The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: lakers

  • HSU Students Remember a Legend

    HSU Students Remember a Legend

    The loss of a legend leaves impact on fans and HSU students

    NBA legend Kobe Bryant died last Sunday in a helicopter crash at the age of 41, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant and seven others.

    Humboldt State University’s Alexia Thrower, a star player on HSU’s women’s basketball team who leads her team and conference in scoring and rebounding, admired Bryant not only for his mentality and approach to the game, but also the advocacy he had toward women’s basketball.

    “I loved the way Kobe played,” Thrower said. “He was always in attack mode, regardless of if he missed shots or made mistakes his foot was always on the pedal and that’s how I play. He had four daughters and Gigi was a baller so he had a real passion for women’s basketball and really respected us as basketball players too, and that means everything coming from one of the greatest basketball players ever.”

    There’s a saying in the world of sports: “Heroes come and go, but legends never die.” This saying was challenged in the early morning hours of Jan. 26 when Bryant died. His death sent shockwaves around the world, and athletes and celebrities mourned him on social media.

    Longtime teammate, fellow NBA legend and self-proclaimed big brother Shaquille O’Neal was one of many left heartbroken. O’Neal took to Twitter to speak about Bryant’s death.

    “There’s no words to express the pain I’m going through with the tragedy of losing my niece Gigi and my brother Kobe, you will be loved and missed,” O’Neal said. “My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. I’M SICK RIGHT NOW.”

    Bryant was a 20-year NBA veteran who played entirely with the Los Angeles Lakers. Over the course of his career he became a five-time NBA champion, 18-time All-Star, league MVP, two-time Finals MVP and finished his career ranking third all-time on the NBA’s scoring list. By the end of his career, he was widely considered one of the greatest players to ever set foot in the NBA.

    Bryant influenced generations of future basketball players, including boys, girls and student athletes like HSU freshman Isaiah Sampson, who plays on the men’s basketball team. Sampson viewed Bryant as a role model.

    “The way he worked inspired me and helped me change my whole mindset to achieve my goals. He was a role model for me,” Sampson said. “Everyone has their time, but you hate to see someone with his impact go so soon and tragically.”

    Bryant is survived by his wife Vanessa Bryant and three daughters Natalia, Bianka and Capri.

  • A Look Into the 2019-20 NBA Season

    A Look Into the 2019-20 NBA Season

    The Golden State Warriors were once unbeatable, but on Oct. 22 the NBA landscape changed

    Balance has returned to the force, or rather, the NBA. The past three seasons, the Golden State Warriors were an almost unstoppable force while employing one of history’s best scorers: Kevin Durant.

    The Toronto Raptors won its first NBA title against the Warriors last season thanks to Kawhi Leonard. Leonard has since joined the Los Angeles Clippers as a free agent while Kevin Durant also made a splash in free agency by joining superstar point guard Kyrie Irving on the Brooklyn Nets.

    Over in the Eastern Conference —sometimes known as the weaker conference— not much has changed for the top teams from last season. Philadelphia hopes to make a run at glory after trusting the process for the past few years. If Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid can take the next step in their skills, then they can be the best 76ers team since Allen Iverson graced the court.

    The Boston Celtics is the most storied franchise and it’s making its way back to playoff stardom. But with Irving now in Brooklyn, the Celtics is running its offense through Kemba Walker, who is good, but not quite the caliber of Irving. Second-year man Jayson Tatum will need to evolve his game if the Celtics want any shot at a championship this year.

    The Raptors are basically the same team they were last year, minus star player Leonard. It will make the playoffs, but anything beyond that will take a miracle. Last season’s MVP, Giannis Antetokoumpo, is leading the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks are off to a slow start, but when you have a fantastic athlete like Antetokoumpo, aka “The Greek Freak,” it’s hard to be counted out.

    If Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid can take the next step in their skills, then they can be the best 76ers team since Allen Iverson graced the court.

    Leonard joins another all-star forward, Paul George, to create one of the best teams the Los Angeles Clippers has seen. Lebron James is now in year two with the Los Angeles Lakers and they recently brought in one of the top big men in the league, Anthony Davis. James is keeping his standard stat line that puts him near the best in the NBA, but Davis is a top 5 player in points (28.8), blocks (3), and rebounds (12.5) so far this season.

    Both LA teams look to lead the Western Conference, but the up and coming Utah Jazz is an exciting team to watch, with Donovan Mitchell as the star averaging almost 25 points a game in 2019. However, as long as Gregg Popovich is coaching the San Antonio Spurs, they will be an obstacle for other teams. Demar Derozan is the star, but the roster has plenty of talent and young point guard Dejountae Murray has what it takes to make the Spurs dangerous again.

    The Golden State Warriors is no longer the team to beat in the west. Durant is gone and multiple key bench players are playing elsewhere. A team with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will not be a pushover. However, with Thompson still recovering from an ACL tear from the end of last season’s playoffs and Curry suffering from a broken hand, Green will have to take over as the team’s best asset for now.

    Also in the west, there is the rookie sensation, Zion Williamson, who is healing from a knee injury. Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans are young and dynamic and they just might surprise the rest of the NBA.

    The most dangerous team in the west, outside of the LA Clippers, is the Houston Rockets. The Chris Paul and James Harden combo was good, but it didn’t work out as planned. Paul is gone and now the 2016 MVP Russell Westbrook joins the 2017 MVP Harden to create a two-headed monster down in Texas.