These days, the Staples Center is the building associated with the Los Angeles Lakers, as Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant have made a number of memories there that will last a lifetime.
Of course where the Lakers truly made their name and became a national presence was at The Forum (then known as the Great Western Forum) in Inglewood, Calif. It was there where Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy led the ‘Showtime’ era Lakers to five NBA Championships.
It was also where the late Dr. Jerry Buss made Lakers games an event with celebrities everywhere, the creation of the Lakers girls, and the famous ‘Forum Club.’ The arena had a feel and experience that was all its own and it’s something Kyle Kuzma believes the current team should return to.
In an appearance on ESPN’s The Jump with Rachel Nichols, Kuzma explained why he wants the Lakers to play at least one preseason game back at The Forum:
“Just the overall look. It looks L.A.-ish, old school feel, the tradition there. … Just for the feel. One game, preseason.”
Kuzma’s idea is definitely an interesting one, and one that doesn’t seem too farfetched. The Lakers usually have preseason games in multiple different arenas such as Citizen’s Bank Arena in Ontario, the Honda Center in Anaheim, and T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Switching one of those contests to The Forum seems like something the team could look to do. If it were to happen, Kuzma would definitely fit the part as far as fashion goes. Him walking past the Forum Club with his infamous fur coat would invoke memories of Magic doing the same back in the 1980s.
Of course, as Tracy McGrady pointed out when Kuzma talked about playing at The Forum, the facilities and locker rooms are a far cry from what they experience at the Staples Center, so one one game would probably be all they need.
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