There can only be one first, and Darvin Ham and the Los Angeles Lakers will forever be the first NBA In-Season Tournament champions. The Lakers went undefeated throughout both the group and knockout stages, ultimately taking down the Indiana Pacers to hoist the NBA Cup.
The overall response to the tournament has been a positive one. Fans were clearly into it, which led to a playoff-like atmosphere surrounding games. The players treated it like the playoffs with some extra intensity not normally seen at this time of year, and coaches like Ham went to shortened playoff rotations in those final contests as well.
In the end, it was the Lakers coming out on top and Ham gave his thoughts on the tournament to NBA reporter Marc Stein. The Lakers coach believes the tournament will only improve from here and is proud that his team is the first to win the whole thing, raising a banner before Monday night’s game against the New York Knicks:
“I think it’s great,” Ham said. “We talked about it before we played that championship game. To be able to be first at something … this tournament is not going anywhere. I think it’s only gonna get better once they go back and look at what went well and some things they should change or enhance even more.
“One thing that’s a fact is that it was great for the fans. … It’s gonna be here, so it’s going to be a part of the fabric of the NBA, which is a great thing. So to be the first team to do it, I think it’s awesome. That cup … it’s a big shot in the arm for your group [and] for your franchise.”
Now that everyone has seen the tournament in action, the NBA can go back and review what worked and what didn’t and make the necessary changes to improve it in the future. As Ham said, the tournament is already great and it will only get better.
For the Lakers to come out on top is just another accolade for the most consistently great franchise in NBA history.
Lakers hanging NBA In-Season Tournament champions banner
The Lakers chose to commemorate their success in the In-Season Tournament by raising a banner in the rafters of the Crypto.com Arena prior to the team’s game against the Knicks on Monday.
The banner will be different from the normal championship banners in both shape and color. Additionally, the team will simply add to that single banner in with future tournament championships as opposed to separate banners for each year they come out on top.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
