The Los Angeles Lakers are 2020 NBA Champions! The wild rollercoaster of a season ended last night, as the Lakers finally closed out the Miami Heat in game six of the 2020 NBA Finals. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Frank Vogel, and the rest of the Lakers then promptly celebrated uproariously, partying late into the night at the restaurant on the Disney World premises.
Before the Lakers proceeded to the locker room to pop some champagne, the aforementioned three Lakers as well as others gave their immediate postgame remarks on the floor while covered in confetti. LeBron James had some poignant words for the haters as it pertained to the respect he felt the Lakers did not receive.
“We just want our respect. Rob wants his respect. Coach Vogel wants his respect. Organization want their respect. Lakers Nation wants their respect. And I want my damn respect too”
PUT SOME RESPECT ON THEIR NAMES pic.twitter.com/aNucF25k8x
— Lakers Outsiders (@LakersOutsiders) October 12, 2020
LeBron obviously realizes how huge this title is for him. Sure, the anti-LeBron people will surely say that this was an “easy” championship run just because the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Clippers choked. They’ll also say it’s an “asterisk season” given everything that has happened in the season with coronavirus. That type of rhetoric is exactly what LeBron is thinking about when demanding that everyone puts some respect on his name.
The King leaves the bubble with his fourth NBA Finals MVP, putting him only behind Michael Jordan’s six. He did not want to risk the potential of a game seven against this scrappy Heat team, as he reportedly sent another “must win” text to his teammates (reported by Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen & Roll). The text is just another instance of LeBron’s leadership that has kept this team together through the extreme highs and lows of this season. Rob Pelinka talked about that after the game, saying the following:
Rob Pelinka says LeBron is "one of the most genuine people I've ever met."
He said the amount of energy LeBron invests in keeping the team together is unbelievable.
— Championship Faigen (@hmfaigen) October 12, 2020
This truly is a pivotal legacy moment for LeBron James, as he enters his late thirties with another championship. This one seems just as important as his other ones given everything surrounding this season with Kobe Bryant, COVID-19, and the social injustices in America. He’s also just happy to get one as a Laker, dropping this great quote below:
LeBron says that it meant a lot to be able to bring Jeanie back here, and said that he never lost faith in the Lakers because Rob Pelinka gave him his word he'd try to bring this team back.
He wraps up his remarks: "I'm proud to be a Laker.
— Championship Faigen (@hmfaigen) October 12, 2020
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