It has been a long time, but the Los Angeles Lakers finally resemble the glamorous and winning franchise the sports world has grown accustomed to seeing.
After another impressive win, this one coming at the expense of the Brooklyn Nets, the Lakers have moved to 36-9 and already clinched the best record in the Western Conference going into the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend.
LeBron James was named one of the team captains for the game but when asked about what he is looking forward to the most, he brought up sharing the experience with Anthony Davis, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Being there with my brother AD. Being a local kid from Chicago, I can only imagine having an All-Star game in my backyard where I grew up. I think this is going to be an unbelievable moment for AD and his family, so I’m looking forward to being there with him, seeing him being in his hometown and being part of the Lakers. I think that’s pretty amazing.”
James also discussed his thoughts on head coach Frank Vogel coaching Team LeBron:
“That’s dope. I think that’s amazing. I know Coach probably doesn’t wanna talk about it, but he’s put us in position every night to be successful out on the floor and we’ve just tried to go out there and execute. When you have something like this — the by-product of it — we should all be proud of it, the Lakers faithful should be proud to have two All-Stars in the game, another guy in the Dunk Contest on Saturday, and the coaching staff coaching the game on Sunday. It’s pretty cool.”
It is no secret just how close James and Davis are both on and off the floor, so it is not surprising to hear that he is excited about seeing his teammate play an All-Star Game in his hometown. Davis, along with James, has helped turn the Lakers into championship contenders and is being properly recognized for his contributions by being named a starter.
James’ comments about Vogel also speak volumes about how he feels about his new head coach as he clearly has respect for how he is handling the team and getting them prepared each and every night. The team-first ethos that James has preached during the 2019-20 NBA season seems to extend to Vogel and his coaching staff and that kind of environment and culture is why the purple and gold are where they are now.
