What number will outshine 24 in LAL?

When number 24, then wearing number 8 debuted with the Los Angeles Lakers 21 years ago at the age of 19, we noticed an air of arrogant confidence enveloping the persona.  Kobe Bryant displayed a cocky strut during his early years and his work ethic was misunderstood by most as being selfish.  Eventually, like Magic Johnson before him, he became the face of the franchise

He had a good basketball pedigree as his father Joe, popularly known as Jellybean also played pro ball with the Philadelphia 76ers and played for the NBA title alongside legends Julius Irving, George McGinnis and Doug Collins in 1977, losing to Bill Walton and the Portland Trailblazers in 6 games.

Joe lasted 8 years in the NBA playing for 3 teams and continued playing in the Italian Serie A until he retired in 1992.  It was in Italy where Kobe spent most of his childhood and where he became fluent in the Italian language.

After 20 years in the league Kobe said arrivederci.  He had given the Lakers 5 titles and gotten for himself multiple league and franchise individual records.  It would take someone with comparable if not exceptional ability to surpass his achievements and that someone sporting one of the league’s eyebrow raising hairstyles is being hyped as the heir to Kobe’s throne.As a line in Tagalog goes, “maramipa’ngkakaininnabigas” whoever he may be.

Personally, the Laker number 2 will always belong to Derek Fisher and as an important contributor to the 5 Laker titles, they should have retired the number but the one with the differently talented barber is wearing the number.  I must reluctantly admit that so far, he had given justice to number once worn by a Laker great.

Lonzo Ball became the NBA’s youngest player to record a triple double in a losing effort against Milwaukee last Sunday.  His point production is suspect but his overall basketball IQ is superior that coach Luke Walton is confident in his ability.

He doesn’t have the swagger and the arrogance of the Kobe of yesteryears nor he had the fine basketball lineage from his father Lavar, whose rise to fame is being gifted with a mouth having a cyclic rate of fire faster than a helicopter gunship’s gatling gun.  Lonzohad been quite and let his balling do the talking.  The noise was created was mostly made by the US sports media that his game is scrutinized every time. 

He’s still 20-years old yet Lonzo is already given the superstar status by the Laker faithful.  He wears his own signature shoes and apparel and his jerseys now outnumber the Kobe jerseys during Laker home games.  I suppose Laker Nation is welcoming and embracing the Ball era. 

Kobe already took off his Nikes but like Michael Jordan and LeBron James, he probably also has a lifetime deal with the shoe company.  We might be seeing fewer fans wearing the number 24 jersey but his shoes are very popular with the younger stars like DeMarDeRozan and GiannisAntetokounmpo that as per research, 58 current players are wearing Kobe’s signature shoes, probably because they grew up watching him play.  That same research also said that Kobe has overtaken the Jordan shoes in popularity, with the Nike Kobe Ads the most popular among players.

Lonzo never signed a shoe deal with the big brands and that’s the beauty of being independent as he can wear, aside from his own Big Baller Brand, any shoe brand on any playing day.  But to have 3B compete with the big players is but a dream wilder than a storm signal number 5.

Shoes and storm signals aside, the Lakers got the biggest steal of the rookie draft in Kyle Kuzma and there is a strong chance that he’ll get the rookie of the year honors.  And if Lonzo Ball won’t do something with his shooting, the young man wearing jersey number zero, along with Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle, could be vying for top billing in the search for the LA Lakers’ next image model.

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Shout out to one of our loyal readers, Marino Longakit, who regularly reads The Freeman.  Thank you for the kind and encouraging words.  We writers get our inspiration from readers like you.  Yes, we also have our share haters but we still thank them because inspite of the negativity, they still read what we write.  Alkanselangangmasuko.  Begra, as in grabe.