Bonds Between Young Lakers: Real and Refreshing

By Kevin Ding - Senior Writer

In the Lakers’ nearly empty gym after practice one day last month, the Dodgers had come calling to ask a favor. The request was to contribute to the Dodgers’ Kirk Gibson Opening Day tribute video and celebrate his famous double-arm pump from 1988.

It might’ve been more generationally fitting for Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Byron Scott to squeeze into some short shorts and handle the Lakers’ video contribution (and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did have a cameo in a Jackie Robinson jersey), but 1990s babies Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma were still glad to help. Given a brief history lesson and general instructions, the three current Lakers proceeded to execute a pretty slick sequence:

Ingram passes from one side of the lane to Kuzma on the other, and Kuzma throws a behind-the-back pass off the far left frame of the backboard for the ball to ricochet in front of the rim as a perfect alley-oop to Ball, barreling down the lane to catch and dunk in one motion. All three turn back to the camera and launch into their own Gibson-esque arm pumps.

Ingram does so stiffly, though he is still recovering from a groin strain at the time. Kuzma hams it up with that mischievous grin, a little over the top as he glances over at the director. Ball absolutely owns it while adding a personal touch–waiting to have the camera frame all to himself and leaping in the air to double-pump with stone-faced confidence. Ball and Kuzma do it all with their practice jerseys slung around their necks so they flap behind them like superhero capes as they move.

It’s a snapshot of their three respective personalities, which we came to know well and embrace fully this season because these players were so willing to share of themselves with each other and their fans.

The young Lakers loved to compete on the court and showed uncanny comfort in their own skin in this league that is supposed to be more than they’re ready for. In so doing, the players were the visible embodiment of the “Lakers 2.0” concept introduced last year by Tim Harris, Lakers President, Business Operations–a 2.0 update meant to restart the fabled franchise with fresh openness, honesty and joy.