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Lakers Video: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Issues Emotional Farewell To Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr.

Hannah Kulik
2 Min Read
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

By the Los Angeles Lakers trading Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. to the Cleveland Cavaliers, fans of the NBA were reminded again at the trade deadline that for owners and team executives, basketball is indeed a business.

For the players, however, there is a human element that is often overlooked. The Lakers front office has been uniformly applauded by making a deft trade, which helped create salary cap space needed for the team to chase two superstar free agents this summer.

But for the players, it is more about camaraderie and friendship. Clarkson and Nance are, by all accounts, great teammates and solid human beings, and they played their hearts out for the Lakers.

Both were true professionals, even when all around them the team was engulfed in drama: An attempted coup within the Buss family, a coaching change from Byron Scott to Luke Walton, and the overhaul of the front office.

A sign of the brotherhood that had been developed was evident in an emotional video Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shared on Uninterrupted, to thank his former teammates for their kindness and friendship:

While Caldwell-Pope is only in his first season with the Lakers, the message and words he delivered were echoed by Walton, Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle, among others with the organization.

Whether the trade will lead to the Lakers signing the superstar(s) they covet won’t be determined until this summer or next, but Caldwell-Pope’s words about his former teammates are a reminder of the humanity of the game that is sometimes overlooked.

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By Hannah Kulik
Hannah Kulik is a passionate NBA fan who has been writing articles on the Los Angeles Lakers for the past three seasons. Many of her articles have been picked up by other publications such as Bleacher Report and Chatsports. She focuses mostly on editorials in which she analyzes the team's player personnel and front office in order to gain insight into why the team is successful or struggling on the court. She also reports on developments around the NBA which may impact the Lakers' fortunes. She is active on Twitter where she communicates regularly with fans who write to her -- and many do. Hannah recently started posting videos on her You Tube Channel called "Laker Han" in which she breaks down recent events affecting the team at that moment. Hannah is currently a college student in her junior year, where she has appeared as an on-air television and radio personality for her campus stations. She is seriously into health and fitness and an advocate for beauty and life-style products. She is also an equestrian who competed for many years on a national scale in the Arabian horse world.