The King, the Brow, and the Golden Hardware
By Peyton Schultze
King’s Ransom: LeBron James’ fourth title, and first with the Los Angeles Lakers, officially puts him on the table alongside some of the greatest athletes in the history of American sports (via CBS News).
After ten long and exhausting years, the Los Angeles Lakers have finally returned to the mountaintop and re-claimed the team’s 17th title in franchise history. On the backs of LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the most uncertain time in league history inside Orlando’s NBA bubble, the Lakers found a way to come out on top in the end nearly a year after the season first tipped off on the road against the rival Clippers. Pushing through the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, and Miami Heat in order to once again reign supreme at the top of the basketball world, the Lakers capped off one of the most stunning and emotional years in the history of LA sports with a resounding defensive performance in a win in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night against the Heat.
Fans rejoiced near the STAPLES Center in downtown Los Angeles and players celebrated inside the locker room of the AdventHealth Arena in Orlando, Florida, but the feeling of joy and excitement spread to Laker Nation all over the world. For LeBron James, he found his own joy in a 28-point, 14-rebound, and 10-assist performance that gave him his fourth championship in his already-outstanding NBA career, which also gave him his fourth Finals MVP trophy. Meanwhile, for LA’s superb co-star in Anthony Davis, he captured the first championship of his still-young and promising career and became the first player since Michael Jordan to win an NCAA and NBA Championship, as well as an Olympic Gold Medal. Both superstars became Laker greats in the snap of a finger, forming the organization’s most dominant one-two punch since the days when Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant put up a three-peat for the Purple and Gold.
But although James and Davis were nearly perfect, they did not get to this point on their own. Instead, the 2019-2020 Los Angeles Lakers had one of the most winding, confusing, emotional, and powerful journeys of any recent champion in professional sports history, which saw the organization hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the 17th time in franchise history.
LeBron’s utter dominance inside the NBA bubble made him the obvious choice for this year’s Finals MVP for the fourth time in his career. He also earned the honor of being the only player in NBA history to win the award with three different organizations (via KTLA).
LeBron James’ fourth overall title on his third different team officially has everyone running out of superlatives to describe his age-defying performance. After a MVP-type season that saw him lead the league in assists for the first time in his career and finish in second place to Bucks’ forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, James once again took flight in the postseason. Averaging 27.6 points per game, 8.8 assists per game, and the second most rebounds of his postseason career at 10.8 per game, James carried Los Angeles on his back to their first title since Kobe Bryant did the same back in the 2009-2010 season.
When he first signed with the Lakers in the summer of 2018, several Laker fans were outraged at the notion that a longtime rival could immediately step into the city and fill the shoes of the legend that had retired two summers prior. Yet in just over two years since he since released his memo through Klutch Sports that he would be signing with the league’s most recognizable team, James has established himself as an icon in the city who looms large as the current king of LA sports (even though someone already tried to unsuccessfully take that mantle away). These two years have been as long as ever for multiple reasons, but James already feels like he has been a member of the Laker organization for many years now, which speaks to his willingness to evolve from the cold introductory press conference he first had in 2018 to a figure who was shouting out Laker Nation after this year’s victory. So who is he now that he’s won once again on the league’s biggest stage? He’s a man who was willing to sacrifice his own personal accomplishments for the fight against racial injustice. He’s a man who has brought about the importance of voting to an entire sport. He’s a man who has set out to build his own school in his own hometown. He’s a man who is now a four-time NBA champion with three different organizations. And he’s now a man who has officially become one of the most transformational athletes the world has ever seen.
James’ 2020 postseason inside the NBA bubble solidifies his status among the Laker fan base, especially after some massive performances over the course of their 16-5 run. Although LeBron faced some heat for passing out to guard Danny Green in Game 5 of the NBA Finals last Friday night, his legacy left from this season comes in the form of some gigantic performances in Laker history. Who can forget when James first suited up in the Lakers’ Black Mamba uniforms for the first time and guided the Lakers to their first win of the postseason over Portland? Or when he soared through the air and dunked on Rockets’ guard Russell Westbrook in the second round matchup with Houston? Or his pure scoring dominance in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against Denver to advance to The Finals? Or the close-out Game 6 win over his former team in Miami? LeBron James appears to age like fine wine at this point, only becoming better and better over time with his complete understanding of himself, his basketball environment, and the sport that he has dominated from the moment he stepped on an NBA court in Sacramento back in 2003.
With that being said, this is not the time to begin to once again talk about the “GOAT” conversations that have long surrounded his illustrious career. Before and after this season, James still remains, at the very least, one of the five best players in the history of the sport with only room to continue to grow. Instead, this is to talk about James’ formal introduction into the prolific textbook of Laker legends. James has officially cemented himself as just that in only his second season with the team after another historic postseason run, and has a chance to keep running the table in the latter stages of his career if the Lakers can convince his sidekick to re-sign for the long-term future of the team. LeBron was once infamously known for counting down the numbers of desired championships for his “Big Three” team in Miami, but after such quick success once again on his new team in LA, you have to imagine that one of the game’s greatest players ever has a chance to keep adding even more to his resume as time goes by.
Just one year into a potentially long-term relationship with the storied franchise, Anthony Davis has quickly joined the pantheon of elite Laker big men in winning his first NBA championship (via Bleacher Report).
But what really made this Laker team different from ones of years’ past wasn’t the absurd play of James all year long or the emergence of key role players such as Alex Caruso and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope; it was the arrival of the game’s best power forward in the form of Anthony Davis.
Before arriving in Los Angeles in a blockbuster trade that included promising former Laker prospects such as Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and Lonzo Ball, Davis had spent the first seven seasons of his career fading away down in New Orleans. Often overshadowed by larger markets and without any sort of championship-caliber supporting cast during his time as Pelican, Davis’ arrival in LA was immediately met with open arms given the Lakers’ slump into mediocrity over the past six seasons. Nevertheless, despite his status as a perennial All-Star in the Western Conference with the star-studded ability to single-handedly shift the image of a franchise, Davis was strictly met by the media with plenty of major question right away. How would he fit alongside James (who had never played with a big man as skilled as Davis)? Could he hold up over the course of a regular season? Would his lack of playoff experience show up down the line in a big moment? Was he really ready to become a Laker great?
But the dominant power forward answered every single one of those questions and more, paving his own path toward greatness over the course of the season on both ends of the court. Likely being snubbed at the award for the Defensive Player of the Year and finishing sixth in the NBA’s final MVP vote, Davis was able to average 26.1 points per game, collect 9.3 rebounds per game, and dominate the paint with the third most blocks in the league at 2.3 per game. Yet “The Brow” wasn’t done there, with the Lakers’ clear goal to still finish the season as the last team standing.
Completely raising his game alongside James over the course of the Lakers’ grueling playoff stretch, Davis opened up eyes around the league with his phenomenal play. Purely dominating the interior on both ends of the court and showing off a shooting stroke that only appeared to keep getting better over time, Davis became the clear favorite for the role of the league’s best big man with his spectacular play when it mattered most. This was most obvious in the biggest moment of the playoffs in a highlight that will long live in Lakers’ lore, when the agile power forward extended his range to the three-point line and hit a dramatic game-winning shot at the buzzer to seal a key Laker win in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. For Davis, not only was it the biggest moment of his career, but it gave the Lakers all the momentum they eventually needed to close out a feisty Denver team that had just taken out the favored Los Angeles Clippers just a series before.
But the last step for Davis was the stage of the NBA Finals, a place where he had never been before. Yet with flat out dominant play to open up the series in Games 1 and 2, the power forward gave the Heat plenty of trouble on the offensive glass and out on the perimeter. But even though Davis’ offense was relatively consistent outside of a uncharacteristic Game 3 performance, his defense was one of the central reasons the Lakers were able to capture their 17th title. With two defensive gems in Games 3 and 6 of the series, Davis’ sheer size and athleticism was able to contain Heat superstars Bam Adebayo (when healthy) and Jimmy Butler by strongly impacting their effectiveness on the offense end. This changed the course of the Heat’s gameplan, forcing untimely shots from their young supporting cast and enabling the Lakers’ deadly transition attack to get off and running early and often. Just like any series, it wasn’t all perfect for a player who had such important duties at all times on the court. But for a player who had never seen the bright lights of the NBA Finals before this moment, Davis truly performed like a player who figures to be right back on this stage several times over the next decade.
United as One: the 2019-2020 Los Angeles Lakers formed an extremely tight bond over the course of the season barring a plethora of unforeseen circumstances, which makes this recent title just that much sweeter for players and fans alike (via E! Online).
James and Davis were obviously the players who deserved the most recognition for this spectacular run to a championship, but the Lakers’ supporting cast had plenty of their own challenges over the course of the year that could have simply broken up an average team. Whether it be the tragic passing of Kobe and Gianna Bryant in late January or the suspension of the season in mid-March, it took a lot for the Lakers to stick together through thick and thin over the course of the past year.
The Lakers earned their way to the top of the Western Conference in the 2019-2020 regular season, but what many did not seem to understand was how close these Lakers truly were. Even heading into the postseason, the Lakers’ supporting cast received their fair share of criticism after a lackluster period of success during the Lakers’ initial run inside the bubble. With questions over the effectiveness of their three-point shooting and the lack of a clear #3 scorer each night alongside James and Davis, many analysts picked other teams out West to shock the top seed in the conference. But the Lakers responded in the playoffs with pure fire and fury on both ends of the court, providing a truly devastating transition attack that was complimented by a overpowering defense that showed up night in and night out. This speaks to the importance of first-year Lakers’ head coach Frank Vogel, who brought a clear defensive identity to this organization for the first time in a decade. Vogel understood the team’s potential flaws on the offensive end in comparison to teams reliant on shooting like the Rockets and Clippers, so he and the coaching staff created a plan to swarm these elite offensive attacks with a championship-caliber defense that could make-or-break a title.
But the Lakers’ will to overcome the impossible is what will define this team for decades. By no means was this roster the most talented in the NBA, and it may not have even been the most talented roster in its own city. But these Lakers were a tight-knit group that refused to give up on one another and fought until the very end. It’s a valiant piece of symbolism that in a year of so much chaos, turmoil, and disorganization around the world that this Laker team ended up as the last ones being able to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy. They brought together a broken city in one pure moment of triumph, which makes this version of the Lakers one that simply will never fade away over time.
The Lakers’ emotional ride over the past year led them to this stunning moment on Sunday night, where LeBron James and Rajon Rondo embraced with one another to celebrate the team’s first title since 2010 (via WHIO TV).
Many figures deserve credit for this championship on-and-off the court for Los Angeles, especially considering the sloppiness that has flowed through the organization following Bryant’s retirement in 2016. Former Laker legend Magic Johnson was the one who convinced LeBron to take his talents to west coast, but current general manager Rob Pelinka was ultimately the architect behind their 17th title in franchise history. And even though he inexplicably finished seventh in the race for the NBA’s Executive of the Year award, Pelinka deserves a ton of credit for working alongside Johnson and current Lakers’ owner Jeanie Buss during his tenure with the team. And speaking of Buss, she has officially become the first female owner in NBA history to capture a championship. After replacing her father as the full-time owner after his passing in 2013 and a family-wide dispute that lasted until the end of the 2019-2020 season, Buss now leads the Lakers into the hopeful future as their clear leader at the top of the organization.
Heading down onto the court, many other contributors helped the Lakers capture this title on miraculous journeys of their own. Former Celtic Rajon Rondo became the first player in NBA history to capture a ring with the league’s two most historic franchises, and he also became the player with the most assists off the bench in a single postseason. Guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was booed at games earlier in the season due to his poor play, but stepped up for the Lakers in the playoffs as a three-point sniper capable of hitting big shots. Forward Markieff Morris was considered a cheap pickup mid-way through the season, but ended up playing huge minutes on a championship team with his strong defensive mindset and vital range behind the arc. Even guard Alex Caruso, a former G-Leaguer who was once simply a fill-in for an injured Lonzo Ball in a Summer League game, transformed himself from a fan-favorite into a key cog in the rotation who started Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
But the one figure who may have played the largest role in this championship win was, unfortunately, not even able to be there. The passing of Kobe Bryant shifted the basketball landscape in late January, but no more so than in the city of Los Angeles. Beaten, broken, and full of remorse, the city struggled to recover until James’ first true defining moment as a Laker, when he comforted an emotional crowd in the team’s first return to the court at STAPLES Center. From that moment on, we witnessed a united team that seemed like it was going to do whatever it took to rightfully honor the memory of Bryant. Whether it be Anthony Davis donning Bryant’s signature Nike shoes each game over the course of the playoffs or James’ dedication to win this season for the fallen Laker, Bryant’s memory loomed large over the Lakers’ miraculous postseason run and guided a struggling fan base to once again re-discover the Mamba Mentality and embark on the hunt for everlasting glory.
After a dominant 16-5 stretch through the gantlet known as the 2020 NBA Playoffs, this Lakers’ team has a chance to go down as one of the greatest units in the history of the sport (via US News).
So where exactly does this Laker team rank among the greatest in franchise history? It is certainly hard to say that they match up with the dominance of the Lakers’ past 1987 or 2001 seasons, but they could easily make the case for the fan base’s most emotional and close-to-home championship. The previous contender for that notion likely would have fallen into the hands of Kobe Bryant and the 2010 Lakers, who finally overcame the Boston Celtics in a dramatic seven-game series, but what James, Davis, and the 2020 Lakers were able to do simply cannot be ignored.
They overcame the nay-sayers who said this team was not a title contender before the season began. They overcame the Blazers, Rockets, Clippers, and Nuggets in the West, who many thought would destroy the Lakers in a potential playoff matchup. They overcame the sudden passing of their most famed icon, a player who defined a city for two decades of basketball. They overcame a season that was halted due to a global pandemic, and then resumed several months later. They overcame the mental struggle of the NBA bubble, where entire families could not attend due to COVID-19 concerns. But most of all, the Lakers overcame themselves. A wacky combination of players that could have carried massive egos turned into a group full of perfect symphony, who would give up their personal accomplishments in order to do whatever it took for this team to win. Look no further than Dwight Howard, the former Lakers’ villain who re-signed with the team this season in order to have another shot at redeeming himself and capturing his first title. A future Hall of Famer with some of the most dominant defensive years in NBA history, Howard was an off-and-on figure in the rotation who was asked to step up in key moments, as well as step back when the team needed him to. But Howard never complained about his role, and he now finds himself as a one-time world champion with a team that many thought he would never return to.
“Don’t ever give up on your dreams. Don’t ever ******* do it.”
Whether it be Howard or any other member of the Laker organization that played a role in this victory, this team never gave up on their dreams or their unique bond with one another. And as it finally came to fruition on a warm Orlando night at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports after a grueling stretch that lasted over 100 days, Howard and the Lakers only had two things in mind: to start popping the champagne bottles and to celebrate one of the most iconic seasons in the history of LA sports.