In sport, like in life, it is common to think there will always be a second chance. Kent Bazemore returning to the Los Angeles Lakers seven years after the purple and gold didnāt extend him a qualifying offer seems to prove that.
The 32-year-old now joins LeBron James ina roster full of experience that will chase the championship in the 2021/22 NBA season. Bazemore has even reportedly turned down more money from the Golden State Warriors in order to go after his first ring.
It seems like his desire to chase the ultimate glory is so big that he was able to get over his hard feelings towards the franchise for snubbing him in 2014 after just 23 games. That time, the Lakers intended to make room forCarmelo Anthony, whowill be his teammate in his second tenure at the Staples Center.
Kent Bazemore says that Lakers letting him leave in 2014 has only motivated him
No player on the planet would like to be overlooked. Any signal of disrespect always harms their pride and confidence, and it can take years for an athlete to forgive that kind of behavior.
Well, when the Lakers let Kent Bazemore leave to create cap space for pursuing Carmelo Anthony, it mustnāt have been nice for him, especially considering he had spent only part of the season in Los Angeles.
If not, he would have joined them again in 2016, but he wasnāt ready to forgive them for how he was treated two years back. Recently,Bazemore opened up on how that moment inspired him toprove his worth:
āThat kind of lit a fire underneath me a little bit back in the day when I used to hold on to those kinds of things before I understood the business side of everything,ā he said in his introduction press conference. āBut Iām just very fortunate to have another opportunity to play in the best league of basketball and one of the greatest organizations in any sport. I played with Carmelo (Anthony) up in Portland.
āItās just cool being in a locker room with a bunch of guys that Iāve been playing with for a while, playing against for a while. Itās my 10th season and Iām here to win and I think a lot of guys are. So, Iām looking forward to seeing how that all comes into fruition,ā Bazemore added.
He hasleft behind all kinds of resentment to the Lakers for not extending him the qualifying offer in 2014 and is excited to begin the new season, where he will reunite with Melo, who Los Angeles failed to bring when they didnāt renewKentās deal. At 32 years of age, this comes like a second chance for Bazemore and also for the Lakers.
