Los Angeles Lakers

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My thoughts on Kobe Bryant — the ultimate nemesis

Here is Kobe Bryant dominating my team once again, dropping 51 points .

I hated Kobe Bryant.

Growing up in the Bay Area as a Warriors fan, why would you like him? He entered the league in 1996 and at the time I didn’t think much of it. After all, he was this high school phenom but hadn’t proved anything yet. But because he was on the Lakers, I knew that this guy was the enemy.

Over the years, that enemy became the villain. He was the nemesis. He was the thorn in my side and on the side of my favorite team.

I rooted against him.

I hated it when the Lakers won three straight titles. I hated seeing him make those game-winning shots. I didn’t want to hear it when he scored 81 points. I was upset that he won two more titles later in his career.

I would intentionally agitate fans by claiming that he wasn’t the G.O.A.T. and that he wasn’t even the best player of his own generation. (Tim Duncan is better.) When he scored 60 in his final game, I looked at the flaws of his stat line and instead tried to direct the narrative to the Warriors who had just won their 73rd game that same night.

Heck, even when the Lakers retired both his jerseys, I was finding ways to hate on this unprecedented move for a team I didn’t care about.

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The mixed feelings of LeBron James going to the Lakers

I remember the feeling I had when I watched “The Decision” in 2010. It was on my birthday and I sat at my dinner table with my parents. They didn’t really care but I was watching in disgust as the whole televised event played out.

The disgust wasn’t really about the actual decision to join the Heat, but rather it was on LeBron James’ whole attention-seeking act. I still didn’t like the move to Miami, but I understood it.

This time around, there is another disgust about LeBron James leaving Cleveland again. But it wasn’t because of this televised announcement. He didn’t have one. And I don’t fault him for leaving after finally delivering a championship to Cleveland.

No. It’s because he’s joining the Lakers.

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Kobe Bryant’s going to retire and I’m glad the villain is gone

This news didn’t come as a surprise as we saw Kobe Bryant fall apart and become a bandaged player that he once was. His shots were falling short and his mobility was limited. He has given his body everything he could in 20 years of basketball and this has become a sad ending to a storied career.

But I don’t care.

As much as I know and understand how great of a basketball player he is, I honestly don’t have any feelings toward this news or anything else right. I knew it was sad when his decline began a few years ago, but now it just feels like it’s been dragged out.

Growing up in the Bay Area as a Warriors fan, perception of basketball was different than the rest of the world. I wasn’t used to seeing my team win. I wasn’t used to seeing great superstars come through Oakland and staying. I didn’t think my team was good enough and they weren’t. I always had to look up at the Lakers and see them winning all the time and I didn’t like it. And Kobe Bryant was a big part of that. So in an essence, I didn’t like him. Continue reading →

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Mitchell & Ness’ ‘Team Short’ snapbacks are copying Reebok

One of the best team apparel cap designs I have ever seen was created by Reebok for the NFL in 2006. All team caps were unique in design because the side panels of the caps were actually the design of the team pant stripes that year. In Reebok’s tenure in manufacturing items for the NFL, this was their best design.

Today, Mitchell & Ness released a series of throwbacks for the Lakers (here, here, here), Sonics (here, here) and Grizzlies (here). Notice anything? They took the same concept of what Reebok did with their snapback. It’s a great looking cap, but it doesn’t feel original. Of course, there are limitations in designing such a cap. But it just feels like M&N took what Reebok did and re-purposed it for their design.

This could just be a coincidence but since the Reebok idea isn’t an innovative idea and it came out almost a decade ago, you never know. I’m surprised that there are only these three teams. I wonder if more is to come.

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The Charles Barkley Lakers hunger strike could kill him

This is a bold declaration. Of course Barkley said he would rethink it, but I wondered how serious it would be if he followed up with it. The Lakers play Sunday against the Hornets. I think they lose that game. I don’t think 0-82 is going to happen, but Barkley runs the risk of possibly not eating for a full week.

That could kill him. I would go insane if I couldn’t eat for that long.

Good luck, Chuck. If you do go with this, you are a foolish man. But a wise man at the same time.

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Lakers embrace social media in their shooting shirts

This isn’t the first time social media has been used in team outfits. The Lakers are taking that with their social media night and it’s pretty neat. I am all for handles being used in warmup clothing and so forth, just not for actual in-game stuff.

#Embrace the future of marketing.

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The NBA and Adidas’ desire to produce more sleeved abominations

Yes, NBA and Adidas. Please tell me how these are great designs for a basketball uniform! It is so great to see something so innovative in a sport that demands something like this.

Oh Adidas, you are one of a kind.

[/sarcasm]

My goodness these are horrible.

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Lakers unveil ‘Stay’ billboards urging Dwight Howard to re-sign in free agency

#KeepD12
He’s bad news and just a bad handful for any team.

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Kobe Bryant is retiring if you believe what the Internet tells you

https://twitter.com/WojYahoooNBA/status/336281495406780416

Earlier in the day, Kobe Bryant announced that he would have an announcement. Some speculated that he would announce his retirement, but it actually ended up that he was partnering with a non-profit organization.

But of course, if one fake account makes you believe it to be true, then people will believe it. That forced Bryant to come out and debunk those rumors.

Don’t be a fool. Not everything on the Internet is true.

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It’s a shame if this is the end for Kobe Bryant

The last we’ve seen of Kobe Bryant?

The Lakers say that Kobe Bryant tore his Achilles. Bryant himself believes that too. It’s the kind of injury that can sideline a player for over a year. Nobody comes back from the injury the same as they once was before.

I am not a Lakers fans and I can’t stand anything associated with the team. But I know basketball and I respect talented players when I see them. That’s Bryant. Despite his selfish ways and his arrogance, it’s part of what makes him a basketball player you just have to watch. He has been so great for so long that you would think that he could play on forever.

But with this injury, it appears that his days as a Laker could be over. His days in the NBA could be on the same boat.

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