The Los Angeles Lakers are making a change ahead of Game 5 of the NBA Finals. No, they won’t be making any adjustments to their lineup or rotation (as far as we know, at least), but according to a report, the team is making a sartorial switch with the Larry O’Brien trophy on the line.
According to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, the Lakers have decided to make a jersey swap for Game 5, opting to wear their black and yellow Mamba jerseys. The team had previously planned to only wear them during Game 2, which they won 124-114, and in a potential Game 7. But with a title just 48 minutes away, L.A. is going to break out the Mamba jerseys on Friday night.
The Lakers have decided to wear the Mamba jerseys on Friday night. Originally were scheduled to wear them in Game 2 and Game 7.
They'll still wear them in Game 7 if it happens. Not in Game 6, if that happens; Heat would be in black for that game.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) October 7, 2020
The significance, of course, is that the jerseys are named after franchise legend Kobe Bryant, who passed away earlier this year in a helicopter crash alongside eight others, including his daughter, Gianna. The Lakers are looking to win their first ring since 2010, when Bryant and Pau Gasol led the team to a grueling seven-game series victory over the Boston Celtics. While these Lakers surely hope they don’t need seven games to get the job done this year, they’ll hope to get the job done in unis inspired by the franchise great. They’ve had a talismanic quality about them all postseason, too: L.A. is 4-0 in their Mamba kits in these playoffs.
