As one of the most successful franchises in all of professional sports, the Los Angeles Lakers have no shortage of diehard fans that bleed purple and gold and have been following the team for their entire lives.
Fortunately for the Lakers, rookie Maxwell Lewis seems to be one of those fans, as he has made it clear that he and his family love the team and were avid fans of five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant.
During his introductory press conference on Tuesday at the team’s practice facility, Lewis reflected on the surreal moment of hearing his name and Lakers in the same sentence when he was drafted by Los Angeles.
“That night, I just remember the Lakers and my name. It’s just really surreal,” Lewis said during his introductory press conference.
“My pops is from Inglewood, California. I just have so many family that’s from Las Vegas that’s Lakers fans.
“The history, Kobe [Bryant], so much about the Lakers is surreal, and it’s a blessing just to be on this team.”
It seems to be a dream come true for Lewis as he makes the transition from Pepperdine University, which isn’t far from the training facility in El Segundo, to the bright lights of Los Angeles to eventually showcase his skills on the hardwood at Crypto.com Arena.
Although there’s no telling when Lewis might get his time to shine in a Lakers uniform, the 20-year-old rookie is clearly on cloud nine at the moment and loving the experience of being one of the two players selected by the storied franchise in the 2023 NBA Draft.
With the introductory presser in the books, Lewis and fellow rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino will turn their attention to getting ready for the California Classic, which gets underway on July 1 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The Lakers will play two games on the Sacramento Kings’ home floor against the Miami Heat on July 3 and Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs on July 5 before heading to Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League.
In Las Vegas, the Lakers will play at least five games and more if they advance to the later rounds of the tournament. It remains to be seen whether Hood-Schifino and Lewis will see considerable time on the floor in Las Vegas, but there’s a decent chance they’ll play the majority of the games, so the team can get a feel for what they in these two 20-year-old rookies.
