Tag: Byron Scott

Dodgers will celebrate Lakers legends with T-shirt giveaway this weekend

The Dodgers will pay tribute to multiple Lakers champions this weekend at Chavez Ravine.

This has been a fairly exciting season for the Los Angeles Dodgers. It has seen the team debut of two-way star Shohei Ohtani, arguably the best player in baseball, and they have been keeping pace with the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees in the race for Major League Baseball’s best record.

The Dodgers have always shown a strong affinity for the Los Angeles Lakers. This weekend, they will be paying tribute to a number of legends who wore the Purple and Gold.

On Saturday, when they face the Tampa Bay Rays, five members of the Showtime Lakers will be throwing out the first pitch. The Dodgers will also be giving away a T-shirt with depictions of the Showtime Lakers wearing Dodgers jerseys that night.

The following afternoon, they will wrap up their three-game series versus the Rays by giving away a T-shirt honoring late Lakers great Kobe Bryant.

Fans planning on going to either game should be aware that either T-shirt will only be given to the first 40,000 fans in attendance.

Which other former Lakers players does Michael Cooper think belong in the Hall of Fame?

Do you think the former Lakers players Michael Cooper named deserve to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame?

Former Los Angeles Lakers swingman Michael Cooper just received the honor of a lifetime when he was voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

It was a long time coming, as he retired from the NBA in 1990 after a 12-season career. During his career, he was an integral 3-and-D role player for the Showtime Lakers who helped them win five world championships. He was named to eight All-Defensive teams and won the Defensive Player of the Year award for the 1986-87 season.

As a result, Cooper will have his jersey retired by the franchise this coming season.

It begs the question of which other former Lakers players may deserve to get into the Hall of Fame as well.

Cooper named three he feels have earned that right while speaking to Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson on Scoop B Radio.

“I think Byron Scott, Norm Nixon should definitely be in there, hopefully they will be considered there in the future,” Cooper said. “Robert Horry, one of the players. You know what, I found out that the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame isn’t about what you done on the court most of the time; it is, but it’s your contribution to the game. Giving back to the game in any form or fashion.”

Scott and Nixon were also important members of those 1980s Lakers squads. Nixon started alongside Magic Johnson in the backcourt for four seasons starting with the 1979-80 campaign, and he was then traded for the draft rights to Scott, who proved to be an ideal complement to Johnson at the shooting guard spot.

Horry, of course, made a living by hitting clutch and game-winning shots. He came to L.A. during the 1996-97 season and played for it until 2003, and he was best known for the buzzer-beating 3-pointer he hit in Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals against the Sacramento Kings.

It is an open debate whether role and complementary players belong in the Hall of Fame. But if they deserve to be eligible, a strong case could be made for Scott, Nixon and Horry based on their contributions to several Lakers teams that won it all.

Lakers legends pay tribute to Bill Walton after his death

A number of former and current Lakers stars reflected on the life and legend of Bill Walton after he died on Monday.

On Monday, the NBA world lost a giant figure when Bill Walton passed away at the age of 71 due to cancer.

In the 1970s and 1980s, he was a Hall of Fame center with the Portland Trail Blazers, San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics. While his career was cut short by numerous foot injuries, he won NBA championships in 1977 and 1986.

Before that, he was a big part of the University of California, Los Angeles’ basketball dynasty under head coach John Wooden. While Walton was there, the team won an incredible 88 games in a row and back-to-back national titles. Those who were around back then still remember him going 21-of-22 and scoring 44 points in the 1973 national championship game against Memphis State University, which the Bruins won.

Multiple Lakers legends paid tribute to his memory, including fellow Bruins great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Magic Johnson talked about how Walton was ahead of his time with his skill set.

Walton not only had the ability to score, rebound and defend, but he was especially praised for his passing skills, both out of the low post and from the high post.

James Worthy reminisced about meeting Walton in 1982 and his relationship with the former Clipper.

Byron Scott, yet another member of those Showtime Lakers of the 1980s, sent good vibes to Walton’s survivors.

In 2016, Walton’s son Luke became the Lakers’ head coach after a stint as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors. Even though the younger Walton was fired in 2019, he coached LeBron James for one season.

James sent his best wishes to the elder Walton’s soul.

The elder Walton, of course, became a well-known broadcaster for many years after his playing career ended. While some found him annoying, he was very entertaining, and the fact he overcame a lifelong stuttering problem to be a longtime broadcaster was a major accomplishment.

The world is already a sadder place without him.

Byron Scott says 1987-88 Lakers were the NBA’s greatest team ever

Former Lakers guard Byron Scott believes his 1987-88 squad was the best that has ever taken the floor in the NBA.

The “Showtime” era of the 1980s was the one that once and forever defined the image and mystique of the Los Angeles Lakers. During that time, they won five NBA championships and helped turn the league from somewhat of a fringe operation into must-see television.

As the era went along, they evolved from a great team that was able to start the decade with a couple of rings into a dynastic one that is still considered one of the greatest in basketball history.

Shooting guard Byron Scott was one of their lynchpins in the mid-to-late 1980s, and he told former NFL star wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson that his 1987-88 Lakers were the greatest team in NBA history (h/t The Cold Wire).

That team was led by Magic Johnson and James Worthy, both of whom were in their primes. Although Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar turned 41 years of age that year in his next-to-last season, he still gave Los Angeles production inside when it needed it.

The 1987-88 season was Scott’s best as a pro. He averaged a career-high 21.7 points a game, which led the team, and it would need every bit of his production in the playoffs.

In 1988, the Lakers had to endure three straight seven-game series against the Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons in order to win their fifth world title of the decade. Against Detroit in the NBA Finals, they trailed the series 3-2 and won Game 6 by the skin of their teeth, 103-102, before withstanding a desperate rally in Game 7 to achieve a 108-105 victory.

That victory made the Lakers the first NBA team to win back-to-back titles in 19 years while firmly establishing them as the team of the 1980s.

Byron Scott: LeBron James should be the Lakers’ next head coach

Did former Lakers star Byron Scott take a shot at LeBron James and the perception that he strong-arms his team into making decisions?

While more and more people are starting to believe LeBron James is the greatest basketball player ever, he continues to be very polarizing. A sizable number of people believe he has an outsized amount of influence on the Los Angeles Lakers and that he and Klutch Sports strong-arm the Lakers into certain personnel and coaching decisions.

The critics claim the Lakers firing head coach Darvin Ham was simply an attempt to appease James and allow him to deflect blame and responsibility for the team’s loss in the first round of the playoffs.

The team’s head coaching search is underway, and Byron Scott, who won three NBA championships with it during the Showtime era, had a bold suggestion while on Fox Sports 1’s “Undisputed.” He said that since, in his mind, James has dictated a lot of the Lakers’ decisions, James should be their next head coach while also playing for them.

“I got nothing but love and respect for LeBron. I love him. I think he’s one of the greatest players that ever played this game, but it’s obvious to me, at least, that he’s making a lot of decisions that’s going on in this organization from a coaching standpoint to a player standpoint. So if you’re going to allow him to make those decisions, sit on the bench and make those decisions as well. Be the head coach.”

“… As far as I’m concerned, the only person that’s he’s gonna really trust is himself. And since you’re making a lot of these decisions anyway, why not put him in that seat?”

Scott also criticized how JJ Redick, James’ co-host for the “Mind the Game” podcast, has been discussed as a serious head coaching candidate for the Lakers. He seems to believe Redick is only a candidate because of his relationship with the superstar.

While there were plenty of player-coaches in the NBA during its first few decades, its current collective bargaining agreement doesn’t allow active players to also serve as coaches.

Which Lakers have participated in the NBA’s 3-Point Contest?

A look back at the Lakers players who competed in the NBA’s Three-Point Contest during All-Star Saturday.

On Saturday at NBA All-Star weekend, Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks won his second straight 3-point contest. It was definitely “Dame Time” in Indianapolis. He hit his final attempt to edge Trae Young and Karl-Anthony Towns in the final round.

The contest was started during the 1985-86 season, six years after the 3-point shot made its way into the league. Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics won the first three contests. Several years later, the Chicago Bulls’ Craig Hodges became the only other player to win the competition three straight times.

While the Los Angeles Lakers have never been known as an elite 3-point shooting team despite their illustrious history, they have had three participants in the 3-point contest over the years.

Byron Scott on Kobe Bryant not in the greatest ever debates

Kobe Bryant doesn’t come up in the debate of who is the greatest NBA player ever, and former teammate Byron Scott feels that is wrong.

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These days, the debate about who is the greatest player in NBA history has been reduced to two people: LeBron James and Michael Jordan.

Although Jordan still seems to be the favorite in that debate, an increasing number of people, both young and old, believe James is the greatest basketball player of all time.

But seemingly forgotten in this debate is late Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant. His resume is almost second to none in the sport’s history: five NBA championships, two scoring titles, two NBA Finals MVPs, two Olympic gold medals and countless indelible memories.

Former Laker Byron Scott, who played with and coached Bryant, told Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson while on “Scoop B Selects” how he feels about the Black Mamba getting shortchanged in the greatest-ever discussions.

Scott also said that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, another former teammate of his, has been disrespected in this debate.

No matter where Bryant truly belongs on the list of the greatest NBA players, he left a mark on Lakers Nation and on the Los Angeles area that will live forever.

Byron Scott: Rob Pelinka should be Executive of the Year

Former Lakers star Byron Scott had some high praise for Rob Pelinka, the franchise’s current general manager.

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In a matter of a few months, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka took what looked like a broken roster and not only fixed it but made it into a championship-caliber one.

In a couple of midseason trades, he turned the talented but polarizing and ill-fitting Russell Westbrook, little-used guard Kendrick Nunn and modest draft capital into Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt. Suddenly, the Lakers had a roster that was cohesive, and it took them all the way to the Western Conference finals.

Earlier this summer, Pelinka re-signed Hachimura, Russell and emerging star Austin Reaves while adding free agents Taurean Prince, Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes. These moves have earned him rave reviews from people across the NBA.

In fact, Lakers legend Magic Johnson recently said Pelinka will win the Executive of the Year award, a sentiment former teammate Byron Scott echoed to Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson while on an episode of “Scoop B Selects” (h/t The Cold Wire).

Scott, who won three NBA championships with the Showtime Lakers in the 1980s, also said he’d be surprised if his former team doesn’t reach the final series this season, barring injuries of course.

Los Angeles isn’t the favorite to win it all or reach the championship round, but it could get there just as easily as the Denver Nuggets or Phoenix Suns.

‘Showtime’ Lakers reunited for a practice in Hawaii with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and it looked so fun

They had a ‘walk-around’ practice led by their former coach. Pat Riley.

Everyone loves talking about Magic Johnson and the “Showtime” Lakers.

There was the “Winning Time” HBO Series about the squad, starring John C. Reilly among other notable names. There is the new Hulu docu-series about the Lakers. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar started a video podcast, Skyhook, about his time with the team as well.

Even though the group hasn’t played together since 1989, the “Showtime” Lakers probably get more media coverage than most modern NBA teams. That continued this week because, as first reported by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne on The Lowe Post podcast, they reunited in Hawaii.

Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson, and other players on the team, shared some awesome photos and videos of the experience:

This looked like a truly delightful experience for the old teammates to get together once again now more than three decades later. The guys played golf together and reflected on their success and all of their relationships.

Spectrum SportsNet will premiere a “ShowTime Reunion” special on Nov. 4 once the post-game show concludes after the Lakers play the Jazz.

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Lakers legend Byron Scott talks about how the Los Angeles-Boston Celtics rivalry was in his day

Before the AAU era of NBA basketball, rivalries were no trivial thing.

While the NBA seems to come up with new rivalries each season based on a desire to create competitive animosity between franchises, using any excuse, despite a general sense of collegiality between teams, fans of the game today may not be aware how seriously players took the rivalries in the old NBA to heart.

Such was the case in the league’s most storied rivalry that continues — at least between some players and fans — to the present. That is, of course, the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The rivalry between the two clubs dates to the 1960s and regained its relevance after a long lull when Los Angeles tied the title count with Boston at 17 not too long ago.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QFIICVBOFfQ

Hear about how that dynamic was back in the day from one of the Lakers legends himself, Byron Scott on his eponymous podcast, embedded above.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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