Latest news with #LosAngelesLakers
Fox News
8 minutes ago
- Sport
- Fox News
LeBron James trade rumors have 'quieted down', Will he move in the offseason?
Trade talk surrounding LeBron James has quieted down, and Colin Cowherd asks what's next for LeBron.
USA Today
6 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Lakers jersey history No. 0 — Orlando Woolridge
Through the 2024-25 season, the Los Angeles Lakers have had a total of 506 players suit up for them, going back to their days in Minneapolis. Some were forgettable, some were serviceable, some were good and a select few were flat-out legendary. As the Lakers approach their 80th season of existence (they were founded back in 1946 as the Detroit Gems in the National Basketball League), LeBron Wire is taking a look at each player who has worn their jersey, whether it has been a purple and gold one or the ones they donned back in the Midwest during their early years. Here, we take a look at Orlando Woolridge, a forward who played two seasons with the Lakers. He was the No. 6 pick in the 1981 NBA Draft after a relatively quiet four-year tenure at the University of Notre Dame. His one or two pro seasons were also relatively quiet, but by the 1983-84 campaign, he emerged as a legitimate scoring option. That year, he averaged 19.3 points a game, and the following season, he put up 22.9 points a game as a member of Michael Jordan's first supporting cast. But while the 6-foot-9 forward was an exciting and very athletic player who threw down show-stopping dunks, he didn't exactly have a positive reputation. He was regarded as someone who was more concerned with putting up big scoring games than helping his team win games. Even worse, he had a well-documented cocaine habit off the court. The Lakers brought him in as a free agent in the summer of 1988 after winning their fifth NBA championship of the decade. With fan favorite Kurt Rambis departing and big man Mychal Thompson starting to age, they needed a little more depth in the frontcourt. In two seasons with L.A., Woolridge registered 11.1 points in 21.4 minutes a game and shot 51.4% from the floor. The team reached the NBA Finals in 1989 after going undefeated through the first three rounds of the playoffs, only to be swept there by the Detroit Pistons after Byron Scott and Magic Johnson injured their hamstrings. The following year, they fell in the second round of the playoffs to the Phoenix Suns. In the summer of 1990, the Lakers traded Woolridge to the Denver Nuggets for two conditional second-round draft picks. He played four more seasons in the NBA with four different teams before finishing his basketball career in Italy.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kendrick Perkins predicts that Luka Doncic will win the MVP next season: "This is the type of commitment that I wanna see from a great player"
Kendrick Perkins predicts that Luka Doncic will win the MVP next season: "This is the type of commitment that I wanna see from a great player" originally appeared on Basketball Network. Kendrick Perkins has seen the Luka Doncic situation before. Great, young players often bump into adversity, but, more often than not, they emerge stronger than ever before. With this in mind, the former NBA center implores the Los Angeles Lakers faithful to see how everything plays out with the Slovenian star before worrying about the future. "Look, this has accountability and disrespect all over it and Luka took it into the offseason," Perk said on ESPN's "NBA Today." "I know it's early for hot takes, but damn it, I'm going out on a limb early in this summertime and I'm gonna say I'm betting on Luka Doncic to win the MVP next season. This is the type of commitment that I wanna see from a great player like Luka." Doncic was criticized last season for being out of shape. Dallas Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison reportedly alluded to his conditioning as the primary reason they traded him to the Purple and Gold. Responding to the criticism, Luka apparently took his offseason regimen more seriously. He appeared to have slimmed down to a more ideal playing weight, showing, according to Perkins, that he has taken accountability for his actions. Same old, same old? Landscape's David Dennis, Jr. joined Perkins, Dave McMenamin and Jorge Sedano in the discussion. However, like the Yin to Perk's Yang, the senior writer is not convinced Luka's new-look physique would make much of a difference. "We're supposed to be talking about this guy who needs to be an MVP-type of dude and we're celebrating the fact that he looks like he's in shape?" Dennis Jr. asked rhetorically. "The bar should be way higher than that for somebody of Luka Doncic's caliber. You have to be one of the top three players in the league for the Lakers not to be bounced in the first round." Dennis Jr. also opened up an old wound, poking at the same issues and questions many have for Doncic. "By the way," Dennis Jr. adds, "A lot of people who are in shape are still bad on defense. Being in shape doesn't stop you from falling asleep on back screens or being left on an island come playoff time.""This isn't something new" Matching his fellow guest's debate show energy, a visibly irritated Perkins attempted to straighten out Dennis, Jr. by pointing to history. For the former Boston Celtics and OKC Thunder big man, everything Doncic is dealing with now is just part of the usual path for elite players. Perkins pointed out the adjustments and adversity of past and present greats. Michael Jordan had to absorb the bumps and bruises from the Detroit Pistons, Giannis Antetokounmpo had to fill up his thin frame and Nikola Jokic had to get in shape to reach the pinnacle. "This is nothing new. Young players that hit the ground running when they come into the league, they hit their head on the wall every now and then. Then all of a sudden, they have to bounce back," Perkins answered Dennis Jr.'s argument. Of course, Luka hasn't been to the mountaintop yet. All talk of him having a bounce-back season and leading the Lakers to contender status remains wishful thinking. Still, if history is any indication, players with Luka's skill and drive rarely stay down for long. The league has seen this before — stars facing scrutiny, growing pains and doubt, only to come back sharper and more determined. Doncic may not be there yet, but his response this summer suggests he's heading in that story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
The Independent
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Bad Bunny reveals he was starstruck when he met Adam Sandler
Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican rapper, is set to appear in the forthcoming Netflix sequel to the 1996 film Happy Gilmore 2. He revealed on Late Night with Seth Meyer s that he was moved to tears upon meeting his co-star Adam Sandler for the first time at a Los Angeles Lakers game. Sandler noticed Bad Bunny after his daughter recognized the musician, leading to eye contact between the two. Adam Sandler confirmed that the script for Happy Gilmore 2 had to be rewritten following the death of his co-star Carl Weathers, who played Chubbs Peterson in the original. Happy Gilmore 2 is scheduled for release on July 25, featuring many returning original cast members and new additions.
USA Today
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Derek Fisher is joining the new broadcast team for the NBA on NBC
This coming season, the NBA will return to NBC after a 23-year hiatus. That means that fans will get to hear that timeless "Roundball Rock" theme song on a regular basis throughout the season. No, Marv Albert and Bob Costas will not be handling broadcasts as they did in the 1990s and early 2000s. But NBC has assembled a solid cast of play-by-play announcers, color commentators and analysts. On Thursday, the network announced that it has added several more talented individuals who are former NBA players to that cast. One of them is Derek Fisher, a guard who won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers alongside the late great Kobe Bryant. Fisher, like Bryant, was a member of that famed 1996 draft class. It took him a little while, but he became a key role player for the Purple and Gold as they won the first three world titles of the 21st century. After two seasons with the Golden State Warriors and one with the Utah Jazz, he returned to the Lakers in 2007 and earned two more rings in 2009 and 2010. Fans remember him for hitting key 3-pointers, especially in the playoffs, and for his grittiness and leadership.
