Another look at the Los Angeles Lakers NBA Cup champions banner
The inaugural winners of the play-in tournament took a lot of flack for marking the victory with a banner unveiling.
Last season ended on disappointing terms for the Los Angeles Lakers.
With LeBron James returning to the iconic #23 it was hoped that he could fire the Lakers to another championship. In reality, their playoff journey was ended when they slumped to a 1-4 First Round defeat to the Denver Nuggets.
The 2023 season began with such promise for the Lakers when they clinched the inaugural NBA Play-In Tournament, rebranded as NBA Cup for 2024. LeBron was named tournament MVP and the Lakers received a confidence boost at the start of the gruelling NBA season.
To mark the occasion, the Lakers even unveiled a champions banner after winning the tournament. Here’s how it looked...
But while they were, technically, the champions, not everyone was impressed with the decision to add it to their 18 championship banners.
What did Charles Barkley say about the Lakers’ banner?
Unsurprisingly, the Lakers’ banner was the subject of some ridicule, with some prominent commentators arguing that a single, month-long tournament did not deserve the same prominence as the traditional championship banners. ESPN pundit Charles Barkley was one of the most vocal critics.
“We’re not raising banners, we’re not doing parades … The Lakers better not put up an in-season banner Listen, man, if they do that, I’m gonna roast their ass on TV,” Barkley said on the Dan Patrick Show. “If they put that in-season tournament banner up, Dan, I’m gonna roast them on television.”
Of course, the Lakers did just that and Lebron James said that he supported the decision, saying: “To be able to acknowledge wins throughout the course of a marathon, I think that’s pretty cool. That’s the first, the inauguration of it.”
Shaq was also eager to defend his former team, adding: “All the other original banners are gold, this is just an ornament. They won the In-Season Tournament and it’s not a banner, it’s just decoration.”
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