After 20 seasons in the NBA, Kobe Bryant has walked away from the game of basketball leaving a considerable void for the Los Angeles Lakers. Although it’ll take some time to see if one of the team’s young players can emerge as the new face of the franchise, rookie Brandon Ingram will take over a locker at the practice facility which has been occupied by one player for the last two decades.
According to Mike Bresnahan of TWCSportsNet, Bryant’s old locker will now go to Ingram:
I'm hearing that Kobe Bryant's locker at the Lakers' training facility now belongs to Brandon Ingram. Symbolic, or something like that.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) July 5, 2016
On Tuesday, Ingram and fellow rookie Ivica Zubac will be introduced by the Lakers at the practice facility. The introductory press conference will be the first time these two rookies will hold up their jerseys as well as the first time they’ll take the floor for a practice session ahead of the NBA Summer League.
Ingram and Zubac will join D’Angelo Russell, Larry Nance Jr., and Anthony Brown on the Summer League squad in Las Vegas. The Summer League schedule was announced last week with the Lakers guaranteed to play at least five games.
The first three games of the Lakers Summer League schedule include matchups against the New Orleans Pelicans, Philadelphia 76ers, and Golden State Warriors. The Lakers’ opponents of the fourth and fifth game are to be determined.