Confession Time. When Did You Become A Laker Fan?

This game at Chicago in 1997-1998 where Kobe scored 26 as a 19 year old was one I’ll never forget. Kobe let the league know he’s coming.

 

Baseball has always been first love. Then football. Didn't get into bball and Laker fan until....

Kobe!

 

Right after the Kareem trade from Milwaukee..... Love me some Cap!

 

I wanted to be hardcore fan like Clipper Derrel ,but was told that they suck and play in Anaheim,and didn't had money to buy ugly red and blue suit, choose Lakers and no regrets since.

 

I migrated to America (Los Angeles) in 1990 when I was almost 4. I didn't really start watching the NBA until after a few years later since I was too caught up with Nintendo and power rangers. It's safe to say I didn't start really watching basketball until 1996-1997 and Eddie Jones was honestly my first favorite player. I also liked Nick Van Exel and Cedric Ceballos. I missed out on showtime, but at least I got to enjoy the Kobe and Shaq years, and Travis knight lol

 

Enjoyed reading everyone origin story.

@Wino, loved reading your post sir. Your take on the legends throughout the years adds a lot of perspective to what we're watching. Powerful stuff on Kareem. Amazing how far reaching sports can be.

@MambaMentality and @The Original 81 , I'm so glad you brought up those games. Sunk countless hours into NBA Live 96, 2K1, among others. Lots of memories.

 

Although I really didn't get into watching or playing basketball until I was older, I consider my fandom to be a lifelong thing. My dad was a Lakers fan growing up in the 80's due to Showtime, so he always had my brother and I decked out in Laker gear, even as babies. When I was around 4/5 years old, the 3 peat happened, so I remember watching the games but didn't really know what was going on. I do remember watching "Shaq Daddy and Kobe" as a small child, though, as well as having the jerseys, beanie babies with 34 and 8 on them, and even, get this, rubber ducks of Shaq and Kobe for bath time. So yeah, it started then.

Years passed and I was more into cartoons/anime/movies etc. than sports, but I started to play basketball around 10 years old and regain interest in the NBA. I sort of just watched casually for a bit, but I distinctly remember watching Kobe's game winner against Phoenix live and it reminded me of my Laker roots. A year or 2 later, I couldn't get enough of the sport and that happened to be Kobe's MVP year; the hot start that season, all my friends and family hopping on the Boston bandwagon, and the Pau trade cemented the Lakers as my team. The next 3 postseasons were extremely heated for my teenage self, but the fact we won 2 titles compared to their 1 and beat them in an epic game 7 served as vindication for my brother and I, who were the black sheep of a C bag-oriented clan.

So, yeah, pretty much it's been a lifelong thing for me, my early teenage years just sealed the deal. Purple and Gold forever.

Figured I'd include this pic as well...Kobe (my brother) and Shaq (myself) back in the day:

 

born in silicon valley, but relocated at a very young age to the bustling metropolis of upland due to my dad's work at JPL/Caltech... Lakeshow was just part of culture and life in southern california, and i was quickly indoctrinated... no specific moment of inception, but went to a lot of sports camps in the region, so Lakers and UCLA basketball was always part of my life...

dad then went on special assignment to san diego, and some years later, the Kobe-Shaq era was in full swing... oh, what a time to be alive... they were poetry in motion, and it gives me goosebumps just reliving those fond and vivid memories in my head...

fast forward to college: played tennis and football at ucla, burned a lot with the bball team (fyi klove never partook and we all made fun of him for it); westbrook was a donkey -- the guy could barely read, and professors called him out all the time... anyway, a bit off topic, but had to toss out some extra morsels for you to chew on...

point in case: it goes much deeper than "being a fan" -- it's simply a way of life... a lot of ups and downs over the years, but my fandom has never wavered, nor will it ever!

 

any of you older fans remember the reaction from lakers fans/the NBA when they dealt divac for kobe? i had just gotten into bball and the lakers a couple years before but i was still a kid and didn't exactly know as much about the game as i do now. not to mention there was no social media back then

divac was an established vet at that point while kobe was this 18 yr old mystery talent straight out of HS. i would assume there probably were a good amount of people who didn't like it for that reason alone

 

Older!?

Yep, I remember it well.

Laker nation was pretty much taking sides, right down the middle. Vlade was a known entity, a legit 7 footer, and incredibly talented. He had already peaked, however.

Remember reading the reports about the "secret" Kobe workouts. How he lit up Cooper, who West had brought in, to work out the cocky 17 yo.

The media was pretty much drawn along the same lines. Comparisons before he got in the league, weren't really of Jordan, but KG... as he was the first/last HS kid, to bring this much hype.

Remember that idiot Del Harris, that thought it best to bring Kobe off the bench, his rookie year. Remember being SO happy, when he was let go.

Man... what a ride.

 

I didn't really realize just how young I am in comparison to a lot of the people in this forum. I knew about some. But I suddenly feel like a little kid in comparison.

As someone who's not from the US, or even from a country where basketball is even a thing really (Chile, for those who are wondering), maybe it was just some form of luck that I got in love with this sport at a fairly young age. Part of it was because of the anime Slam Dunk which I really loved, and the other part of it was Space Jam, which I absolutely adored as a child. Between these two I quickly became a Michael Jordan fan. At this point we're in 1996 and I'm 6 years old.

As I started watching more basketball through ESPN, I discovered how EVERYTHING was Michael Jordan this, Michael Jordan that, so while I was in love with his game, the media kinda made me start rooting against the Bulls, no matter the team they were playing. I still kinda remember games against the VTA (this is Utah, little me didn't know about a place called Utah and fat TVs didn't have the best image quality, so I was convinced the U from UTA was actually a V). I didn't miss a game on TV, no matter who was playing. I didn't really even know any teams by name besides the Chicago Bulls.

My favorite color has always been blue, and at some point, among the many games I was seeing on TV. There was a Lakers game. They were playing away, don't even remember against who. What stuck to me was how the commentators where talking about how good the team was this year and stuff like that. Through my TV, the purple of the uniform looked like blue, and I kinda liked how they played, so I just decided that was going to be my team.

I first became a big fan of this giant called, in my head, "Shakiro Neal". And as the season progressed I was also starting to know Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell. Kobe didn't really grabbed my attention that much until the Playoffs. It was actually the 4 airballs, where I remember being kinda confused, as I didn't understand why that bench player was taking those shots. He obviously missed a lot, so in my mind, 7 years old at the time, I wasn't seeing a future hall of famer or even a crappy player. Just a guy missing when he shouldn't be shooting. Thing is, he kinda got stucked in my mind after that episode.

Through the next couple of seasons, I began watching Kobe with more detail, and surprise surprise, he was like another player in 97-98. It didn't take long to become a fan of Kobe, and in turn I think he made my fanatism for the Lakers grow bigger and bigger with time. I saw that famous game against the Bulls, I saw my first All-Star in 1998 (by the way, I still miss the All-Stars in which the played with the team jersey). I was becoming a big fan.

All of that said, I think I signed a contract for life as a Laker fan in 1999. I think it was around here when Kobe really became my favorite player even over Michael Jordan. It was a game against the Warriors, MJ on the stands, Shaq had been ejected and we were being completely destroyed. Less than two second remaining in the 4Q and we still really had no business winning, but damn, Kobe took over and I remember my 9 years old self jumping shouting, imitating players. I was having the time of my life as I watched the game.



That was not our year in the end, but then we went on to win our first championship (well, at least it was the first in my mind. I didn't really know about our past), and the whole three-peat just made both a Laker and basketball fan for life (even if I don't really like the basketball that's currently being played). Also, I remember that during the Finals against the Pacers, my dad told me for the first time that he was also actually a fan of basketball... except he was a Boston fan. During the 80s he was sent to Boston and frequently went to watch Larry Bird and company, which made him a fan of them. Pretty ironic that, being completely unaware of that, I became a Lakers fan. That turned out great because we actually have a lot of fun together being fans of the opposite teams in such a historic rivalry. It was a bit of hell for me when they won against us in 2008, and boy I'm glad 2010 happened and things turned around.

 

This will probably be on multiple levels but I’ll keep it as short as possible.

First, I’ve been riding/lurking with some of you since the CL days. Well into 10+ years of CL and now LB. much love for keeping this place on point and garbage free.

So my experience becoming a fan. I had no choice haha, parents were Laker fans, I still remember Chick’s voice when I was a kid. I remember my Mom crying when Magic announced his HIV/retirement. From that point on I had an emotional connection to the team. That stays with me to this day.

In grade school/high school, I went through some rough stuff (racism) and was in a bad place at times. The Lakers got me through those times. I would record games on my vcr (damn, throwback) rewatch the games over and over as a means for an escape. I made it through that time with the help of the Lakers.

Fast forward, I haven’t been posting on here for the past years because I was part of the group that launched Lakers network so posting here would be a conflict, so I remained quiet for years. I recently left the company so I feel comfortable posting again (maybe).

During my time there I got to work with all the players - Kobe, Nash, Dwight (meh), Metta, etc...and most recently, yes, Lebron.

This gave me a new perspective on the team. I witnessed the inner workings and got to know the players pretty well. Some of the guys are awesome and memorable- ones I loved - nick young, brook, clarkson, metta, kuz, there’s more but you get the point. With every awesome player there are some “meh” ones, i won’t mention those guys. I’m sure you’re wondering - Kobe and Lebron are all business - these guys can throw everything into chaos but at the same time silence a room by their presence. never experienced anything like it.

Anyway, my separation from the company gives me the opportunity to be a FAN again, this was the thing I missed the most. Being a fan. I couldn’t even watch a game over the past few years without working. I do remember us being eliminated from playoffs and breathing a sigh of relief because I wouldn’t have to work. How awful is that?! Haha. But now I can be a real fan and enjoy the ride with the rest of you.

Looking forward to the season and the great ones to come with you all!

 

damn i remember that lakers-warriors game. happened on the same day as the columbine shooting if i recall

but that game against MJ and the bulls the season before was when i remember really thinking that kobe could become a true star in the league and that the MJ comparisons might actually have some truth to them

 

For me it was around 1963 and the Lakers had Elgin Baylor and Jerry West as their stars. Baylor was by far my favorite NBA player. I got hooked on the Lakers by reading about them and then watching them on TV. My little league team was the Dodgers and as a 2nd grader I had no interest in reading which drove my dad nuts. Well he bought me a Sporting News which was the sports bible back then and it changed my life. I became a big Dodger, Ram and Laker fan and as I still am today. What a great franchise to follow as the Baylor and West team and then with Wilt were always good then a dry spell but we traded for Kareem and drafted Magic and Worthy and Showtime was here those were really great years. The another dry spell and we get the Shaq and Kobe show followed by the Kobe and Gasol teaming and a bunch of great years. Well I think the post Kobe dry spell is over and it is now the Lebron and AD show and hopefully the start to another long run of success.

The game has change a lot but the Lakers are still the best franchise in the business.

 

A long long time ago as a young boy in Cedarburg Wisconsin I sat and watched the Packers, Braves, and listened to radio broadcasts of the Minneapolis Lakers with my Dad who was a big fan of all three. My Dad was devastated when the Braves and Lakers moved, but we still followed and watched them on TV cheering them on. West and Baylor cemented my fandom and then we moved to Ventura California about a hour and a half drive to the Fabulous Forum in 1968. From 12 to 17 years of age I was going to 10 to 20 Laker games a season with my Dad as he had bought season tickets with a buddy, right near Chicks nest. When Dr Buss bought the team my Dad got priced out so we just went to a couple games a year. Having all the road games to watch now that we were in the Los Angeles market was a dream and when they started Prime Ticket broadcasts of home games I rarely missed a game. Seen a lot of good, some bad, and some ugly over the years but have to say my favorite team was the 72 champion team with West, Goodrich, and Chamberlain. Sadly this new Laker team does not make me want to support them, it's gonna take a lot of players on this new team to change their attitudes and behavior to draw me in. But hey Laker blood is still in my veins just may need a few seasons to clean up the roster to get back into the Mamba mentality.

 

Just a kid with a hoop in my back yard teaching myself a jumpshot that looked like something out of Teen Wolf when Elgin, Jerry and Chick came to town. Hooked forever. Used to try my damndest as I got older and to HS ball to stop on a dime and elevate for a J in the middle of a dribble like Jerry. All the great players we have had since then. Magic and Kareem wow. Mag was my favorite for over a decade and a half. And then along came Kobe Bryant.

 

Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Elden Campbell were our best players when I stared caring about basketball. Cousin got me into the Lakers and basketball in general. He was older than me, thought he was a god on the court then I got taller and he cared about surfing more than anything. Classic Cali. To be fair I never tried to play basketball in a league couldn’t fit it in between baseball, soccer, and football.

 

Just a few weeks ago when we traded for AD