(PROCESS)[THE LAKERS ARE A FAMILY.]

I looked up to a lot of Laker greats, a lot of the players who came before me and created the franchise’s mystique and lore. James Worthy, Byron Scott, Elgin Baylor, to name a few. It’s like an exclusive fraternity. There are a lot of historical jewels in the family, and those jewels get passed down from generation to generation.

The OG greats, though, won’t hang around you if you don’t display the same passion as they do. They won’t share their time and memories with you if you don’t display the same effort and drive for excellence that they did.

Even though I was only 17 when I became a Laker, I felt like a member of the family from day one. I think I was accepted so quickly because everyone saw how hard I worked, saw how badly I wanted to fulfill my destiny and return L.A. to its championship ways.