WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.779 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. It is February 00:00:02.779 --> 00:00:07.040 18th, 2026. And I want you to picture the scene 00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:09.839 outside Crypto .com Arena last night. You've 00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:13.300 got the statues, you know, Kobe, Shaq, Magic, 00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:16.739 Kareem, and they're all bathed in that classic 00:00:16.739 --> 00:00:19.300 purple light. And then you have this absolute 00:00:19.300 --> 00:00:22.260 sea of people, thousands of them, and they aren't 00:00:22.260 --> 00:00:24.059 wearing number 23 anymore. They're not even wearing 00:00:24.059 --> 00:00:26.350 number three. They're wearing number 77. It is 00:00:26.350 --> 00:00:28.649 a visual that still doesn't feel quite real, 00:00:28.769 --> 00:00:31.350 does it? Luka Donicic in purple and gold. I mean, 00:00:31.370 --> 00:00:33.329 even a year after the fact, it kind of feels 00:00:33.329 --> 00:00:35.429 like a glitch in the simulation. It really does. 00:00:35.590 --> 00:00:38.049 Yeah. We are sitting here exactly one year and 00:00:38.049 --> 00:00:40.729 17 days removed from the trade that, I mean, 00:00:40.750 --> 00:00:42.750 it shook the earth. Yeah. And we're just a few 00:00:42.750 --> 00:00:44.310 months removed from the other earthquake, the 00:00:44.310 --> 00:00:46.270 sale of the team. Yeah. If you're a basketball 00:00:46.270 --> 00:00:48.689 fan, or honestly, even if you just pay attention 00:00:48.689 --> 00:00:50.969 to the business of pop culture, the last 12 months 00:00:50.969 --> 00:00:54.170 in Los Angeles have been just absolutely unrelenting. 00:00:54.429 --> 00:00:57.070 Unrelenting is the perfect word. We are looking 00:00:57.070 --> 00:01:00.850 at a franchise that has effectively reinvented 00:01:00.850 --> 00:01:03.770 its entire identity while at the same time desperately 00:01:03.770 --> 00:01:06.430 trying to keep the same face on. It's like we're 00:01:06.430 --> 00:01:08.670 watching a real time experiment. An experiment 00:01:08.670 --> 00:01:12.209 in what exactly? Well, can you surgically transplant 00:01:12.209 --> 00:01:15.930 the heart of a franchise? I'm talking both ownership 00:01:15.930 --> 00:01:19.200 and superstar without killing the patient. That 00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:21.700 is the perfect way to frame it. Because here's 00:01:21.700 --> 00:01:23.099 the thing that kept bugging me as I was going 00:01:23.099 --> 00:01:25.719 through the massive stack of sources for today's 00:01:25.719 --> 00:01:28.140 deep dive. We always talk about the Lakers as 00:01:28.140 --> 00:01:30.840 this inevitability. Right. It's just supposed 00:01:30.840 --> 00:01:33.319 to happen. Exactly. Of course they have the stars. 00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:35.040 Of course they have the rings. It's the purple 00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:37.000 and gold. It's Hollywood. It's the Laker way. 00:01:37.140 --> 00:01:39.859 But that inevitability is a myth. Or maybe more 00:01:39.859 --> 00:01:42.140 accurately, it's a very carefully constructed 00:01:42.140 --> 00:01:45.000 reality. Right. And that's the hook. That's what 00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:47.719 we want to get into. How does a team... that 00:01:47.719 --> 00:01:50.780 started as a literal failed franchise in Detroit. 00:01:51.040 --> 00:01:53.120 And I'm not talking about the Pistons. I'm talking 00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:55.519 about the Detroit Gems, a team that went 4 -44 00:01:55.519 --> 00:01:58.760 in high school, Jim. How does that wreckage become 00:01:58.760 --> 00:02:02.140 the glitziest, most expensive, most culturally 00:02:02.140 --> 00:02:05.159 significant brand in basketball history? It's 00:02:05.159 --> 00:02:07.900 the ultimate glow -up story. But when you really 00:02:07.900 --> 00:02:10.460 dig into the records, you know, into the transaction 00:02:10.460 --> 00:02:13.000 logs from 1947 all the way to the Luca trade 00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:16.509 of 2025, you realize it wasn't an accident. There 00:02:16.509 --> 00:02:19.009 is a specific DNA, a very specific philosophy 00:02:19.009 --> 00:02:21.849 that connects George Mikan in a freezing Minneapolis 00:02:21.849 --> 00:02:24.490 armory to Luka Doncic stepping back for a three 00:02:24.490 --> 00:02:27.030 pointer in Los Angeles today. So that is our 00:02:27.030 --> 00:02:29.150 mission today. We're going to trace that DNA. 00:02:29.210 --> 00:02:31.030 We're going to look at the dynasties, the heartbreaks 00:02:31.030 --> 00:02:32.750 that people forget about. And believe me, there 00:02:32.750 --> 00:02:34.729 are some brutal ones. Oh, yeah. We'll get into 00:02:34.729 --> 00:02:37.689 the Showtime era, the Kobe Shack soap opera and 00:02:37.689 --> 00:02:40.669 land right here in 2026 to understand what this 00:02:40.669 --> 00:02:42.909 new ownership of this new superstar mean for 00:02:42.909 --> 00:02:45.120 the future. And we really have to start with 00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:47.099 the present because everything that happened 00:02:47.099 --> 00:02:49.139 in the last year or so is actually a perfect 00:02:49.139 --> 00:02:52.300 mirror of the last 70 years. If you understand 00:02:52.300 --> 00:02:54.800 the Luca trade, you pretty much understand the 00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:57.060 entire history of the Lakers. OK, let's unpack 00:02:57.060 --> 00:02:59.520 that, because I think for a lot of our listeners, 00:02:59.719 --> 00:03:03.780 the shock of February 1st, 2025, so just over 00:03:03.780 --> 00:03:07.519 a year ago, is probably still wearing off. The 00:03:07.519 --> 00:03:09.139 blockbuster trade. I mean, it was a trade that's 00:03:09.139 --> 00:03:11.659 going to define the decade, right? The Lakers 00:03:11.659 --> 00:03:15.759 sent Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 00:03:15.759 --> 00:03:18.699 unprotected first -round pick to the Dallas Mavericks. 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:20.699 And it wasn't just a simple two -team deal, was 00:03:20.699 --> 00:03:22.860 it? It was a three -teamer. Because the money 00:03:22.860 --> 00:03:24.939 just didn't work otherwise. Correct. The Utah 00:03:24.939 --> 00:03:27.680 Jazz had to get involved to facilitate the salary 00:03:27.680 --> 00:03:29.560 cap math. You know, the Lakers were operating 00:03:29.560 --> 00:03:32.520 above the second apron, which is this super restrictive 00:03:32.520 --> 00:03:34.900 salary cap tier that basically handcuffs you 00:03:34.900 --> 00:03:37.259 from making moves. You can't aggregate salaries 00:03:37.259 --> 00:03:39.620 in a normal way. Exactly. So they had to route 00:03:39.620 --> 00:03:42.400 pieces through Utah to make it all legal. But 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:44.159 at the end of the day, the headline was simple. 00:03:44.419 --> 00:03:47.919 Anthony Davis out, Luka Donicich in. And Maxi 00:03:47.919 --> 00:03:50.479 Kleber. And Markeith Morris, let's not forget 00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:52.740 the death pieces that came along with him. But 00:03:52.740 --> 00:03:55.240 really, it was A .D. for Luka. I remember the 00:03:55.240 --> 00:03:57.419 reaction so vividly. People were just stunned 00:03:57.419 --> 00:04:00.800 that the Lakers would move off Davis after everything 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:03.719 he did, specifically that 2020 title. He was 00:04:03.719 --> 00:04:05.500 their defensive anchor. So why did they do it? 00:04:05.580 --> 00:04:07.919 They did it because of what I'd call the first 00:04:07.919 --> 00:04:11.080 law of Laker physics. And that is the Lakers 00:04:11.080 --> 00:04:13.979 do not rebuild. That is the cardinal rule. Never. 00:04:14.099 --> 00:04:17.420 Never. When a championship window starts to creak 00:04:17.420 --> 00:04:20.779 shut and with LeBron entering his 40s and Davis 00:04:20.779 --> 00:04:23.860 having his well -documented injury history, most 00:04:23.860 --> 00:04:26.319 teams would tear it down. They would trade the 00:04:26.319 --> 00:04:28.620 stars for five or six draft picks and just accept 00:04:28.620 --> 00:04:31.259 being bad for three, four, maybe five years. 00:04:31.379 --> 00:04:33.160 Like what Oklahoma City did or what Utah did 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:35.620 just a few years back, the big yard sale. Exactly. 00:04:35.620 --> 00:04:37.500 But the Lakers can't be bad. The brand value, 00:04:37.879 --> 00:04:39.939 that staggering $10 million number we'll talk 00:04:39.939 --> 00:04:42.050 about later, is predicated on having stars on 00:04:42.050 --> 00:04:44.610 the court. So instead of rebuilding, they reloaded. 00:04:44.610 --> 00:04:47.009 They went out and got the next generational superstar 00:04:47.009 --> 00:04:49.569 to extend the window. It's a pattern. It's the 00:04:49.569 --> 00:04:51.790 whole pattern. They did it when they got Kareem 00:04:51.790 --> 00:04:54.290 to bridge the post -willed era. They did it when 00:04:54.290 --> 00:04:56.629 they got Shaq to end the drought of the 90s. 00:04:57.209 --> 00:05:00.009 Acquiring Luka Donica to pair with an elder statesman, 00:05:00.050 --> 00:05:03.290 LeBron James, is, I mean, it's the most Lakers 00:05:03.290 --> 00:05:05.730 move possible. It's the idea that the Lakers 00:05:05.730 --> 00:05:08.389 are never really. They're building for the future. 00:05:08.490 --> 00:05:10.410 They're just waiting for the next guy to show 00:05:10.410 --> 00:05:12.750 up. Precisely. And just look at the roster now 00:05:12.750 --> 00:05:16.410 in this 2025 -26 season. It is surreal. You have 00:05:16.410 --> 00:05:19.009 Luca, the new centerpiece running the entire 00:05:19.009 --> 00:05:21.430 show. You have Austin Reeves, who has become 00:05:21.430 --> 00:05:23.829 such a staple, almost like the Derek Fisher of 00:05:23.829 --> 00:05:27.189 this era. Just steady, reliable, knows his role. 00:05:27.410 --> 00:05:29.649 And a fan favorite, too. Huge fan favorite. And 00:05:29.649 --> 00:05:31.529 then you have J .J. Reddick, who was hired back 00:05:31.529 --> 00:05:34.949 in June of 2024, trying to manage all these massive 00:05:34.949 --> 00:05:37.310 egos and make it work. And then, of course, you 00:05:37.310 --> 00:05:39.569 have the history -making duo. We have to talk 00:05:39.569 --> 00:05:42.110 about LeBron and Bronny. I still get chills thinking 00:05:42.110 --> 00:05:45.170 about it. October 23, 2024. The season opener. 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:48.100 Against Minnesota, of all teams. It was a moment 00:05:48.100 --> 00:05:50.620 that just transcended the sport. LeBron James 00:05:50.620 --> 00:05:53.319 and Bronny James becoming the first father -son 00:05:53.319 --> 00:05:56.540 duo to play together in an NBA game. I don't 00:05:56.540 --> 00:05:58.060 care what you think about the nepotism arguments 00:05:58.060 --> 00:06:01.079 or the draft position. Seeing them check into 00:06:01.079 --> 00:06:02.899 the game together for the first time was just 00:06:02.899 --> 00:06:06.779 pure history. It was. And currently, LeBron is 00:06:06.779 --> 00:06:10.259 still listed on the roster for his age 41 season. 00:06:10.740 --> 00:06:14.379 He's obviously not the 2013 athletic. force of 00:06:14.379 --> 00:06:16.699 nature LeBron anymore, but he's still contributing 00:06:16.699 --> 00:06:18.660 at a high level. He's completely evolved his 00:06:18.660 --> 00:06:20.399 game. He's playing off the ball more, letting 00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:23.399 Luka cook, preserving his body. But that father 00:06:23.399 --> 00:06:25.800 -son dynamic speaks to why the Lakers are different. 00:06:26.100 --> 00:06:28.319 I mean, any other franchise might have shied 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:30.259 away from the circus that comes with drafting 00:06:30.259 --> 00:06:34.139 a superstar son who might not be fully NBA ready 00:06:34.139 --> 00:06:36.079 from day one. Well, for sure. The media attention 00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:38.199 alone is a lot. A ton. But the Lakers leaned 00:06:38.199 --> 00:06:39.839 into it. They understand that they are in the 00:06:39.839 --> 00:06:41.540 entertainment business just as much as they are 00:06:41.540 --> 00:06:43.459 in the basketball business. Having LeBron at 00:06:43.459 --> 00:06:46.860 age 41 playing alongside his son while Luka Donicic 00:06:46.860 --> 00:06:49.360 throws no -look passes. I mean, that is pure 00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:51.639 box office. But here's where the plot thickens. 00:06:52.079 --> 00:06:53.980 Because usually when we talk about the Lakers' 00:06:54.079 --> 00:06:56.519 box office feel, we are talking about the Buss 00:06:56.519 --> 00:06:59.279 family. Dr. Jerry Buss and then his daughter, 00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:02.240 Jeannie Buss. The mom -and -pop shop of the NBA 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:05.439 just on a much grander scale. Right. But late 00:07:05.439 --> 00:07:08.959 2025 changed everything. This is the part that 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:11.379 I think historians will look back on as the definitive 00:07:11.379 --> 00:07:14.420 end of an era, the sale to Mark Walter. The Dodgers 00:07:14.420 --> 00:07:17.399 owner, a guy with deep, deep pockets. The deepest. 00:07:17.779 --> 00:07:20.579 For decades, the Buss family held onto the Lakers 00:07:20.579 --> 00:07:22.899 as their primary source of income and identity. 00:07:23.160 --> 00:07:25.839 It was the family business. If the Lakers lost 00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:27.879 money, the Buss family couldn't pay their bills. 00:07:28.180 --> 00:07:31.480 But the NBA landscape has just. It's changed. 00:07:31.720 --> 00:07:34.560 It's the era of the deca billionaires now. You've 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:36.279 got Steve Ballmer with the Clippers, who's worth, 00:07:36.339 --> 00:07:39.360 what, $100 billion? Exactly. The Suns have Matt 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:42.680 Ishbia. The buses, as wealthy as they were, were 00:07:42.680 --> 00:07:44.459 getting priced out of their own game. They couldn't 00:07:44.459 --> 00:07:46.240 compete with that level of capital. So in late 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:49.279 2025, the deal was approved, valued at $10 billion. 00:07:50.019 --> 00:07:54.000 $10 billion. That number is just staggering. 00:07:54.040 --> 00:07:55.800 It's the highest valuation for a sports team 00:07:55.800 --> 00:07:58.000 in history. And Mark Walter acquired majority 00:07:58.000 --> 00:08:00.829 control. Now, part of the deal is that Jeannie 00:08:00.829 --> 00:08:03.449 Buss remains as governor, and she's the face 00:08:03.449 --> 00:08:06.709 you see at the games. But make no mistake, the 00:08:06.709 --> 00:08:09.430 financial muscle, the real power, has fundamentally 00:08:09.430 --> 00:08:12.129 shifted. What does that actually mean for the 00:08:12.129 --> 00:08:14.670 fan—for the— person buying the ticket well it 00:08:14.670 --> 00:08:16.629 means the family store model is officially gone 00:08:16.629 --> 00:08:18.790 we are now in the corporate conglomerate era 00:08:18.790 --> 00:08:21.290 of the lakers on one hand it means unlimited 00:08:21.290 --> 00:08:24.069 resources mark walter can pay any luxury tax 00:08:24.069 --> 00:08:26.509 bill without even blinking but on the other hand 00:08:26.509 --> 00:08:29.550 there is this kind of palpable fear that the 00:08:29.550 --> 00:08:32.929 laker family vibe what do you mean by that you 00:08:32.929 --> 00:08:34.769 know the idea that they take care of their own 00:08:35.159 --> 00:08:37.639 Where they say overpay Kobe at the end of his 00:08:37.639 --> 00:08:40.000 career just out of loyalty, there's a fear that 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:42.500 might be replaced by cold, hard analytics and 00:08:42.500 --> 00:08:44.580 bottom line decisions. That is the tension of 00:08:44.580 --> 00:08:46.980 2026, isn't it? Yeah. Can you keep the soul of 00:08:46.980 --> 00:08:49.379 the family business but operate with the wallet 00:08:49.379 --> 00:08:52.080 of a hedge fund? That is the billion dollar question, 00:08:52.299 --> 00:08:55.220 or I guess the $10 million question. But to understand 00:08:55.220 --> 00:08:57.779 what they're trying to preserve or what is at 00:08:57.779 --> 00:09:00.700 risk of being lost, we have to go back. We have 00:09:00.700 --> 00:09:02.639 to understand what they built that $10 billion 00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:05.720 valuation on in the first place. And that takes 00:09:05.720 --> 00:09:08.399 us to the most un -Hollywood beginning imaginable. 00:09:08.779 --> 00:09:12.659 Detroit, 1946. Detroit gems. I love this nugget. 00:09:12.899 --> 00:09:16.139 I feel like 99 % of Lakers fans don't know this 00:09:16.139 --> 00:09:18.740 part of the story. If you buy a Lakers jersey 00:09:18.740 --> 00:09:22.039 today, you are indirectly supporting a franchise 00:09:22.039 --> 00:09:25.700 that started as the gems in the NBL, and they 00:09:25.700 --> 00:09:28.570 were just... Terrible. They weren't just terrible. 00:09:28.649 --> 00:09:30.230 They were historically bad. Their record was 00:09:30.230 --> 00:09:31.990 four and forty four. They played in the National 00:09:31.990 --> 00:09:34.389 Basketball League, which was a precursor to the 00:09:34.389 --> 00:09:36.730 NBA. And you mentioned it before. They played 00:09:36.730 --> 00:09:38.690 their home games at Ferndale High School. Wait, 00:09:38.710 --> 00:09:41.049 literally a high school, not a college gym or 00:09:41.049 --> 00:09:43.669 a small arena. Literally a high school gymnasium. 00:09:43.870 --> 00:09:46.549 The team was a complete disaster. They were losing 00:09:46.549 --> 00:09:49.090 games by 30 or 40 points in an era where teams 00:09:49.090 --> 00:09:51.870 were only scoring like 60 points total. It was 00:09:51.870 --> 00:09:54.889 a farce. So how on earth does that wreckage become 00:09:54.889 --> 00:09:59.019 the Lakers? Two men, Ben Berger and Morris Chelfin. 00:09:59.259 --> 00:10:02.019 They were Minnesota businessmen. They saw an 00:10:02.019 --> 00:10:04.960 opportunity. They bought the team in 1947 for 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:10.279 $15 ,000. $15 ,000. I mean, you can't even buy 00:10:10.279 --> 00:10:12.899 a courtside seat for a big Lakers game for $15 00:10:12.899 --> 00:10:16.240 ,000 today. Inflation is a funny thing, but yeah. 00:10:16.519 --> 00:10:31.019 And here is the kicker. And here's where the 00:10:31.019 --> 00:10:33.799 branding genius... Or maybe just accidental genius 00:10:33.799 --> 00:10:36.399 started. They needed a name that fit Minnesota. 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:39.159 The land of 10 ,000 lakes, hence the Lakers. 00:10:39.259 --> 00:10:41.679 It makes zero sense in Los Angeles, which has, 00:10:41.759 --> 00:10:43.559 what, a handful of lakes and certainly not 10 00:10:43.559 --> 00:10:45.700 ,000 of them. But in Minneapolis, it was perfect. 00:10:45.919 --> 00:10:48.419 But a name doesn't win games. They needed a star. 00:10:48.659 --> 00:10:51.360 And this is the very first instance of a Lakers 00:10:51.360 --> 00:10:54.480 core strategy. Get the giant. George Mikan, number 00:10:54.480 --> 00:10:56.940 99. The first true superstar of professional 00:10:56.940 --> 00:11:00.419 basketball. We really cannot overstate how dominant 00:11:00.419 --> 00:11:03.779 Mikan was for his time. He was 6 '10", wore these 00:11:03.779 --> 00:11:06.639 thick round glasses, and he literally forced 00:11:06.639 --> 00:11:09.080 the league to change its rules to contain him. 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:11.159 In what way? What rules did they change? Well, 00:11:11.279 --> 00:11:14.320 before Mikan, basketball was a game for, you 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:17.360 know, 6 '2 guys who ran around and shot set shots. 00:11:17.639 --> 00:11:20.220 Big men were considered clumsy, uncoordinated. 00:11:21.210 --> 00:11:24.529 Goons, basically. Mikan had soft hands. He could 00:11:24.529 --> 00:11:26.870 score with either hand, the famous Mikan drill 00:11:26.870 --> 00:11:28.990 that every kid does today. He invented that. 00:11:29.210 --> 00:11:31.830 So he was a skill player in a giant's body. Exactly. 00:11:31.929 --> 00:11:34.289 And he was so dominant in the paint that the 00:11:34.289 --> 00:11:36.730 NBA widened the lane from six feet to 12 feet 00:11:36.730 --> 00:11:38.750 just to push him further away from the basket. 00:11:38.909 --> 00:11:41.289 They called it the Mikan rule. They also introduced 00:11:41.289 --> 00:11:43.190 the goaltending rule because he would just stand 00:11:43.190 --> 00:11:45.389 under the basket and swat away any shot on its 00:11:45.389 --> 00:11:48.330 way down. Unbelievable. He led them to five championships 00:11:48.330 --> 00:11:51.860 in six years between 1940. in 1954. That is just 00:11:51.860 --> 00:11:54.220 absolute dominance. It was the league's first 00:11:54.220 --> 00:11:57.440 real dynasty. But there is a fun fact in the 00:11:57.440 --> 00:11:59.000 notes here that just blows my mind every time 00:11:59.000 --> 00:12:01.580 I see it. The lowest scoring game in NBA history 00:12:01.580 --> 00:12:03.899 happened specifically because of Mikan. This 00:12:03.899 --> 00:12:07.419 was in 1950. Lakers versus the Fort Wayne Pistons. 00:12:07.539 --> 00:12:10.980 November 22, 1950. The Fort Wayne Pistons looked 00:12:10.980 --> 00:12:13.580 at the scouting report and said, look, if Mikan 00:12:13.580 --> 00:12:16.639 gets the ball, he scores. If he scores, we lose. 00:12:17.019 --> 00:12:19.139 So the only way to win is to make sure Mikan 00:12:19.139 --> 00:12:21.899 never touches the ball. And this is, crucially, 00:12:22.039 --> 00:12:25.000 before the shot clock existed. Exactly. There 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:27.860 was no 24 -second violation. So the Pistons get 00:12:27.860 --> 00:12:30.440 the tip off, and they just hold the ball. Larry 00:12:30.440 --> 00:12:32.759 Faust, one of their players, just stood near 00:12:32.759 --> 00:12:35.419 midcourt holding the ball on his hip. The Lakers 00:12:35.419 --> 00:12:37.639 stood in their zone defense just waiting, and 00:12:37.639 --> 00:12:39.700 they just stood there. What was the crowd doing? 00:12:40.080 --> 00:12:42.519 The crowd was booing, throwing pennies on the 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:45.059 court. It was a complete farce. It was an embarrassment 00:12:45.059 --> 00:12:47.080 to the sport. And the final score of that game? 00:12:47.200 --> 00:12:51.519 The Pistons won 19 -18. Mikan scored 15 of the 00:12:51.519 --> 00:12:54.259 Lakers' 18 points. It was the game that nearly 00:12:54.259 --> 00:12:56.899 killed the league, but also proved that Mikan 00:12:56.899 --> 00:12:59.940 was so terrifying that opposing teams would rather 00:12:59.940 --> 00:13:02.259 ruin the sport than actually play against him. 00:13:02.419 --> 00:13:06.320 That is true power. But all dynasties end. Viking 00:13:06.320 --> 00:13:08.559 retired. His body broke down. The team started 00:13:08.559 --> 00:13:10.480 to struggle financially in the late 50s. And 00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:13.679 then there's this what -if moment in their history 00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:16.659 that is genuinely terrifying. The plane crash. 00:13:17.019 --> 00:13:20.620 January 18, 1960. The team is flying back from 00:13:20.620 --> 00:13:23.759 a game in St. Louis. It's a DC -3, a propeller 00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:27.070 plane, not a jet. and a massive snowstorm hits. 00:13:27.269 --> 00:13:29.169 Just picture this for a second. It's pitch black 00:13:29.169 --> 00:13:31.070 outside. It's freezing. They're in this tiny 00:13:31.070 --> 00:13:33.409 plane. And the pilot loses all electrical power. 00:13:33.610 --> 00:13:35.629 The radio goes dead. The navigation is gone. 00:13:35.830 --> 00:13:38.850 He is flying completely blind in a blizzard with 00:13:38.850 --> 00:13:41.210 the entire Minneapolis Lakers roster in the back. 00:13:41.389 --> 00:13:43.409 I mean, a young Elgin Baylor is on that plane. 00:13:43.509 --> 00:13:45.669 Hot Rod Humley is on that plane. And the pilot 00:13:45.669 --> 00:13:47.889 has to literally open the cockpit window to scrape 00:13:47.889 --> 00:13:50.350 ice off the windshield? Yes. He is literally 00:13:50.350 --> 00:13:52.629 hanging out the window with a scraper, trying 00:13:52.629 --> 00:13:55.009 to see the ground. He spots a cornfield. in Carroll, 00:13:55.169 --> 00:13:57.929 Iowa. He has no other choice. He manages to crash 00:13:57.929 --> 00:14:00.129 land the plane in the snow. And everyone survived. 00:14:00.950 --> 00:14:03.590 Miraculously, everyone survived. They spent the 00:14:03.590 --> 00:14:05.490 night huddled in the wreckage in the cornfield 00:14:05.490 --> 00:14:07.870 until help arrived the next morning. But you 00:14:07.870 --> 00:14:09.950 just have to think about the fragility of history. 00:14:10.230 --> 00:14:12.730 If that landing goes differently, the Lakers 00:14:12.730 --> 00:14:15.870 franchise likely ceases to exist. There is no 00:14:15.870 --> 00:14:18.490 Magic, no Kobe, no LeBron in L .A. The entire 00:14:18.490 --> 00:14:21.809 history of the NBA is rewritten in an Iowa cornfield. 00:14:21.970 --> 00:14:24.759 That is just chilling to think about. But they 00:14:24.759 --> 00:14:27.539 do survive. And shortly after that, in 1960, 00:14:27.899 --> 00:14:30.679 the owner at the time, Bob Short, makes the call. 00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:33.240 They're moving west. They become the first West 00:14:33.240 --> 00:14:36.059 Coast NBA team. And this move fundamentally changed 00:14:36.059 --> 00:14:38.340 the identity of the league. It went from a regional 00:14:38.340 --> 00:14:41.440 East Coast Midwest bus league to a truly national 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:44.000 product. But when they got to L .A., they didn't 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:45.639 bring the winning with them immediately. They 00:14:45.639 --> 00:14:47.559 brought the stars, yes, but they also brought 00:14:47.559 --> 00:14:49.799 a decade of heartbreak. This is the Jerry West 00:14:49.799 --> 00:14:52.500 era. The logo and, of course, Sylvain Baylor. 00:14:52.809 --> 00:14:55.269 Two of the greatest players to ever touch a basketball. 00:14:55.850 --> 00:14:58.509 Elgin Baylor was the forerunner to Dr. J and 00:14:58.509 --> 00:15:00.649 Michael Jordan. He was this high flying above 00:15:00.649 --> 00:15:03.610 the rim player in an era of set shooters. I mean, 00:15:03.629 --> 00:15:05.850 the man scored 71 points in a regular season 00:15:05.850 --> 00:15:08.330 game. He scored 61 points in a finals game, which 00:15:08.330 --> 00:15:11.149 is still a record. And Jerry West, Mr. Clutch, 00:15:11.230 --> 00:15:14.429 a relentless, obsessive competitor who is the 00:15:14.429 --> 00:15:17.379 platonic ideal of a shooting guard. But for a 00:15:17.379 --> 00:15:20.500 guy nicknamed Mr. Clutch, the 1960s were an absolute 00:15:20.500 --> 00:15:22.860 nightmare for him. It was the decade of almost. 00:15:23.259 --> 00:15:25.919 The Lakers made the NBA Finals six times in the 00:15:25.919 --> 00:15:29.399 1960s. And they lost to the Boston Celtics every 00:15:29.399 --> 00:15:32.330 single time. Times. It has to be some kind of 00:15:32.330 --> 00:15:35.110 psychological torture. It was. Jerry West has 00:15:35.110 --> 00:15:37.289 talked about how it haunted him his entire life. 00:15:37.429 --> 00:15:40.470 He felt like a failure, despite being arguably 00:15:40.470 --> 00:15:42.409 the best guard in the league. The worst moment 00:15:42.409 --> 00:15:46.429 had to be 1962. Game seven, Boston Garden. The 00:15:46.429 --> 00:15:47.830 Lakers have a chance to win it all in regulation. 00:15:48.309 --> 00:15:50.509 Frank Selvey, a reliable shooter, has an open 00:15:50.509 --> 00:15:52.669 look from about 18 feet. The championship winning 00:15:52.669 --> 00:15:56.409 shot. A shot. Klang. The ball bounces off the 00:15:56.409 --> 00:15:59.549 rim. The game goes to overtime. The Celtics win. 00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:02.820 Frank Selvey said 40 years later, he still thinks 00:16:02.820 --> 00:16:05.240 about that shot every single day. It was the 00:16:05.240 --> 00:16:07.220 defining moment of the curse. And then there 00:16:07.220 --> 00:16:09.980 is 1969. This is one of those stats that just 00:16:09.980 --> 00:16:14.700 sounds fake. Jerry West wins finals MVP on the 00:16:14.700 --> 00:16:17.340 losing team. The only time it has ever happened 00:16:17.340 --> 00:16:20.779 in NBA history. By 1969, the Lakers had acquired 00:16:20.779 --> 00:16:23.259 Wilt Chamberlain, another instance of that get 00:16:23.259 --> 00:16:25.879 the giant superstar strategy. So now you have 00:16:25.879 --> 00:16:28.669 a super team. West. Baylor and Wilt. Should have 00:16:28.669 --> 00:16:30.870 been unbeatable. On paper, yeah. They play the 00:16:30.870 --> 00:16:33.350 Celtics again. Game 7 is in Los Angeles at the 00:16:33.350 --> 00:16:36.730 Forum. The owner, Jack Kent Cook, was so confident 00:16:36.730 --> 00:16:38.690 they were going to win that he had thousands 00:16:38.690 --> 00:16:40.710 of purple and gold balloons suspended in the 00:16:40.710 --> 00:16:42.669 rafters. Oh no, you do not jinx it like that. 00:16:42.750 --> 00:16:44.750 That's rule number one. He even put little notices 00:16:44.750 --> 00:16:46.769 on all the seats saying, when the Lakers win, 00:16:46.950 --> 00:16:49.629 look up for the balloon drop. The Celtics saw 00:16:49.629 --> 00:16:51.570 the balloons during warm -ups. Bill Russell, 00:16:51.809 --> 00:16:53.610 the Celtics legend, looked at Wes and basically 00:16:53.610 --> 00:16:55.850 said, those balloons are staying up there. And 00:16:55.850 --> 00:16:58.429 they did. They did. The Lakers imploded. Wilt 00:16:58.429 --> 00:17:00.809 got hurt or said he was hurt. The Celtics won. 00:17:01.230 --> 00:17:03.429 Jerry West had a triple -double. He averaged 00:17:03.429 --> 00:17:05.809 nearly 38 points in the series. He was absolutely 00:17:05.809 --> 00:17:08.069 magnificent. But he had to walk out to center 00:17:08.069 --> 00:17:10.869 court to accept the finals MVP trophy while the 00:17:10.869 --> 00:17:12.809 Celtics were popping champagne in his arena. 00:17:13.069 --> 00:17:15.029 He looked like he wanted to throw the trophy 00:17:15.029 --> 00:17:17.109 through a wall. So the narrative at this point 00:17:17.109 --> 00:17:19.410 is that the Lakers are cursed. They're the team 00:17:19.410 --> 00:17:21.289 that has the Hollywood glitz. They have the individual 00:17:21.289 --> 00:17:25.430 stars. But they just can't beat the gritty. team 00:17:25.430 --> 00:17:27.829 -oriented Celtics. When does that finally change? 00:17:27.990 --> 00:17:29.930 It changes with a coach named Bill Sharman and 00:17:29.930 --> 00:17:33.450 a magical season in 1971 -72. This is the moment 00:17:33.450 --> 00:17:35.789 the Los Angeles Lakers finally stepped out of 00:17:35.789 --> 00:17:38.210 the shadow of Minneapolis and Boston. And this 00:17:38.210 --> 00:17:41.170 is the season of the streak. The 33 -game winning 00:17:41.170 --> 00:17:43.210 streak. It is still the longest winning streak 00:17:43.210 --> 00:17:45.289 in the history of major American professional 00:17:45.289 --> 00:17:49.019 team sports, not just the NBA. Baseball, football, 00:17:49.319 --> 00:17:53.099 hockey, nobody has won 33 in a row. And the irony 00:17:53.099 --> 00:17:55.680 is, it happened right after Elgin Baylor, the 00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:58.599 franchise icon, retired. That is the tragic part 00:17:58.599 --> 00:18:01.019 of the story. Elgin Baylor, one of the greatest 00:18:01.019 --> 00:18:04.299 Lakers ever, retired nine games into that season 00:18:04.299 --> 00:18:06.519 because his knees were just completely shot. 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:08.940 Literally, the very next game, the streak started. 00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:11.920 They did not lose for over two months. What changed? 00:18:12.140 --> 00:18:14.569 Was it just that Baylor was gone? Well, that's 00:18:14.569 --> 00:18:16.529 part of the narrative, that it freed up the offense. 00:18:16.769 --> 00:18:19.289 But the bigger change was Bill Sharman. He invented 00:18:19.289 --> 00:18:22.109 the shoot -around. Before him, teams just showed 00:18:22.109 --> 00:18:24.490 up to the arena and played the game. He made 00:18:24.490 --> 00:18:26.210 them practice on the morning of the game to get 00:18:26.210 --> 00:18:29.369 loose. It completely professionalized the preparation. 00:18:29.809 --> 00:18:32.890 And the players bought in. Completely. Wilt Chamberlain 00:18:32.890 --> 00:18:35.309 reinvented himself from a guy who needed to score 00:18:35.309 --> 00:18:38.990 50 to a dominant defender and rebounder. Jerry 00:18:38.990 --> 00:18:41.230 West became the primary playmaker. They were 00:18:41.230 --> 00:18:43.390 an absolute machine. And they finally got the 00:18:43.390 --> 00:18:45.569 ring. They beat the New York Knicks in 1972. 00:18:46.230 --> 00:18:49.390 Wilt was the finals MVP. It was the exorcism. 00:18:49.490 --> 00:18:51.569 They finally proved they could win the big one 00:18:51.569 --> 00:18:54.329 in L .A. But that team was aging. West and Wilt 00:18:54.329 --> 00:18:56.849 retired shortly after and the franchise started 00:18:56.849 --> 00:18:59.329 to drift again. They needed a spark. They needed 00:18:59.329 --> 00:19:02.730 magic. Literally. Literally. So let's pivot to 00:19:02.730 --> 00:19:07.529 1979. This is, in my opinion, the birth of the 00:19:07.529 --> 00:19:10.549 modern NBA as we know it. Dr. Jerry Buss buys 00:19:10.549 --> 00:19:12.569 the team. And this is where the business side 00:19:12.569 --> 00:19:14.390 of the story becomes absolutely fascinating. 00:19:14.789 --> 00:19:18.190 He bought the Lakers, the NHL's LA Kings, and 00:19:18.190 --> 00:19:22.029 the Forum Arena all in one package for $67 .5 00:19:22.029 --> 00:19:25.609 million. It was a massive real estate deal that 00:19:25.609 --> 00:19:27.930 just happened to include a basketball team. But 00:19:27.930 --> 00:19:29.930 Dr. Buss was different from the old school owners. 00:19:30.170 --> 00:19:32.369 Totally different. He was a chemist who made 00:19:32.369 --> 00:19:34.549 his fortune in real estate, and he was, you know, 00:19:34.569 --> 00:19:37.309 a bit of a playboy. He looked at NBA games, which 00:19:37.309 --> 00:19:39.730 were pretty dour, quiet affairs at the time, 00:19:39.750 --> 00:19:41.960 and he said, Why isn't this like a nightclub? 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:44.420 Why isn't this Hollywood? Enter the Laker girls. 00:19:44.660 --> 00:19:47.339 Enter the live bands at halftime. Enter the entire 00:19:47.339 --> 00:19:49.819 vibe. He wanted it to be an event. He raised 00:19:49.819 --> 00:19:52.039 the ticket prices for courtside seats and made 00:19:52.039 --> 00:19:54.039 them a status symbol where celebrities had to 00:19:54.039 --> 00:19:56.740 be seen. But the vibe needs a conductor. And 00:19:56.740 --> 00:19:59.319 in the 1979 draft, the Lakers had the number 00:19:59.319 --> 00:20:02.700 one overall pick. They selected Irvin Magic Johnson. 00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:05.349 The smile that changed the world. He was just 00:20:05.349 --> 00:20:07.650 infectious. He was a six foot nine point guard, 00:20:07.849 --> 00:20:09.609 which was completely unheard of. He could pass 00:20:09.609 --> 00:20:11.490 like a little guy, but rebound like a big guy. 00:20:11.789 --> 00:20:14.390 And he joins Kareem Abdul -Jabbar, who the Lakers 00:20:14.390 --> 00:20:17.390 had traded for a few years prior. Again, following 00:20:17.390 --> 00:20:20.150 the pattern, when in doubt, get the best center 00:20:20.150 --> 00:20:22.750 in the world. Kareem was the stoic, intellectual 00:20:22.750 --> 00:20:26.849 captain. And Magic was this enthusiastic, high 00:20:26.849 --> 00:20:29.410 -fiving rookie. And they win the title immediately 00:20:29.410 --> 00:20:32.950 in 1980. The rookie season of Magic Johnson is 00:20:32.950 --> 00:20:36.059 the stuff of legend. Specifically, game six of 00:20:36.059 --> 00:20:39.359 the 1980 finals against the 76ers. This is up 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:41.619 there with the flu game level of myth -making. 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:44.720 Kareem sprains his ankle badly in game five and 00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:46.920 can't travel to Philadelphia for game six. So 00:20:46.920 --> 00:20:48.880 the Lakers are flying east without their captain, 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:52.240 their MVP. It seems over. It does. But Magic 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:54.359 Johnson, a 20 -year -old rookie, gets on the 00:20:54.359 --> 00:20:57.259 plane and sits in Kareem's designated seat. He 00:20:57.259 --> 00:20:59.180 looks at his teammates and famously says, never 00:20:59.180 --> 00:21:02.299 fear, Magic is here. And then he actually backs 00:21:02.299 --> 00:21:04.349 it up. He starts the game at the center. At center, 00:21:04.450 --> 00:21:06.630 a rookie point guard. He jumps center against 00:21:06.630 --> 00:21:09.269 Daryl Dawkins. He plays in the post. He brings 00:21:09.269 --> 00:21:11.789 the ball up the court. He scores 42 points, grabs 00:21:11.789 --> 00:21:14.569 15 rebounds, and dishes out seven assists. He 00:21:14.569 --> 00:21:16.950 played every single position on the floor that 00:21:16.950 --> 00:21:19.509 night. They win the title, he's the finals MVP, 00:21:19.769 --> 00:21:22.730 and Showtime is officially born. But the 80s 00:21:22.730 --> 00:21:25.019 wasn't just a joyride for them. The Celtics were 00:21:25.019 --> 00:21:27.700 back. The Bird versus Magic era, this rivalry, 00:21:27.980 --> 00:21:30.460 I mean, it saved the NBA. The league was on tape 00:21:30.460 --> 00:21:32.599 delay before these two came along. Magic and 00:21:32.599 --> 00:21:35.380 Bird made it must -see primetime TV. But for 00:21:35.380 --> 00:21:37.980 the Lakers, the old trauma returned in 1984. 00:21:38.599 --> 00:21:40.519 They meet Boston in the finals again. And the 00:21:40.519 --> 00:21:42.579 Lakers were the better team. They were faster, 00:21:42.660 --> 00:21:45.220 more talented, but they made critical mental 00:21:45.220 --> 00:21:47.200 errors. This is where the nickname Tragic Johnson 00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:49.299 comes from, right? It was brutal. Magic made 00:21:49.299 --> 00:21:51.319 a bad pass at the end of game two. He had the 00:21:51.319 --> 00:21:53.279 ball stolen from him in a key moment in game 00:21:53.279 --> 00:21:56.460 four. They lost in seven games in the boiling 00:21:56.460 --> 00:21:59.740 hot Boston Garden. The media just crucified him. 00:21:59.880 --> 00:22:02.480 They said Showtime was just flash with no substance. 00:22:02.759 --> 00:22:04.839 They said they couldn't beat the tough, physical 00:22:04.839 --> 00:22:07.440 Celtics. It was the Memorial Day massacre the 00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:09.859 next year, in 1985, that seemed to be the turning 00:22:09.859 --> 00:22:13.390 point. Wow, game one of the 85 finals. The Celtics 00:22:13.390 --> 00:22:16.890 absolutely destroyed the Lakers, 148 to 114. 00:22:16.890 --> 00:22:19.849 It was a bloodbath. Kareem looked old and slow. 00:22:20.130 --> 00:22:23.190 It looked like the curse was eternal. But Pat 00:22:23.190 --> 00:22:25.730 Riley, who had taken over as coach in 81, made 00:22:25.730 --> 00:22:28.329 a brilliant psychological move. What did he do? 00:22:28.750 --> 00:22:31.529 He realized the team was mentally soft. He worked 00:22:31.529 --> 00:22:33.309 them into the ground in practice for two days. 00:22:33.490 --> 00:22:35.609 But more importantly, he stopped showing them 00:22:35.609 --> 00:22:38.509 game film of their mistakes. Instead, he just 00:22:38.509 --> 00:22:40.170 showed them film of the Celtics celebrating. 00:22:40.289 --> 00:22:43.049 He convinced them that their legacy, their entire 00:22:43.049 --> 00:22:46.450 destiny hinged on beating Boston in Boston. And 00:22:46.450 --> 00:22:48.819 they did it. They won the series in six games. 00:22:49.019 --> 00:22:51.680 Game six was at the Boston Garden. It was the 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:53.759 first time in history that a visiting team had 00:22:53.759 --> 00:22:56.079 ever won a championship on that famous parquet 00:22:56.079 --> 00:23:00.380 floor. Kareem, at age 38, was the MVP. It silenced 00:23:00.380 --> 00:23:02.819 all the ghosts. Completely. They won again in 00:23:02.819 --> 00:23:06.259 87, beating Boston. And then, in the locker room 00:23:06.259 --> 00:23:08.680 celebration after that title, Pat Riley does 00:23:08.680 --> 00:23:10.980 something absolutely insane. He guarantees a 00:23:10.980 --> 00:23:12.839 repeat. He didn't ask the team first or anything. 00:23:13.079 --> 00:23:15.470 No. He's in the middle of a press conference 00:23:15.470 --> 00:23:18.049 pouring champagne, his hair is all slicked back, 00:23:18.269 --> 00:23:20.809 and he just tells the media, I guarantee we'll 00:23:20.809 --> 00:23:23.569 do it again next year. No one had repeated his 00:23:23.569 --> 00:23:25.710 champs in almost 20 years. Talk about putting 00:23:25.710 --> 00:23:28.940 pressure on your own team. But that 1988 team 00:23:28.940 --> 00:23:32.259 was special. They had to survive two grueling 00:23:32.259 --> 00:23:35.099 game sevens just to get out of the West. And 00:23:35.099 --> 00:23:37.359 then they beat the bad boy Pistons in the finals 00:23:37.359 --> 00:23:39.799 in another seven games. They were the first team 00:23:39.799 --> 00:23:42.259 to repeat since the 60s Celtics. That was the 00:23:42.259 --> 00:23:45.690 absolute peak of showtime. And then. As always, 00:23:45.869 --> 00:23:49.609 the cycle turns. In November 1991, Magic announces 00:23:49.609 --> 00:23:52.750 he has HIV. It was a global shock. He retires 00:23:52.750 --> 00:23:55.269 immediately. The team goes into a slump. The 00:23:55.269 --> 00:23:57.369 mid -90s were, well, they were weird. You had 00:23:57.369 --> 00:24:00.009 Nick Van Axel, Eddie Jones. Fun teams, but not 00:24:00.009 --> 00:24:01.809 championship contenders. It was showtime late. 00:24:01.930 --> 00:24:03.069 You know, they were good. They made the playoffs, 00:24:03.170 --> 00:24:05.390 but they weren't giants. And Jerry West, who 00:24:05.390 --> 00:24:07.250 is now the general manager of the architect, 00:24:07.450 --> 00:24:09.750 he knew it. He knew the Lakers don't hang banners 00:24:09.750 --> 00:24:11.390 for making it to the second round of the playoffs. 00:24:11.589 --> 00:24:14.769 So that brings us to the summer of 1996. I would 00:24:14.769 --> 00:24:17.710 argue this is the single most impactful offseason 00:24:17.710 --> 00:24:21.309 by any GM in the history of sports. It is really 00:24:21.309 --> 00:24:23.730 hard to argue against it. In the span of just 00:24:23.730 --> 00:24:26.450 a few weeks, Jerry West completely reshapes the 00:24:26.450 --> 00:24:29.509 NBA for the next decade. First, he sets his sights 00:24:29.509 --> 00:24:32.369 on Shaquille O 'Neal. Shaq was in Orlando. He 00:24:32.369 --> 00:24:34.819 was this unstoppable source of nature. But he 00:24:34.819 --> 00:24:36.940 was unhappy there. He felt underappreciated. 00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:40.200 So Jerry West cleared cap space. He traded away 00:24:40.200 --> 00:24:43.299 beloved players like Cedric Sabato's just to 00:24:43.299 --> 00:24:45.599 have enough money to offer Shaq a max contract. 00:24:46.079 --> 00:24:49.099 And he signed him. That alone would have been 00:24:49.099 --> 00:24:52.019 a massive franchise -altering success. But he 00:24:52.019 --> 00:24:54.819 wasn't done. No. He had been scouting this 17 00:24:54.819 --> 00:24:56.900 -year -old kid from Lower Marion High School 00:24:56.900 --> 00:25:00.039 in Philadelphia, Kobe Bryant. A guard coming 00:25:00.039 --> 00:25:01.740 straight out of high school. That just didn't 00:25:01.740 --> 00:25:03.700 happen back then. Kevin Garnett had done it as 00:25:03.700 --> 00:25:06.019 a big man, but a guard was seen as a huge risk. 00:25:06.119 --> 00:25:08.319 Everyone thought it was crazy. But West saw the 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:10.819 pre -draft workout. He saw Kobe destroying college 00:25:10.819 --> 00:25:13.319 -level players. He just knew. So he works out 00:25:13.319 --> 00:25:14.960 a trade with the Charlotte Hornets, who had the 00:25:14.960 --> 00:25:17.799 13th pick in the draft. He sends Vlade Divac, 00:25:17.940 --> 00:25:20.099 his starting center, a very good popular player, 00:25:20.160 --> 00:25:22.440 to Charlotte for the rights to draft this teenager. 00:25:22.940 --> 00:25:26.619 Imagine that. Trading your starting center for 00:25:26.619 --> 00:25:28.579 a kid who needs a permission slip from his parents 00:25:28.579 --> 00:25:31.769 to play. It was a massive gamble. Vlade actually 00:25:31.769 --> 00:25:34.069 threatened to retire rather than go to Charlotte, 00:25:34.190 --> 00:25:36.789 which have killed the deal. But Wes talked him 00:25:36.789 --> 00:25:39.309 into it. He pulled it off. So now you have Shaq 00:25:39.309 --> 00:25:42.589 and Kobe. But it wasn't instant magic like it 00:25:42.589 --> 00:25:44.690 was with Magic Johnson. It took a while. They 00:25:44.690 --> 00:25:47.289 struggled to gel. It was a clash of personalities. 00:25:47.690 --> 00:25:50.589 They were two alphas. Shaq was a party guy who 00:25:50.589 --> 00:25:53.390 relied on talent. Kobe was an introvert obsessed 00:25:53.390 --> 00:25:56.069 with technique and practice. They got swept by 00:25:56.069 --> 00:25:58.890 Utah in the playoffs. Kobe shot, what, four air 00:25:58.890 --> 00:26:00.450 balls in the final minutes of an elimination 00:26:00.450 --> 00:26:03.529 game? It was rough. It was. But then Phil Jackson 00:26:03.529 --> 00:26:06.869 arrives in 1999, the Zen master. He had the six 00:26:06.869 --> 00:26:08.769 rings with Jordan. He had the credibility. He 00:26:08.769 --> 00:26:10.569 had the credibility to manage those two egos. 00:26:10.589 --> 00:26:12.450 He got Shaq to get in the best shape of his life. 00:26:12.529 --> 00:26:14.349 He implemented the triangle offense. And from 00:26:14.349 --> 00:26:17.670 2000 to 2002, we saw arguably the most dominant 00:26:17.670 --> 00:26:21.410 peak of any team ever, the three -peat. But it 00:26:21.410 --> 00:26:23.390 wasn't easy. I always go back to the 2000 Western 00:26:23.390 --> 00:26:26.220 Conference Finals against Portland. Game seven. 00:26:26.380 --> 00:26:29.500 Oh, man. They were down 15 points in the fourth 00:26:29.500 --> 00:26:31.980 quarter. The brand new Staples Center was groaning. 00:26:32.039 --> 00:26:34.740 It looked like a historic choke job. And then 00:26:34.740 --> 00:26:36.720 the defense just tightened up. They went on a 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:39.940 huge run. And then the lob. The Kobe to Shaq 00:26:39.940 --> 00:26:42.039 lob. It's the most iconic alley -oop in history. 00:26:42.220 --> 00:26:44.579 Kobe crosses over Scottie Pippen, drives into 00:26:44.579 --> 00:26:47.180 the lane, and just throws it up high. Shaq catches 00:26:47.180 --> 00:26:49.279 it with one hand and slams it down with such 00:26:49.279 --> 00:26:51.539 force. He runs back down the court, pointing 00:26:51.539 --> 00:26:54.359 at the sky, mouth wide open. That one moment. 00:26:54.700 --> 00:26:57.339 Ended the choker narrative for that team. They 00:26:57.339 --> 00:27:00.519 won the title. Then in 2001, they went 15 -1 00:27:00.519 --> 00:27:02.720 in the playoffs. They just destroyed everyone. 00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:05.740 Shaq won finals MVP three times in a row. But 00:27:05.740 --> 00:27:08.180 we have to talk about 2002. The Kings series. 00:27:08.500 --> 00:27:10.299 The Western Conference finals against Sacramento. 00:27:10.599 --> 00:27:11.940 The Kings were probably the better team that 00:27:11.940 --> 00:27:13.920 year. They played this beautiful, free -flowing, 00:27:14.059 --> 00:27:17.400 passing basketball. And game four, Robert Horry's 00:27:17.400 --> 00:27:19.640 buzzer beater saved the Lakers' season. The ball 00:27:19.640 --> 00:27:21.400 gets tipped out right to him. He picks it up. 00:27:21.420 --> 00:27:24.220 Bang. But game six? That is the controversial 00:27:24.220 --> 00:27:27.259 one. The Lakers shot 27 free throws in the fourth 00:27:27.259 --> 00:27:29.980 quarter alone. Kings fans will go to their graves 00:27:29.980 --> 00:27:32.940 saying the league and the referees fixed it to 00:27:32.940 --> 00:27:35.339 ensure a game seven. It definitely looks suspicious 00:27:35.339 --> 00:27:37.779 watching it back. A lot of very soft calls. It 00:27:37.779 --> 00:27:40.200 did. But the Lakers survived it. They won game 00:27:40.200 --> 00:27:42.619 seven in overtime. They went on to sweep the 00:27:42.619 --> 00:27:46.420 nets for the third ring. The ego, the internal 00:27:46.420 --> 00:27:48.220 friction. It's the Greek tragedy of the Lakers, 00:27:48.319 --> 00:27:50.240 isn't it? When you have two alphas as big as 00:27:50.240 --> 00:27:53.440 Shaq and Kobe, the gravity eventually just tears 00:27:53.440 --> 00:27:56.009 the planet apart. It does. Shaq came into the 00:27:56.009 --> 00:27:57.769 next training camp out of shape. He famously 00:27:57.769 --> 00:28:00.109 said, I got hurt on company time, so I'll heal 00:28:00.109 --> 00:28:02.829 on company time. Kobe, who lived in the gym, 00:28:02.930 --> 00:28:06.029 resented that. Kobe wanted to be the man. They 00:28:06.029 --> 00:28:08.630 lost to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 finals, 00:28:08.769 --> 00:28:11.789 a super team that added Karl Malone and Gary 00:28:11.789 --> 00:28:14.190 Payton, but completely failed. And that was it. 00:28:14.230 --> 00:28:16.490 The marriage was over. Shaq was traded to Miami 00:28:16.490 --> 00:28:19.809 for Lamar Odom and spare parts. Phil Jackson 00:28:19.809 --> 00:28:22.650 left and wrote a book calling Kobe uncoachable. 00:28:22.869 --> 00:28:25.359 It really felt like the end of an era. It was 00:28:25.359 --> 00:28:26.980 the end of the dynasty, but it was the start 00:28:26.980 --> 00:28:29.740 of Kobe's individual crusade, the Black Mamba 00:28:29.740 --> 00:28:32.559 era. Kobe was absolutely determined to prove 00:28:32.559 --> 00:28:35.140 he could win a championship without Shaq. But 00:28:35.140 --> 00:28:37.819 the roster around him was just terrible. Smush 00:28:37.819 --> 00:28:41.519 Parker, Kwame Brown. I mean, Kobe scored 81 points 00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:43.200 in a game just to keep them competitive. He was 00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:45.279 averaging 35 points a game and they were barely 00:28:45.279 --> 00:28:47.119 making the playoffs as a seventh or eighth seed. 00:28:47.240 --> 00:28:49.799 He was miserable. He demanded a trade in the 00:28:49.799 --> 00:28:52.619 summer of 2007. I completely forgot he demanded 00:28:52.619 --> 00:28:55.369 a trade. He was ready to go to the Chicago Bulls 00:28:55.369 --> 00:28:58.049 or even the Clippers. He was done. He publicly 00:28:58.049 --> 00:29:01.190 ripped the front office. But Dr. Buss didn't 00:29:01.190 --> 00:29:04.269 panic. And funnily enough, Jerry West, even though 00:29:04.269 --> 00:29:06.009 he was working for the Memphis Grizzlies at the 00:29:06.009 --> 00:29:08.750 time, ended up facilitating a trade that saved 00:29:08.750 --> 00:29:12.890 the Lakers. Pau Gasol. February 2008. The Lakers 00:29:12.890 --> 00:29:15.369 acquire Pau Gasol from Memphis for, essentially, 00:29:15.589 --> 00:29:18.089 Kwame Brown and some draft picks. It changed 00:29:18.089 --> 00:29:19.930 the entire trajectory of the franchise overnight. 00:29:20.400 --> 00:29:22.859 Pau was the perfect complement to Kobe. He was 00:29:22.859 --> 00:29:26.740 high IQ, a skilled passer, unselfish. He didn't 00:29:26.740 --> 00:29:28.839 need the spotlight. He just wanted to win. They 00:29:28.839 --> 00:29:31.299 went to the finals immediately in 2008, but lost 00:29:31.299 --> 00:29:33.779 to guess who? It had to be Boston. The Celtics 00:29:33.779 --> 00:29:36.859 again. The new big three. Kevin Garnett, Paul 00:29:36.859 --> 00:29:39.019 Pierce, Ray Allen. They beat the Lakers down. 00:29:39.140 --> 00:29:41.059 They embarrassed them in the deciding game six 00:29:41.059 --> 00:29:44.579 by 39 points. But that loss just fueled Kobe. 00:29:44.660 --> 00:29:46.819 It set up the redemption tour. 2009, they roll 00:29:46.819 --> 00:29:48.440 through the playoffs and beat the Orlando Magic. 00:29:48.819 --> 00:29:51.500 Kobe gets his fourth ring, his first finals MVP. 00:29:52.039 --> 00:29:54.480 The monkey is finally off his back. He won one, 00:29:54.559 --> 00:29:57.380 but without Shaq. But 2010 is the one that mattered 00:29:57.380 --> 00:29:59.599 most to him. A rematch with Boston in the finals. 00:29:59.900 --> 00:30:02.759 Game seven at Staples Center. That was the ugliest, 00:30:02.779 --> 00:30:05.059 most brutal basketball game I have ever seen. 00:30:05.180 --> 00:30:07.509 It was a complete rock fight. Nobody could shoot. 00:30:07.589 --> 00:30:10.289 The pressure was suffocating. Kobe himself was 00:30:10.289 --> 00:30:12.829 six for 24 from the field. He couldn't buy a 00:30:12.829 --> 00:30:16.009 bucket, but he grabbed 15 rebounds. He defended. 00:30:16.329 --> 00:30:18.869 Ron Artest, now Metta World Peace, hit a massive 00:30:18.869 --> 00:30:21.569 three. Sasha Vujacic hit clutch free throws. 00:30:21.670 --> 00:30:23.930 They just grounded out and won. And the image 00:30:23.930 --> 00:30:26.730 of Kobe standing on the scorer's table, arms 00:30:26.730 --> 00:30:29.490 outstretched, confetti falling. He had five rings, 00:30:29.690 --> 00:30:32.269 one more than Shaq, and tied with Magic Johnson. 00:30:32.859 --> 00:30:34.579 For him, that felt like the mountaintop because 00:30:34.579 --> 00:30:37.299 the descent after that was steep and fast. Kobe 00:30:37.299 --> 00:30:40.160 tore his Achilles in 2013. That was really the 00:30:40.160 --> 00:30:42.900 end of his prime. But he gave us one last incredible 00:30:42.900 --> 00:30:47.980 moment. 2016, his final game. 60 points. He took 00:30:47.980 --> 00:30:50.539 50 shots to get there, but nobody cared. It was 00:30:50.539 --> 00:30:53.579 the most Kobe Bryant ending imaginable. He just 00:30:53.579 --> 00:30:56.140 willed the ball into the hoop one last time and 00:30:56.140 --> 00:30:59.819 walked off the court. Mamba out. And that ushered 00:30:59.819 --> 00:31:02.410 in the wandering in the desert years. Yeah. The 00:31:02.410 --> 00:31:07.210 young core. Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle 00:31:07.210 --> 00:31:09.410 Kuzma. The Lakers were trying to rebuild through 00:31:09.410 --> 00:31:11.049 the draft, which, as we established earlier, 00:31:11.289 --> 00:31:14.069 isn't really their DNA. They were bad. They missed 00:31:14.069 --> 00:31:16.029 the playoffs for six straight years, which was 00:31:16.029 --> 00:31:18.210 the longest drought in franchise history. It 00:31:18.210 --> 00:31:20.630 was a really dark period. But the brand is strong. 00:31:20.869 --> 00:31:23.789 The city is L .A. And in 2018, the best player 00:31:23.789 --> 00:31:25.650 in the world decided he wanted to live in Los 00:31:25.650 --> 00:31:28.390 Angeles. LeBron James. He signed as a free agent. 00:31:28.569 --> 00:31:30.130 He didn't even meet with other teams. He just 00:31:30.130 --> 00:31:32.859 came. But he knew, just like Jerry West knew 00:31:32.859 --> 00:31:35.940 back in 96, that one star isn't enough to win 00:31:35.940 --> 00:31:38.259 a title in LA. So the young core had to go. In 00:31:38.259 --> 00:31:40.359 the summer of 2019, the Anthony Davis trade. 00:31:40.799 --> 00:31:43.619 They sent Ingram, Ball, Josh Hart, and a bunch 00:31:43.619 --> 00:31:46.250 of picks to New Orleans for AD. Critics said 00:31:46.250 --> 00:31:48.450 they gave up too much. They said they mortgaged 00:31:48.450 --> 00:31:50.809 their entire future for an injury prone star. 00:31:51.029 --> 00:31:53.710 And then 2020 happened. Context is everything 00:31:53.710 --> 00:31:57.069 here. January 2020, Kobe Bryant dies in that 00:31:57.069 --> 00:32:00.029 tragic helicopter crash. The city was devastated. 00:32:00.230 --> 00:32:03.450 The team, the organization was devastated. LeBron 00:32:03.450 --> 00:32:05.289 and AD had to carry that incredible emotional 00:32:05.289 --> 00:32:08.470 weight. Then COVID hits. The world shuts down. 00:32:08.670 --> 00:32:10.710 The season resumes in the bubble in Orlando. 00:32:11.029 --> 00:32:13.130 It was the strangest championship run ever, but 00:32:13.130 --> 00:32:15.309 maybe the most. Mentally taxing. Absolutely. 00:32:15.509 --> 00:32:17.589 Isolated from family for three months. No fans. 00:32:17.869 --> 00:32:20.529 Just basketball. But LeBron and Davis were perfect. 00:32:20.630 --> 00:32:23.029 They dominated. They beat the Miami Heat. LeBron 00:32:23.029 --> 00:32:25.670 won his fourth finals MVP. And the Lakers tied 00:32:25.670 --> 00:32:28.470 the Celtics with 17 championships. They did it 00:32:28.470 --> 00:32:30.769 for Kobe. Job finished, as Kobe would say. Or 00:32:30.769 --> 00:32:33.109 job finished. I guess not. Yeah. Because Boston 00:32:33.109 --> 00:32:36.369 won in 2024 to go up 18 -17 in the all -time 00:32:36.369 --> 00:32:39.309 race. Right. And that brings us full circle to 00:32:39.309 --> 00:32:41.170 the motivation for the Luca trade that we started 00:32:41.170 --> 00:32:43.250 with. After the bubble, the Lakers were kind 00:32:43.250 --> 00:32:45.809 of stuck. They had the 2020 title. They won the 00:32:45.809 --> 00:32:48.390 inaugural in -season tournament in 2023, which 00:32:48.390 --> 00:32:50.829 was nice. But it's not a banner you brag about 00:32:50.829 --> 00:32:53.440 too much. No. They needed to respond to Boston. 00:32:53.579 --> 00:32:55.960 They needed to future -proof the franchise for 00:32:55.960 --> 00:32:58.000 the post -LeBron era. And that's where we sit 00:32:58.000 --> 00:33:01.440 today, February 18, 2026. Luca's wearing purple 00:33:01.440 --> 00:33:04.740 and gold. LeBron is 41. Mark Walter is signing 00:33:04.740 --> 00:33:06.880 the checks. And we have to talk about the culture 00:33:06.880 --> 00:33:08.779 shift that comes with Mark Walter because it's 00:33:08.779 --> 00:33:11.220 a huge deal. Yeah, let's dive into that because 00:33:11.220 --> 00:33:14.680 the Buss family, there was always this drama, 00:33:14.819 --> 00:33:17.480 this Game of Thrones stuff going on. Wow, the 00:33:17.480 --> 00:33:20.200 2017 coup attempt. We skipped over that, but 00:33:20.200 --> 00:33:23.069 it's crucial context. After Dr. Buss died in 00:33:23.069 --> 00:33:25.650 2013, he left the team to his six children in 00:33:25.650 --> 00:33:28.410 a trust. His son, Jim Buss, was running basketball 00:33:28.410 --> 00:33:34.480 operations, and it was a complete disaster. Some 00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:36.799 of the worst contracts in NBA history. Jeannie 00:33:36.799 --> 00:33:39.460 Buss, his sister, had to literally go to court 00:33:39.460 --> 00:33:41.960 and fire her own brother to take control of the 00:33:41.960 --> 00:33:45.039 team. She and Scald Magic Johnson, who then quit 00:33:45.039 --> 00:33:48.220 a year later in a bizarre press conference. Then 00:33:48.220 --> 00:33:51.059 she hired Rob Palenka. It was high drama. Very 00:33:51.059 --> 00:33:53.400 succession coded. Very, but it was personal. 00:33:53.440 --> 00:33:56.200 It was family. And the Linker way was about treating 00:33:56.200 --> 00:33:59.140 stars like family. They retire numbers only for 00:33:59.140 --> 00:34:02.039 Hall of Famers. They have 14 numbers retired, 00:34:02.319 --> 00:34:05.819 including both 8 and 24 for Kobe. They took care 00:34:05.819 --> 00:34:07.960 of their own. Kobe got that massive contract 00:34:07.960 --> 00:34:09.619 at the end of his career when he was injured 00:34:09.619 --> 00:34:11.500 because he was family. Do you think that changes 00:34:11.500 --> 00:34:13.579 with Mark Walter? He's a hedge fund guy. He's 00:34:13.579 --> 00:34:15.739 the head of Guggenheim baseball management. It's 00:34:15.739 --> 00:34:18.400 the most valid question to ask. The deal was 00:34:18.400 --> 00:34:20.440 structured to keep Genie as the governor, likely 00:34:20.440 --> 00:34:22.920 to maintain that link to the past, that Lakers 00:34:22.920 --> 00:34:26.659 mystique. But Mark Walter is data driven. He's 00:34:26.659 --> 00:34:29.400 about efficiency and massive revenue. I mean, 00:34:29.400 --> 00:34:31.159 you look at the Dodgers under his ownership. 00:34:31.320 --> 00:34:33.940 They have been the best run organization in baseball, 00:34:34.139 --> 00:34:36.179 spending huge money, but also having the best 00:34:36.179 --> 00:34:38.780 analytics and player development. So maybe that's 00:34:38.780 --> 00:34:41.199 the hybrid future, the soul in the face of the 00:34:41.199 --> 00:34:43.739 Buss family with the wallet and the brain of 00:34:43.739 --> 00:34:45.519 the Walter group. That is the best case scenario 00:34:45.519 --> 00:34:48.139 for Laker fans. The Luka Donicic era will be 00:34:48.139 --> 00:34:50.519 the ultimate test case. If they win a title with 00:34:50.519 --> 00:34:53.420 Luka, the transition is a roaring success. a 00:34:53.420 --> 00:34:57.360 corporate soulless product? Well, the fans in 00:34:57.360 --> 00:34:59.280 L .A. are fickle. They love winners, but they 00:34:59.280 --> 00:35:02.239 also love their icons and their stories. It's 00:35:02.239 --> 00:35:04.000 just amazing to think about the cycle we just 00:35:04.000 --> 00:35:05.920 walked through. It's always the same beat. The 00:35:05.920 --> 00:35:09.599 team struggles. They find a giant Mike and Wilt, 00:35:09.619 --> 00:35:14.199 Kareem, Shaq, Powell, LeBron, now Luka. They 00:35:14.199 --> 00:35:17.449 win. They create drama. They fall apart. And 00:35:17.449 --> 00:35:19.550 they win again. It is the most reliable script 00:35:19.550 --> 00:35:21.889 in all of sports. And what's fascinating to me 00:35:21.889 --> 00:35:23.650 is that no matter how much the league changes, 00:35:23.809 --> 00:35:26.389 salary caps, three -point revolutions, international 00:35:26.389 --> 00:35:29.349 players, the Lakers formula remains almost archaic, 00:35:29.349 --> 00:35:32.599 yet. Unbelievably effective. Star power wins. 00:35:32.900 --> 00:35:34.460 So what does this all mean for you listening 00:35:34.460 --> 00:35:36.000 right now? If you're a Lakers fan, you're probably 00:35:36.000 --> 00:35:37.719 feeling pretty good about having Luka for the 00:35:37.719 --> 00:35:40.559 next decade. If you're a hater. If you're a hater, 00:35:40.599 --> 00:35:42.340 you're probably rolling your eyes that they got 00:35:42.340 --> 00:35:44.539 bailed out again by a superstar demanding a trade 00:35:44.539 --> 00:35:46.719 to L .A. You're saying, of course they got Luka. 00:35:46.840 --> 00:35:50.019 They always do. True. But here's the provocative 00:35:50.019 --> 00:35:52.659 thought I want to leave you with. With the Buss 00:35:52.659 --> 00:35:55.440 family selling majority control, is the mom and 00:35:55.440 --> 00:35:59.940 pop era of the NBA officially dead? The Lakers 00:35:59.940 --> 00:36:03.679 were the last great holdout team run by a family 00:36:03.679 --> 00:36:07.599 whose only business was basketball. Now they 00:36:07.599 --> 00:36:10.340 are part of a massive investment portfolio. It's 00:36:10.340 --> 00:36:12.860 a great point. Does the Lakers mystique survive 00:36:12.860 --> 00:36:15.500 when it's just a line item on a billionaire spreadsheet? 00:36:15.739 --> 00:36:18.019 Or was the mystique always just about the players 00:36:18.019 --> 00:36:19.920 wearing the jersey and the championships they 00:36:19.920 --> 00:36:22.179 won? I have a feeling as long as Luka is throwing 00:36:22.179 --> 00:36:24.559 lobs to Bronny James, the fans won't care too 00:36:24.559 --> 00:36:26.739 much about who signs the checks. But it does 00:36:26.739 --> 00:36:28.940 feel like the end of the romantic era of the 00:36:28.940 --> 00:36:31.699 NBA. It does. But hey. I'd say go watch some 00:36:31.699 --> 00:36:33.619 highlights of the Showtime fast break. Watch 00:36:33.619 --> 00:36:36.179 magic throw a no -look pass to James Worthy. 00:36:36.179 --> 00:36:38.340 That spirit, I think that spirit is still in 00:36:38.340 --> 00:36:41.099 the building somewhere. I hope so. Thanks for 00:36:41.099 --> 00:36:42.880 diving in with us. We'll see you next time. Take 00:36:42.880 --> 00:36:43.019 care.