The Los Angeles Lakers are only one win away from celebrating another title. While there’s still a long way to go for the 2024 NBA playoffs, LeBron James and company already have a shot at winning the In-Season Tournament.
With a commanding 133-89 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, the purple and gold have set up another meeting in Las Vegas. This time, it will be against the Indiana Pacers, with the first edition of the trophy up for grabs.
Though finishing the competition strongly would mean a lot for Darvin Ham’s team, it looks like the franchise does not plan to hang a banner for a potential In-Season Tournament triumph.
“I’m told the Lakers currently have no plans to change their stance on only hanging banners for NBA championships. They don’t hang banners for Western Conference titles, Pacific Division titles, and (for now) potential NBA In-Season Tournament titles, only NBA titles,” Lakers insider Arash Markazi wrote on X (Twitter).
Lakers only care about NBA championships
The Lakers take pride in their 17 NBA championships, which makes them the most successful team in the league along with the Boston Celtics. But their goal is to be the only team that boasts the most titles. That’s why they only hang banners for NBA championships.
Therefore, it would make sense if they don’t brag that much about winning the NBA In-Season Tournament, in the event they beat the Pacers. For Indiana, on the other hand, the trophy would mean more as the franchise has never won an NBA championship so far.
D’Angelo Russell says In-Season Tournament could mean a lot for his personal legacy
While winning the In-Season Tournament may not be so important for the Lakers, it would matter for D’Angelo Russell. The guard feels that, this way, he could have something to celebrate after everything he went through before returning to the Lakers in February.
“I think it’s a big deal just to be part of the legacy,” Russell said, via Lakers Nation. “I think that would make my legacy a little underrated for the outside looking in. But for my family, my fans, my friends, they know what I’ve been through here and they know who I’ve crossed paths with, and to be able to stand next to LeBron and AD and guys like that and win a championship, I don’t know if it will go unnoticed to a lot of people but for me it will be a huge deal. I could officially say that I would be a diehard Laker fan at that point, right. It’s a big deal.”
Russell was drafted by the purple and gold in 2015, but it didn’t take them long to trade him. In 2017, he was sent to the Brooklyn Nets. Russell later spent time with the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves before he finally got back to LA. Now, he’s enjoying a prominent role next to LeBron and Anthony Davis.
