Lakers Media Day
Media Day came and went for 28 of the 30 National Basketball Association franchises yesterday, and, as expected, the stars garnered the attention. Except, that is, in Los Angeles, where the Lakers’ Lonzo Ball held court and responded to query after query under klieg lights normally reserved for, and with the aplomb of, marquee names. In part, it’s because of the pomp and circumstance intrinsically associated with donning purple and gold. In larger measure, it’s because the rookie hit the pro scene with extraordinary public exposure built up in no small measure by his businesssavvy father.
In this regard, it’s no surprise to find front-office personnel having to fend off speculation about LaVar about as often as they needed to expound on their confidence in Lonzo. In insisting that he wouldn’t be employing a full-court press on pere et fils (one off the court and the other on it, of course), Lakers President Magic Johnson did concede that he harbored great expectations. “Give (LaVar) credit. He understands how to market the Big Baller Brand. But my job is not to monitor him,” the Hall of Famer noted. “Fifteen guys, that is all I’m concerned with. And I am concerned with his son getting off to a good and fast start.” By all accounts, Lonzo is doing just fine. Unlike his father, he’s not gregarious by nature. He prefers to lead by example, in Johnson’s opinion exactly the type of player slated to progress these days. “You think about my style. I am in your face. I don’t think the kids today would go for my style. This is the style he has to have in today’s game, and I think it works.” And it isn’t as if he shuns the responsibility. On the contrary, he seems to want to embrace it. For all the scrutiny he invites, he possesses self-assurance; he knows, for instance, that he will be the target of opponents precisely because of all the hype, but believes he can “go out and do my job” all the same.
The proof of the pudding is, as the cliché goes, in the eating, so the success, or lack thereof, of LaVar’s first year depends on how far the Lakers will go. “We’re focused on making the playoffs,” he disclosed matter-of-factly. He’s fully aware of the gravity of the challenge, foreseeing it to be “a tough journey.” At the same time, he’s “looking forward to it.” In short, he’s ready and willing, and time will tell if he ends up being able as well.
Media Day came and went for 28 of the 30 National Basketball Association franchises yesterday, and, as expected, the stars garnered the attention. Except, that is, in Los Angeles, where the Lakers’ Lonzo Ball held court and responded to query after query under klieg lights normally reserved for, and with the aplomb of, marquee names. In part, it’s because of the pomp and circumstance intrinsically associated with donning purple and gold.