The Los Angeles Lakers are tied for the most NBA championships in league history (17). They also have the most NBA Finals appearances (32), and the second-most Hall of Famers (31).
The Lakers overcame the Boston Celtics‘ early dominance, evening things up upon Dr. Jerry Buss’ arrival and setting a standard for greatness. They became a global brand and made sure to have nothing but the creme of the crop donning the Purple & Gold jersey.
Simply put, Lakers fans are used to nothing but excellence. Every season, it’s championship or bust, regardless of who’s playing or how the rest of the league looks. That’s just the mindset that comes with a franchise like that.
That’s why the late great Kobe Bryant once shut down the notion of hanging division or conference banners and why he would feel sick to his stomach if he knew they intended to hang a banner for the In-Season Tournament.
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant Said Lakers Should Only Hang Banners For NBA Titles
Throughout the course of his entire career, Bryant held himself to the highest standard, and he demanded the same for every single one of his teammates. He even claimed that they didn’t have to like each other, but they needed to pursue a common goal every year:
“You have a responsibility to the city of Los Angeles to bring championship banners back where they belong,” Kobe said. “That is your responsibility. You have to understand that nothing else matters. This franchise does not hang division banners. It does not hang conference championships. We hang one banner and one banner only, and that’s NBA titles.”
Kobe knew how much it meant to play for one of the most storied and successful franchises in sports history. That’s why he took pride in representing the city of Los Angeles:
“It’s a brand thing,” Kobe said. “Lakers stand for excellence; stand for winning. We don’t have division banners, you know what I’m saying? We don’t do that. You don’t retire everyone’s jersey; you retire Hall of Famer’s jerseys.”
Kobe Bryant
The legendary shooting guard made sure to live up to the Lakers’ standard. Through thick and thin, he led by example and wanted everybody else to do the same. That’s why he never tolerated anything but 110% effort, even if it made him look like a bad teammate.
Lakers Plan To Unveil An In-Season Tournament Banner
Winning seven games en route to an NBA Cup is fine. At the end of the day, teams should go all out to try and win everything, and it only makes sense that the Lakers wanted to win the trophy; that’s fine.
But from that, to hang a banner right next to the ones they have for their actual 17 NBA Championships is a true testament to what the franchise has turned into since Dr. Buss passed away.
Granted that Kobe didn’t win every year and was a part of some mediocre teams himself, but the standard was always the same. There was no patting themselves on the back. There was no celebrating after winning the WCF. It was championship or bust, as it should be.
see also
LeBron James headlines Lakers" key aspect to win In-Season Tournament
The Lakers need to do whatever they can to preserve that mystique, that winning aura. Settling for anything less is disrespectful to all legends that donned the Purple and Gold, and it surely is disrespectful to the greatest Laker of all: The Black Mamba.
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