This year has been the worst. That is something we can all agree on. 2020 has brought nothing but heartbreak, sadness, terror, anxiety, depression, and the fear of what awful thing is going to happen next. People have lost their jobs, their loved ones, and their lives and there is no end in sight. So, saying that this year sucks…is only surface level really.
I am not a Lakers fan. I like the Lakers, sure. I was raised watching them play and win championships and I always enjoyed everything about them and the players that were on the team. They are not “my team” though, that would be the Golden State Warriors. I like to think of it as having a backup team. If the Warriors aren’t playing but the Lakers are, it’s fun to watch and root for them. If they are playing against each other though, go Warriors.
J is a huge Laker fan. HUGE. Watching games with him can be intense and if they lose, it’s not a great night for anyone around. Our love of basketball is something that has brought us closer together and has given us something so special to bond over in our relationship. I love a healthy rivalry and that’s what this is.
Not only is J the biggest Laker fan, he’s an even bigger fan of Kobe.
January 26, 2020 is a day no one will ever forget. Kobe Bryant died. I don’t need to go too much into detail about this because I’m sure mostly everyone understood and felt what we felt that day. I had never cried over a person that I did not know dying until this day. And I cried a lot. I still get emotional when I think about what a tragedy it was to lose him, his daughter and all the people on that helicopter that day. The world shifted and we all felt it.
Watching basketball after this happened helped. It felt therapeutic and healing to see these men play the game that Kobe had helped inspire them to play, it helped to watch strong, athletic men cry on national television because they could not hold in their devastation. It felt as though we were all mourning together. Watching basketball felt like the only normal thing to do in this situation.
Two months later Coronavirus became a reality and the day that happened was the day the NBA suspended the season. We were watching the games and we watched live as the reporters, announcers, and players all learned of what was going on. We saw their faces in complete shock and confusion because nothing like this had ever happened before. It was a really scary day to be honest. It made the virus feel real, feel like a threat, and feel like it was officially here to stay.
Living during the months of March through June without basketball (or sports in general) felt wrong. It was so quiet and we barely watched TV because it made us sad. We relied on watching YouTube videos of old games and special moments to help us get our fix. Did I cry watching several old Warriors clips? Yes, because sports are emotional and they were gone so that was all I had. It was all we had.
When the NBA decided to come back and play in the Disney Bubble, it didn’t seem to make a lot of sense, but at least there would be basketball to watch and that was all that mattered. The Warriors obviously didn’t make the cut to go to the Bubble so the Lakers were my team. We planned our days around watching games. (Not just Lakers games, we had to get as much in as we could from all the time lost.) Watching Damian Lillard and Luka Doncic hit incredible buzzer beaters and screaming and yelling along with the games felt incredible. It was exactly what we needed during this scary time. Something to feel good and normal again. Even if they were playing with zero fans and they were at Disneyland. We didn’t care.
The NBA Finals were played in October this year. Normally the season starts in October. Everything is weird. We just have to go along with it. The Lakers and the Miami Heat played a total of 6 games. It took 6 games for the Lakers to win the championship. I knew this moment was coming. I knew in my heart they were going to win it all. There was no other outcome for this situation and here’s why:
The Lakers represented hope. LeBron James, represented a drive to be the best there ever was. Anthony Davis represented the next wave of superstars. Dwight Howard represented redemption. Javale McGee and Quin Cook represented continued success. (Sorry, they are past Warriors/champions and I will always love them) Alex Caruso represented that hard work pays off, and JR Smith represented that winning always feels better with your shirt off.
Seeing them win, watching them celebrate and the pure joy they showed was so incredible to experience. I got to watch as J ran outside, shook up a bottle of champagne and sprayed it all over while cheering for his team. It was a moment of happiness that I had not seen in so long. After the excitement of them winning wore off and we headed home from my parent’s house, J put on “We are the Champions” by Queen and we belted it out in the car. At this moment, I was completely overwhelmed with an emotion I hadn’t experienced in such a long time. I felt happy. I felt happiness throughout my entire body and soul and I could not handle it. I started crying and immediately started laughing at the same time because I felt ridiculous. But I knew this was a special moment. I hadn’t felt true happiness in months. This was something purely good and nothing was ruining it and I never wanted this moment of joy to end.
I know this seems insignificant to some, and that’s ok. Not everyone had the same reaction to the Lakers winning, but this is what I experienced. I wanted to acknowledge that for the first time in a very long time, I found a moment that I could hold on to. Everyone is struggling right now with different things. We are all having to navigate a new way of life and I just want to take what I can when it comes to moments I will treasure forever. The champagne shower in my parent’s front yard, screaming out that we are the champions, and seeing the smile on J’s face…those are my moments.
So thank you Lakers. Thank you for making a dark time bright again. But once the new season starts…go Warriors forever.
