At the bedrock, when people talk about the prestige of the Los Angeles Lakers, they’re talking about history. In the Staples Center, it’s the banners hanging from the rafters. Outside on the plaza, it’s the statues of legends. In the Lakers’ own team practice facility, it’s the trophies gleaming from a second-floor window.
Like the past itself, the monuments to what the Lakers have achieved are immutable and unyielding. They are what they are. Nothing can change that.
The future is different. But the Lakers tried to project their strength for the future last week with people: As new head coach Frank Vogel was introduced alongside general manager Rob Pelinka, the former Michigan player, virtually every important member of the organization – with the notable exception of Jeanie Buss, who was still in the building – sat or stood by as the Lakers attempted to usher in a new era while clearing the air of the last one.