Wesley Johnson is one of the newest members of the Lakers, and had his introductory press conference at the team practice facility in El Segundo. And in a summer where the team saw one major player (Dwight Howard) leave, they’ve now had two (Nick Young) mention how much of an honor it is to play for a member of the team.
Johnson, like Young, stressed how excited he was to become a member of the team he grew up following.
“This is a dream come true. Since I was eight or nine years-old I always wanted to be a Laker.”
In his interview, Johnson also said that he did take less money to come t
o the Lakers, but that ultimately the money wasn’t as big of a factor as the chance to play for Los Angeles.
“This was a no-brainer for me. Just knowing, and being part of the organization, it meant more to me. It meant more than playing for the money.”
And why did Wes grow up rooting for the Lakers?
“It was my mom – she loved Magic.”
Well, that’s not much of a surprise.
Johnson will join the Lakers during a transitional period, with the team looking to piece together a roster and see what they can do. Couple the uncertainty of the new pieces with the fact that the team’s three major stars (Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash) are all coming off significant injuries, and you’re looking at a roster that might have some trouble putting together wins next season.
Still, Johnson is still a relatively young player, and while he hasn’t been the type of player that scouts were expecting when he came out of Syracuse, perhaps a new start and fresh team will help propel him forward.
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