The Los Angeles Lakers added a number of veteran players this past offseason on one-year contracts and arguably the most popular among the bunch is Lance Stephenson. The ninth-year guard became a fan-favorite because of his energy, attitude and signature air guitar celebration.
Any time Stephenson hits a 3-pointer, which he was doing with plenty of frequency and shooting a career-high 39.3 percent from deep earlier this season, he breaks out the celebration. Sometimes it’s more subtle, while other cases see a more exaggerated strum.
But either way, it gets Stephenson’s teammates and the crowd going every time. The only detractor apparently is his head coach.
Prior to a recent game, Luke Walton explained why he is not particularly fond of the air guitar, via Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group:
Maybe Luke's worst take: "Yeah, I’m not a fan of the air guitar. Naw, I just want him to run back on defense. That’s it. But, people do love the air guitar.”
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) February 5, 2019
That mindset shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering Walton’s role as head coach. The most important thing is getting back on defense and to his credit, Stephenson hasn’t had a moment where he has allowed an easy bucket on the other end due to celebrating.
But as Walton pointed out, others do love the air guitar. It’s so popular in fact, that Stephenson took his dance moves on the road in a special appearance leading a zumba class. He wore a wig as his alter-ego ‘Lance-a-Lot’ and it was undoubtedly something that only he could pull off.
Whether or not Walton likes it, the celebration is something that won’t stop. Obviously, both sides would prefer the celebrations are coming in more wins than losses, but that will be up to the entire Lakers team to make sure that happens.
Reminder: Vivid Seats is the Official Ticket Reseller of LakersNation.com. New Customers use “LAKERSNATION” (all CAPS) in the Vivid Seats App on your phone and get 10% off any Lakers home game ticket order for the remainder of the season.
