Team Hoopery,
It’s Friday morning. As I got up I felt like it’s a perfect time to reflect as a Laker fan, and really come to grips to me that tonight’s game may very well be the FINAL game with a Lakers dub, & we will EARN that 17th ring.
It’s been over 10 years since we watched our one true inspiration Kobe Bean Bryant win that 5th ring and since then well, it has been a very dark time as a Laker fan. We were so spoiled with 3 Peats, back to backs, and a history of Legendary Superstars who all brought back that gold. Although it was rough, Laker Nation stayed loyal and we hung in there. We still believed every season that the Laker team can actually do something. But who were we fooling? We had 0 superstars, nobody wanted to join our organization because of the madness going on in the front office.
I’m sure they felt the Laker fan base’s frustration, and made some moves to sign Lebron James to a multi-year contract. To those who have followed the Hoopery since 2015, I will be the first to admit I was the BIGGEST LEBRON HATER IN THE WORLD. “HE AINT KOBE, HE AINT CLUTCH, EAST IS WEAK, HE NEEDS TO TEAM UP WITH STARS” ETC. But year after year after year he continued to show is true dominance, whatever team he went on, the numbers really don’t lie, and for him to leave and decided to come to the most storied franchise EVER (sorry not sorry Boston), and for that I had to show love and respect because now, we don’t care about what you did in that HEAT or CAVS jersey. We want to see what you are going to do for the Purple & Gold and we want to see you do it NOW. What I loved is that he brought that championship mentality back to the organization and you can tell he was on a mission. And Today I can say I was wrong, the value he brings to the team, at 35 years old, I have never seen someone still be this dominant.
With the first year being #1 in the West until Lebron’s injury, the addition of AD immediately put us as the team to watch and probably will go down as ONE of the greatest duos put together since Shaq & Kobe. With the balance of the league and how STACKED the west is, I thought every series would be a tough series but Lakers have blown by every single team. The Dame, Melo, CJ? Check. Harden, Westbrook, Small ball? Check. Murray and Jokic? Check. And now up 3-1 with a chance to close it out today. With the change of away jerseys to the Mamba & Mambacita Jerseys, I am almost confident we will close this out today. (I’m going to give myself some slack in case Miami pulls some shit off LOL).
Which has brought me here, creating a collection to remember the greats who came before us, to show our appreciate the Laker Loyal who supported the team for 10 dark years. We’re here now. It’s inevitable. The TORCH has officially been PASSED, a King will be CROWNED once again, and it will go down as the GREATEST TRIBUTE, AND THE MOST MEANINFUL CHAMPIONSHIP IN LAKER HISTORY. I am just in a championship mood. I strive to bust my ass for this brand to be the best basketball brand in the culture. To provide nostalgia for the new coming era and the old school. Everything the Lakers are about, The Hoopery eats breaths and lives it. We will continue to work until we hold that trophy up just like we will see tonight. Come Celebrate with us after the WIN. We’re dropping some HEAT. (literally) Sorry Miami fans lol. Welcome to the ‘17’ Collection
– Jeremiah
P.S. excuse the grammar
