over-the-top Heat welcome celebration. “[Winning titles] is hard. And you got to stay together, if you’ve got the guts,” Riley had said at the Heat’s 2014 end-of-the-year press conference. “And you don’t find the first door and run out of it if you have an opportunity.” Riley had visions of a “10-year dynasty.” A few years later, Riley said his split with LeBron felt “personal.”

Riley won five NBA championships as a Laker, one as a player in 1972 and four as its slick-haired, Armani-suit wearing coach. His DNA touched two winning franchises, and now, six years later, these same teams were set to confront each other in the NBA Finals. From the “game within a game” perspective, it was LeBron versus Riley. In a vast understatement, Dwyane Wade, LeBron’s Miami sidekick for four years, said in anticipation of the matchup, “of course they want to beat each other.”

Each man also wanted to prove that they could win without the other. And as the series unfolded, LeBron held the upper hand.

G

ame 1 was a 116-98 Lakers blowout, and NBA pundits dismissed the Heat as being overmatched, especially after point guard Goran Dragic and energetic center Bam Adebayo both left the game with injuries. Dragic went down first, tearing his left plantar fascia (the fleshy part of the bottom of the foot) in the second quarter after playing just 14 minutes. Then Adebayo injured his neck slamming into Dwight Howard’s shoulder in the third quarter. Adebayo would miss the next two

82

L AKE R S

games and Dragic, the next four. With the series looking to be a mismatch, Game 1 had the lowest ratings for a Finals matchup in NBA history.

The Lakers held form and focus in Game 2, another straightforward victory. LeBron (33 points) and Anthony Davis (32) dominated in a 124-114 win and nothing seemed to be standing in the way of the Lakers closing out the series in a fast and efficient manner.

Having bucked expectations simply to reach the Finals, Miami showed its resolve once again. The Heat had, after all, dispatched the top-seeded Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Jimmy Butler, the Heat’s star and the team’s Bubble barista, gave everyone a jolt in Game 3. Displaying a driven tenacity and spectacular move after spectacular move, Butler controlled his team’s fate in a virtuoso triple-double: 40 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, just the third 40-point triple double in NBA Finals history. The look in Butler’s eyes during Game 3 was reminiscent of the King, Kobe and even MJ in his prime. But with a two-game cushion, LeBron and the Lakers kept their cool, perhaps too much so. “I

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

9

DIF F E R E NT F R AN CH IS E S T HE LA KE RS H AVE D EF E AT E D IN THE F INA L S, A LE AGU E RE CO R D

WO R T H Y F O E Jimmy Butler drives on LBJ in Game 2. Butler gave L.A. all it could handle in the series.

ALMOST A HERO Danny Green could have ended Miami’s season in Game 5, the most exciting game of the series.

don’t feel like we’re concerned,” James said after the loss. “We’re not concerned. We know we can play a lot better.”

H

aving worked closely with LeBron for four years in Miami, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra could put together a game-plan to stop James better than anyone else.

So there may have been a little mental bluster behind James’ comments. Perhaps LeBron did feel the heat, after all.

The day of Game 4, LeBron texted his teammates, telling them they faced a must-win game. “I felt that pressure,” James later said. “This was one of the biggest games of my career.” Adebayo returned for the game, but the Lakers responded with a 102-96 win over their pesky foils—LeBron leading the way with 28 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.

Entering Game 5, a Lakers coronation seemed imminent. The Lakers even switched to the Mamba jerseys instead of their road purple in anticipation of

84

L AKE R S

a symbolic moment of closure. Then things took a turn when Davis aggravated his right heel contusion in the first half with battling the Heat’s Andre Iguodala for a rebound. In the final minutes of the game, the injury visibly hampered his play. He ran gingerly up and down the court and appeared to not have the same explosive lift when jumping. An injury to LeBron or AD could undo an inevitable Lakers title, especially with Jimmy Butler playing so well and other Miami role players knocking down their shots in impressive fashion.

Again, the Heat played like a team that wanted the longest season in NBA history to keep going. A pair of Butler free throws put the Heat up 109-108 with 16.8 seconds remaining. The Lakers had the ball, their Black Mamba jerseys, and the perfect Kobe Bryant-esque setup to win the title. But, instead, Game 5 ended with LeBron driving and drawing a swarm of Heat defenders. He passed to Danny Green who was wide open at the top of the arc with just over 7 seconds remaining. Green’s shot clanked off the front of the rim. Markieff Morris

THE NBA FINALS

STRONG MAN LeBron, shown in Game 3, was confident that the Lakers could finish the job when everyone played together as a team.

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

grabbed the rebound, but his pass into the paint for AD was high and sailed out of bounds. Morris had enough time and options. He could have even passed the ball back to Green for another try. “My fault,” Morris said to Davis immediately after the turnover.

Butler made two free throws at the other end, and the Heat staved off elimination.

1 T

F EM AL E CO NT RO LL ING OWN E R TO WI N A N N B A TI TLE , L . A .’ S JE ANIE BU SS

here would be no Mamba magic. For the first time in five playoff games wearing the Kobe-designed black uniforms, the Lakers lost. “I had more time than I realized, should have taken more time...I’d give anything to get that shot back again, trust me,” Green told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols a day later. “Any person that plays basketball knows it’s never only on one play.” Green also admitted that he had received death threats as a result of his Friday miss.

Now a modicum of concern crept toward the Lakers. They didn’t put away a tough opponent when they had a chance and there were also

LAK ER S

85

THE NBA FINALS

“I felt that pressure....This was one of the biggest games of my career.”

LEBRON JAMES

questions about star Anthony Davis’ physical health.

Then, another worry: Davis’ apparent shot to Heat forward Jae Crowder’s head just before halftime of Game 5 might be enough to draw a suspension. It had happened to Golden State’s Draymond Green in 2016.

All the concern proved to be one last kick of drama. Davis would not be suspended, and would not be hampered by injury.

And, just as he had against Denver when he deftly decided to start Dwight Howard for Games 4 and 5, coach Frank Vogel knew how to adjust his lineup for optimal impact. Shortly before Game 6, Vogel told Alex Caruso that he would start in place of Howard.

The surprising move more than paid off.

Utilizing their trademark defense and large doses of LeBron and AD, the Lakers jumped to a 64-36 halftime lead, the second largest at the break in NBA history. (Ironically, the team that suffered the biggest halftime deficit was the Lakers in the 1985 Memorial Day Massacre, a 148-114 loss on the parquet at old Boston Garden.) Los Angeles cruised the rest of the way, and finished 2019-20 with an astounding 57-0 record in games when they led after three quarters.

H

istory well in hand, LeBron and Davis exited the game with just over a minute left, as the Lakers cleared the bench. Howard, who had played his first eight seasons in Orlando and lost the 2009 NBA Finals to the Lakers, would finally have a ring to show for his long and excellent career. (He even hit a jovial three-pointer in the waning seconds.)

Just off the court, TV cameras caught a muchreplayed moment: James and Davis in a championship embrace, LeBron’s left arm wrapped around AD like brothers. In sports terms, the duo was now blood: NBA champions forever linked in history as the men who brought the title back to L.A. in the strangest, most turbulent NBA season ever. At age 35, LeBron’s series line—29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists—earned the King his fourth

86

L AKE R S

NBA Finals MVP award. “I want my damn respect,” LeBron said in the on-court awards ceremony, a response to all the doubts and snipes and criticisms that had been coming his way for years and that reached a fever pitch once he signed with the Lakers.

W

hen the team gathered for the post-game titlewinning photo, LeBron cradled the Larry O’Brien Trophy and whispered, “I can’t believe you cheated on me the last four years.” The Lakers erupted. The season was finally over and the Lakers were walking off with the franchise’s 17th NBA title, tied with the Celtics for the most all-time.

Of course, the team dedicated this victorious season to Kobe Bryant and his family. The Laker legend was never far from anyone’s mind, but now he was joined in the team’s elite fraternity.

King James was finally King of L.A., a title that could not be gifted by signing a contract or given based on past success, but had to be earned by claiming the NBA’s championship crown as a Laker.

LAKERS

BY THE NUMBERS

57-0 2 0 19 -2 0 R E C OR D WH E N L E ADI N G A FT E R T HR E E QUAR T ER S

CELEBRATION The Lakers come together to enjoy the franchise’s 17th championship, and the triumphant end of the most unusual season in NBA history.

10 CHAPTER

LE BRO N’ S LEG AC Y

“ DREAM

AS IF YOU’LL LIVE FOREVER. LIVE AS IF YOU’LL DIE TODAY.

”

88

L AKE R S

SWEET LeBron, shown here in Game 6, is only the fourth NBA player to win championships with three different teams.

In the end, LeBron James did what he set out to do: He brought the NBA Championship back to the Los Angeles Lakers. Deciding what the title means to the Lakers is easy. It means they have as many championships as those dreaded Boston Celtics, that the young children of L.A. will finally understand that their team is basketball royalty, and that—yes— there could indeed be celebration and happy days after the death of Kobe Bryant.

But what does it mean to LeBron James, a once-in-a-generation talent who was expected to match or surpass the accomplishments of all the greats from the moment he entered the league directly from high school.

Is he the GOAT? Or, said more simply, is he now better than Michael Jordan? For a while, people below the age of 20 forgot how great MJ really was because they never got to watch him play. Ironically, that changed because of COVID-19. While most

90

L A KER S

L A K E R L OV E Los Angeles wasn’t sure if there was room in their heart for anyone after Kobe Bryant. But LeBron won the city’s affection and its respect.

LEBRON’S LEGACY

LAK E R S

91

TOP DOG LeBron, shown here dunking in Game 6, may never live up to everyone’s expectations. But he never backs down from the fight.

92

L A KER S

LEBRON’S LEGACY

people were stuck in isolation—including the active players of the NBA—Jordan mesmerized the nation once again through the highly-watched ESPN documentary The Last Dance.

With a compelling way to watch His Airness in his prime, the age old question had new life: is LBJ better than MJ? Well, the 2020 championship was LeBron’s fourth league title. But Jordan won six championships without a loss. LeBron-led teams were defeated in the Finals six times—the sharpest argument that LeBron is better than almost everyone to ever play, except for Jordan.

Of course, there is a counter to that argument.

The Chicago Bulls needed six seasons to find a championship-winning formula that brought out the best in Jordan. Once they did, the titles came in bunches. LeBron, on the other hand, will go down in history as being the kind of player that could turn a team into champions. He did it in Miami, Cleveland (overcoming a 3-1 deficit) and, finally, the previously moribund Lakers.

He is the fourth player in NBA history to win championships with three different franchises and the only active player to win four or more.

S

o, regardless of if you do or don’t want to call LeBron James the GOAT, or the most exciting player to watch, or the best scorer, or old, or balding, or #washedjames—LeBron James has shown time and time again that when you mention his name, you have to call him a winner. And like all consistent winners, the proof isn’t measured solely by hardware. True winners act like winners all the time, even in losing, which is why they inspire others.

Take, for instance, what LeBron did after the Lakers clinched the 2020 title. While his teammates bubbled over with bubbly in the Bubble locker room, LBJ called his mom back home in Akron, the woman who raised him as a single mother. “You are the reason I am even able to do this,” LeBron said to Gloria James.

Also away from the court, LeBron proved he was a winner in 2020 by standing up for his convictions, regardless of the backlash. Two years ago, when he spoke out about politics, FOX News host Laura Ingraham famously commented that he should “shut up and dribble.” Yet LeBron continued to speak out, about police brutality, about voter suppression, about the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless other black Americans.

LAK E RS

93

LEBRON’S LEGACY

W

ere it not for the strength of LeBron James’ convictions, it’s entirely conceivable that the rest of the NBA would not have been able to unite together to restart the season—or keep it going in the face of the year’s challenges.

When LeBron was ready to lead the Lakers out of the Bubble during the first round of the playoffs, it had nothing to do with his commitment to basketball. It had everything to do with his commitment to character, purpose, and understanding what is really most important in life.

And when he did find the resolve to return, his star power made sure people didn’t just get to see basketball, they also got to see how LeBron and his fellow players felt about the state of the world—and how they wanted to help make it better.

No team in NBA history ever faced a season like the one LeBron James and the Lakers had to overcome in 2019-20. From front office drama to Kobe’s death to the pandemic to social issues—the year was a lot. Through it all, LeBron maintained his commitment. He carried heavy burdens on his back that would make most others crumble. So is he the GOAT? That debate is almost trivial. What is fact is that in 2020, LeBron James took on all that the world could throw at him, and somehow he found a way to walk off a winner.

LEBRON

BY THE NUMBERS

172 CA R E ER PO S TSE A S ON V I CTOR IE S, T HE L E AG UE R E COR D

94

L A KER S

ALL SMILES At 35, LeBron is not ready to retire yet. But whatever he accomplishes next , it will be hard to top 2019-20.

ED ITO RI AL D I RECTION B Y

10TEN M ED IA , LLC M A NAGING EDITOR

Zachary Cohen CR E ATI V E DI R E CTOR

Ian Knowles EX ECUTI V E EDITOR S

Bob Der, Scott Gramling, Larry Hackett A RT DIR ECTOR

Matthew Warner WRITER

Kelvin C. Bias CONTR IBUTOR S

Connor Der, James Der

BAUER M EDIA ADM IN IS TRAT ION CEO, PR ESIDENT

Steven Kotok CFO

Bill Houston EX ECUTI V E V ICE PR ESIDENTS

Eric Szegda (Consumer Revenue) & Jeff Wellington (Group Publisher) SENIOR V ICE PR ESIDENT

Gena Kelly (Production) V ICE PR ESIDENTS

Holly Oakes (Consumer Marketing) Melissa Meredith (Sales & Shopper Marketing) CONSUMER M A R K ETING DIR ECTOR

Melanie Piselli CI RCU L ATION M A NAGER

Bill Fiakos Published by Heinrich Bauer Publishing, LP. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior permission of the publisher is prohibited. Printed in the U.S.A.

96

L AKE R S

P H OTO C RED I TS Cover: Alex Goodlett/Getty Images Title Page: Kevork Djansezian/ Getty Images TOC P2: Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images; P3: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images INTRO P5: Kevork Djansezian/ Getty Images; P6: Christian Petersen/Getty Images; P7: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images; P8-9: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images; P10: Harry How/Getty Images; P11: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images; P12: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images; P13: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images Chapter 1 P14-15: Scott Varley/ Digital First Media/Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images; P16-17: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images; P18: Mike Ehrmann/ Getty Images; P19: Frederic J. BROWN/AFP; P21: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images Chapter 2 P22-23: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images; P24: Harry How/Getty Images; P25: Allen Berezovsky/ Getty Images; P26: John McCoy/Getty Images; P27: Ezra Shaw/ Getty Images; P29: Harry How/Getty Images Chapter 3 P30-31: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images; P32-33: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images; P34: David McNew/Getty Images; P35: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images; P37: Harry How/ Getty Images Chapter 4 P38-39: MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images; P40: Mario Tama/Getty Images; P41: ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images; P43: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images; P44: Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images; P45: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Chapter 5 P46-47: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images; P48: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images; P49: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images; P51: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images; P52: Ashley Landis Pool/Getty Images; P53: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images Chapter 6 P54-55: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images; P56-57: Kevin C. Cox/ Getty Images; P58: Brandon Bell/Getty Images; P59: Brandon Bell/Getty Images; P60-61: Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images; P63: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images Chapter 7 P64-65: Michael Reaves/Getty Images; P66: Michael Reaves/Getty Images; P68: Michael Reaves/Getty Images; P69: Michael Reaves/Getty Images; P70-71: Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images Chapter 8 P72-73: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images; P75: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images; P76-77: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images; P79: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Chapter 9 P80-81: Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images; P83: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images; P84: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images; P85: Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images; P87: Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images Chapter 10 P88-89: Mike Ehrmann/ Getty Images; P90-91: KYLE GRILLOT/AFP via Getty Images; P92-93: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images; P94-95: Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images Back Cover: Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images

AND THE WORLD CHAMPION

“Hope I made you proud.”

LEBRON JAMES