Lakers Win the 2020 NBA Finals

The Los Angeles Lakers (LAL) have restored their reputation as one of the best franchises in the NBA. 

The Lakers won the 2020 NBA Finals 4-2 over the Miami Heat in the NBA Bubble at Disneyworld in Orlando, Fla. The bubble season was about more than just basketball. The NBA battled through the pandemic and social injustice, but specifically for the Lakers, they fought through the death of Kobe Bryant. 

“The presence [Lebron James] has off the court with his I Promise school, and then what he has talked about with civil injustice this year, I think it’s awesome to have the face of an entire league be so prevalent in sports and real-life,” junior mass communications major, Justin Platt said. 

This was the Laker’s first championship since 2010 when Bryan led the team against the Boston Celtics. 

“I appreciate it more because back home [in Los Angeles] everyone is a Lakers fan; everybody grew up being a Lakers fan. Here, I’m pretty much the only one, and I get to showboat and rub it in, and that’s what I live for,” Platt said. “This year is just huge because of everything that has gone on and especially with Kobe, like I said, a lot of us grow up watching these living legends, and it’s kind of like the passing of the torch.” 

James is now the leader for LAL, and many are calling this the passing of the torch with James restoring them to greatness. With the Lakers becoming relevant for the first time in six years, it seems that the team is restoring themselves as one of the greatest franchises of all-time. 

“I think it is good for basketball that the Lakers can come back to glory after kind of being a laugher of a team for the last decade, so I think it’s good for the Lakers and basketball to have this legendary team back in the mix,” Matt Entrekin said. 

Entrekin hosts the show Crossing the Line on CMU-TV, which he has been a part of for four seasons.  

The Lakers conversation won’t end anytime soon either because James’ teammate Anthony Davis is set to be a free agent this year. It was reported that Davis is looking to re-sign with the Lakers and continue to build the franchise. 

If Davis resigns with LAL, it has the potential to flip the landscape that the NBA has known for the past couple of years. The Lakers could overtake the Golden State Warriors as the dominant force in the Western Conference as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will be back next season. 

James will be a Laker for the next two years, and during this time, LAL will be a force in the league. Not only does this final win start a new beginning for the Lakers, it kicks off their reign over the West. 

Colorado Mesa University (CMU) students can learn something from the LAL owner Jeanie Buss. After the death of her father Dr. Jerry Buss, the previous owner of the LAL, in 2013, a legal battle ensued with her brothers, and Jeanie Buss took over the franchise. She acquired new talent, with the big signing of LeBron two years ago and the trade for Anthony Davis. She brought the Lakers back to glory by preserving through the down years, trusting her staff and trusting the process. 

CMU students may not own an NBA franchise, but we’ve all been through struggles. Jeanie Buss and countless others prove again that trusting the process is necessary to get through struggles.

There is still a lot going on within the Lakers, and they will have some decisions to make this offseason in free agency. Seven of the Lakers’ players were in their last year of the deal this season, so keep your eye out for the LAL team as they look to acquire more depth.