One of the big free agency pickups for the Los Angeles Lakers prior to last season was two-way wing Taurean Prince. The veteran was solid and consistent throughout the season, but his time with the franchise will only be one year as he joined the Milwaukee Bucks this summer.
Even though he had just one season with the Lakers, Prince got the full experience of what it means to be a part of this franchise and the pressure that comes along with it. The passion of this fanbase is unlike any other in the NBA and Prince very much understands that.
The veteran recently spoke on this in an appearance on the Run Your Race podcast, believing that the Lakers are ‘America’s Team’ and noting their ridiculous social media following as proof:
“L.A. Yeah, 100%. I mean, you know now-a-days everybody cares about Instagram, so go look at the followers. The Lakers got 26 million or something, the next closest is like I think it’s Boston with eight million. That tells you right there. Win, lose or draw, no matter who you see out on the streets… I guarantee you those rookies that signed in L.A., Bron’s son and the other rookie, I forgot where he’s from, I think from Tennessee, I guarantee you people are walking up to them saying ‘Let’s go win the championship.’ Every day. No matter what the team looks like, no matter who is on it.”
It should be noted that Prince was corrected as the Golden State Warriors actually have the largest following on Instagram with 32 million with the Lakers behind them. But the second part of his statement about the fans and the expectations they have of the Lakers every season is very much something that no other team has to deal with.
Prince even went as far to say that every game felt like a home game when he was wearing the purple and goal.
The Lakers have always had a national following unlike any other team and are always featured in spotlight games even in years where they weren’t a playoff team. There is a level of pressure that comes with being a member of the Lakers that is unmatched around the rest of the NBA and Prince experienced that firsthand in his one year in LA.
Lakers’ Gabe Vincent feeling healthy ahead of 2024-25 season
Another big free agency addition last offseason was point guard Gabe Vincent. Unfortunately, his season was ruined due to a knee injury that limited him to just 11 regular season games. While he did return just before the playoffs he simply was unable to get into any kind of rhythm in limited action.
But Vincent is looking to turn that right around this season. The guard said that it was frustrating to be injured last year, but he has had the necessary time to get healthy this summer and is looking forward to the 2024-25 season.
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