The trend of Southern California producing NBA players is not a new one as the league is littered with Los Angeles natives. Those same players growing up as Lakers fans isn’t a groundbreaking development either.
But it’s not often that a hometown LA native returns to the Lakers and it’s even rarer when they make an impact on the team. Russell Westbrook is the obvious example this season, but no one had a more rapid ascension in terms of becoming a fan favorite as Stanley Johnson this season.
Less than a month ago, Johnson had departed the South Bay Lakers to sign as a replacement player with the Bulls.