Oct. 11, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Miami Heat 4-2 in the six-game series of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals, at ESPN’s wide world of sports, Adventhealth arena. After the Lakers won their franchise’s 17th NBA Championship, the team went into the locker room and blasted Drake’s new hit, “Laugh Now Cry Later,” while popping champagne bottles.  

Covered in champagne, with ski goggles on his face, a lit cigar in his left hand, and his iPhone with his mom on the line, the 35-year-old basketball superstar, Lebron James, could do nothing but celebrate in tears. “I love you. I love you. … You are the reason why I’m able to even do this, Mom, you don’t understand… C’mon. C’mon, Mom. Like everything that you’ve been through, everything that I’ve seen, there’s nothing that can stop me. Because this right here is nothing compared to what you had to go through,’’ Lebron James said, while laying on the locker room floor.  

Out of the 17 seasons Lebron has played in the NBA, this was the longest and craziest season of them all. Between staying in a hotel without family for three months, playing in an arena with virtual fans, and adjusting to a new coach and almost a whole new roster, this was the most bizarre season of them all. 

After winning this title, Lebron’s resume is now one of the greatest in the history of sports. He is now a four-time NBA Finals winner, four-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, and has made ten finals appearances. Lebron has had a lot of experience in the playoffs, reaching the postseason x times, while his teammate Anthony Davis, has only made the postseason x times. Davis is one of the best big men in the NBA but has never made it farther than the Western Conference Semifinals with the New Orleans Pelicans, Davis’s former team. 

In the 2019 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers were one of the worst teams in the Western Conference with a record of 37-35. They suffered extreme amounts of injuries, including Lebron James and Demarcus Cousins. The team had some young talented players but due to their abysmal season, the Lakers front office decided to make some trades. The Lakers traded  Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks, including the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft to the New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis.

The 2019-2020 Los Angeles Lakers team showed sports fans around the world how to turn around a program. The Miramonte Matadors basketball team has been watching the NBA finals and took notice of the teamwork the Lakers are displaying. “We are really inspired by Lebron James because he never quits no matter the cost, and it shows why he’s one of the greatest… Personally, I think Lebron is the best of all time at making his team better, like in game 5 where he made the pass to Danny Green for the wide-open three was a great example for what are coaches tell us to do, trust your teammates no matter the what,”  Guard James Frye ‘22 said.