Los Angeles Lakers center Montrezl Harrell has become a fan favorite throughout the 2020-21 season because of the passion and energy he plays the game of basketball with. Even as his role has shifted and his minutes have decreased, he maintains his focus on the team.
Off the court, Harrell has put a huge amount of emphasis on his family. If he does talk about his life away from basketball, it’s usually in reference to the people closest to him. This is why he went through a particularly rough patch at the end of last season and during this season due to the loss of his grandmother.
To honor his grandmother — who he was extremely close to — Harrell became the sole owner of the daycare his aunt used to work at growing up, and proceeded to name it after the same grandmother, via Harrell on Instagram:
Harrell has clearly gone through a lot in recent months, even saying so on multiple occasions. However, being able to buy the daycare his aunt worked at and make it a tribute to his grandmother is a moving and deeply personal tribute.
There is a reason that Harrell has resonated so well with Lakers fans, and it’s things like this that affirm that mutual respect. He has shown in many different ways that he plans on honoring his grandmother’s legacy for as long as possible, and this is perhaps one of the best ways to do that.
Harrell staying locked in despite role change
Harrell recently tried to give some insight into the things that have been going on in his personal life. However, he assured everybody that his focus remains on basketball and that — for the two and a half hours of game time — he’s locked in. “Honestly, I just come out here and play the game. I’m dealing with a lot off the court and day-to-day struggles with life. Just different things I’m going through.
“So this is the only time that I have a two-and-a-half-hour window where I come and just lock into my job and everything in the outside world doesn’t matter. I get to come and do something that I love. Just get away from it all.”
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