The Los Angeles Lakers are perhaps the biggest international brand in the NBA. They have support from all around the world and have among the most well-traveled fanbase of any team in the league. So it’s no surprise that soccer players like Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga are fans of L.A.
Camavinga, 21, was born in Angola and eventually found his way to France, where he joined a professional soccer club’s youth system at 11 years old. He signed a professional contract at age 16 with Rennes as part of Ligue 1. In 2019, he became the youngest player in Ligue 1 history to record an assist and two years later he made the transfer to Real Madrid.
He has appeared in 94 games for Real Madrid over the last three years, playing center midfield, defensive midfield and left-back. He has also made 21 appearances for the French national team since 2020. And while spending some time in L.A. over the offseason to train, he chose to stop by the Lakers’ UCLA Health Training Center practice facility:
Win Champions League ✔️ Hoop at the Lakers gym ✔️ pic.twitter.com/2T73M5Afie
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 28, 2024
Real Madrid’s @Camavinga is in the house today 🙌 pic.twitter.com/8RpjDzLaeM
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 28, 2024
Camavinga got the chance to shoot around on the same court the Lakers practice on and got to take some pictures with the team’s championship trophies. It’s a unique opportunity for a young talent like him to get the chance to experience.
The Lakers are no stranger to having celebrity guests in their practice facility. They have welcomed professional athletes from other sports, entertainers and more. All of that is a part of the brand the Lakers have established for themselves in their years atop the NBA landscape.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope explains relationship with Lakers fans
A prominent role player who meant a ton to the Lakers during their 2020 championship run was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. He is someone who thrived off of LeBron James’ gravity and then eventually Anthony Davis when he came into town.
Caldwell-Pope played a vital role for L.A. in the Orlando bubble when Avery Bradley revealed he was not going to play, leaving the Lakers with one less perimeter defender. Thankfully, Caldwell-Pope took on tough assignments during their postseason run and made timely shots to bring a Larry O’Brien trophy No. 17 back to L.A.
However, being a Laker is not for everybody because of the fans, who hold each player to a high standard as the expectation is always a championship. Caldwell-Pope explained that love-hate dynamic between Lakers fans as he got to experience it for four seasons.
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