On Forbes’ list of the world’s 50 most valuable sports teams in 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers landed at #9. They are the second most valuable team in the National Basketball Association (worth $3 billion). As people say, with great power comes great responsibility. The Lakers have 16 championships and remain one of the most discussed teams in the league. Although a majority of LakerNation has continued to support them, play on the court in recent years has had more low moments than high ones.
The Baby Lakers this year, however, have brought a refreshing and hopeful energy to the city. Many wondered if UCLA’s young, reserved, and sometimes stoic Lonzo Ball could handle the bright lights. Sports commentators worried about whether he would make friends, given the shadow of his father’s personality. The team is also without many familiar faces from the previous era, leaving only Julius Randle. In the midst of all the change, they’ve been surprisingly entertaining.
Rookies Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma put the doubters on notice almost immediately. The two worked together on mesmerizing touch passes, cross court assists, and no look lobs in the paint. When asked about the almost fairy-tale like connection between the two, Ball cited an unspoken understanding he referred to as “the light skinned brother connection”. Whatever it is, their camaraderie has been the thing we never knew we needed this season.
Like siblings, Zo & Kuz seem to express their love through endless joking and picking at one another. They can often be found on any, if not all, the social media outlets roasting each other before and after games. Their locker room banter has become something fans and haters alike look forward to.
For example, Kuzma threw some shade at Ball”s “BBB” comment (the Ball family clothing brand) underneath one of Kuzma’s pictures. Kyle threatened to unfollow Lonzo if he ever did it again. Kuzma has talked about how he takes pride in styling himself instead of having someone else do it, as many stars do. Naturally, Lonzo has quickly become his biggest style critique.
But no son of LaVar’s is going to be clowned and not give it right back. He’s no small baller. Zo has an unofficial series on his Instagram stories where he documents each time Kuz wears his beloved Nike sweat suit-which is basically all the time. The short video clips usually show Kuzma walking or sitting (basically living) in his sweatsuit while Lonzo and the peanut gallery make jokes.
And then there was the now infamous fur coat.
Kuzma & Ball’s conventional approach to bonding became infectious and suddenly, the rest of the locker room was in on the banter.
Photo Credit: Twitter
Photo Credit: Twitter
It was a team effort to roast Josh Hart when he broke his hand recently and posted a picture eluding to his having to miss some playing time.
They roasted Brandon Ingram about his wiry arms and legs, comparing him to SlenderMan, a character from children’s horror stories. They roasted Lonzo’s newest rap songs, comparing him to a Kidz Bop artist. The Baby Lakers never miss an opportunity to laugh- together and at one another.
This new Lakers core has been learning from the wins and the losses together. They are a team that can roast each other as fiercely as they can defend one another. Hart, Ingram, Kuzma, and Lonzo have each had their ups and downs thus far this season, but they’ve also had each other’s backs.
Earlier last month at the trade deadline Kuzma joked about the Lakers discussing the possibility of a Lonzo Ball trade for a bag of peanuts. He followed up that comment by noting how much Zo brings to the team defensively and offensively. Jokes may fly, but Kuzma has been one of Lonzo’s biggest cheerleaders, encouraging him through injury and speaking out against his critics.
Laker Troll Wars are iconic and hilarious, but their improvement on the court has been no laughing matter. They already have 3 more wins now, than they did all of last season. Ingram is averaging 16.2 pointts and 5.4 rebounds, while Lonzo Ball is averaging 10.5 points, 7 rebounds, and 6.9 assists. The Baby Lakers are 7-1 when both Julius Randle and Lonzo Ball start, while also landing 6th in offensive rating and 7th in defensive rating in the league.
The Prince of Chino Hills and the Flint, Michigan Prodigy will no doubt continue to give us endless laughs off the court, along with flashy, but effective plays on the court for their foreseeable future together. They like to have fun and those two set the tone of the entire locker room. A team having fun is always fun to watch.
