The last two months of the season have not gone well for the Lakers. Since Feb. 1, they have one of the worst records in the league and were officially eliminated from playoff contention this past weekend, making what was already assumed assured.
While the team is floundering due to a combination of bad play, injuries, and a roster that never really made sense, fans have been cashing in at Staples Center to an alarming degree for the Park MGM halfcourt shot competition at home games. The amount the shot is worth varies based on how recently someone else has made it and has been worth up to $100,000.
Most recently, Justin Jimenez won $45,000 on Sunday night as the Lakers took on the Kings, becoming the third fan to hit the shot in a month’s time, and the fourth overall on the season.
Lakers fan hits halfcourt shot to win $45K pic.twitter.com/FgbFB8sJlX
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) March 25, 2019
First off, this was as cool and casual as you can be for a halfcourt shot worth $45,000, as he calmly drained it with barely moving the net and not assistance from the backboard. Secondly, as Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group pointed out, there have now been more Lakers fans to cash in big on the halfcourt shot competition than the team has wins since February 27, pending the outcome of the game with the Kings.
Since Feb. 27, there have been three big shot jackpot winners at Staples Center.
The Lakers just two wins (2-10) in that span.
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) March 25, 2019
That’s an amazing stat and offers a pretty good encapsulation of this entire season for the Lakers. It’s been ugly, but there’s still tons of money coming in (and going out). The good news is by beating the Kings they are now even with fans hitting halfcourt shots over the last month and will look to pull ahead soon.
