The Washington Wizards are in an interesting predicament right now. They’ve got a star in Bradley Beal, in his prime, who wants to win but a roster that needs time to grow before they can compete at a high level. Facing difficult decisions about the future, it’s only fitting that team owner Ted Leonsis look to long-time Lakers owner Jeanie Buss for some tips.
Leonsis is also the owner of the Washington Capitals, so he’s had to juggle both the NBA and NHL worlds for years now. In the case of the Wizards, though, he knows what it takes to succeed and he, like Jeanie, wants to do whatever it takes to build the right kind of culture for his team.
“I spoke with Jeanie Buss about this because the Capitals have a generationally great player who wanted to be here for his whole career. By showing that player loyalty, we were able to draft and develop other great players and they wanted to be here. And so we ended up with this culture and identity. And Jeanie said ‘like me with Kobe. That was out relationship with Kobe Bryant, just played for one team his whole career.'”
We’re seeing en emphasis of loyalty with the Wizards that is clear with Bradley Beal, who continues to be one of the league’s highest-earners despite a lack of playoff success. Unlike Kobe and and the Lakers, Beal has nothing to show for his run in the league so far and many fans are tired of waiting for results.
Fortunately for Jeanie and the Lakers, believing in Kobe paid off in the and it helped establish the Lakers as we know them today.
Lakers Have ‘Win Now’ Mentality
Part of what made Bryant such a good fit for the Lakers was his similar approach to the game. Kobe was serious about winning and he was a killer who ripped opponents’ hearts out. In 20 seasons, he averaged 25 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game on 44.7% shooting.
Kobe is obviously not on the Lakers anymore, but that same urgency and drive to win exists with LeBron James and today’s version of the Lake Show.
With a variety of free agents to chose from, you can bet Rob Pelinka will be hard at work looking for ways to improve the roster. Let’s just hope that whoever comes in carries the same love and passion for the game that every Laker should.
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