Ryan Ward Articles - Page 3

The Los Angeles Lakers will head to Orlando as the team to beat in the Western Conference. LeBron James and company were firing on all cylinders before the COVID-19 pandemic put everything on hold in this country back in March. The consensus as of right now is they’ll be tough to stop during the NBA […]

Four months will have gone by before basketballs start bouncing in Orlando, Florida at Walt Disney World in late July. The NBA season’s hiatus will officially come to an end with the Los Angeles Lakers being one of the teams gearing up for a potential run at a title. Only 22 teams are invited to […]

The NBA will officially return to action on July 31, with 22 teams set to play eight regular-season games before setting the playoff seeding and beginning a postseason that could potentially end with Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Oct. 12. The Los Angeles Lakers will be one of the teams to watch during […]

Before the 2019-20 NBA season was struck by a thunderbolt back in March in the form of the coronavirus, the Los Angeles Lakers were on a roll as they had shown they could contend with the best of the best in the league. LeBron James and company were able to take down the Milwaukee Bucks […]

After a long hiatus, the 2019-20 NBA season will resume at the end of July in Orlando, Florida, with the Los Angeles Lakers favored by some to be crowned champions when it is all said and done. Recently, Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy made an appearance on our Battle for L.A. Podcast with Tomer Azarly, […]

With the NBA seemingly on the verge of resuming its 2019-20 season, the Los Angeles Lakers are gearing up for a championship run and what would be 17th title, which would tie the record for the most in league history with the arch-rival Boston Celtics. As the league, its players, and the fans await the […]

Since the tragic passing of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant back in January, every player that played alongside him or went up against him has a distinct memory of the five-time NBA champion and what he meant to them. Former Lakers forward Caron Butler is no different. Even though Butler only played one season […]

A decade ago, the Los Angeles Lakers were a dominant force in the NBA with Kobe Bryant leading the team to prominence in the league once again playing alongside what turned out to be the perfect teammate in Pau Gasol. In three straight NBA Finals appearances, the Lakers faced the Orlando Magic and the Boston […]

The rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics goes back decades. The two storied franchises have 33 NBA titles between them. They met in the NBA Finals on numerous occasions with the most recent being 10 years ago when Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol led the way against a star-studded Celtics roster, which […]

During the Los Angeles Lakers’ run of dominance between 2008 and 2010, forward Pau Gasol played a pivotal role in the team’s success. The team acquired Gasol in a blockbuster trade with the Memphis Grizzlies in February of 2008, and the team was off and running as a legitimate title contender once again. Gasol proved […]

Two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol hasn’t dawned the purple and gold since 2014. The veteran forward played a pivotal role in the Los Angeles Lakers winning back-to-back titles a decade ago, but in the aftermath of the vetoed Chris Paul trade and the failed rebuild with Dwight Howard and Steve Nash that followed, Gasol decided […]

The 10th anniversary of the Los Angeles Lakers winning back-to-back titles with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol leading the way is right around the corner. The iconic franchise dominated the competition during a three-year span after the team acquired Gasol, and we have reached out to the members of the team to talk about what […]

During his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, big man Pau Gasol won two NBA titles and cemented a lasting bond with Kobe Bryant. Gasol became part of an elite one-two punch with Bryant and as a result, could see his No. 16 jersey hanging in the rafters along with his former teammate one day. […]

It has been 10 years since the Los Angeles Lakers won back-to-back titles. Kobe Bryant and company dominated the competition at that time reaching the NBA Finals in three straight years resulting in hoisting two more championship banners in the rafters at the Staples Center. Although the Lakers were a dominant force during their three-year […]

Few rivalries in professional sports have been able to stand the test of time like the one between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. Although the rivalry hasn’t been incredibly intense in recent years with the Lakers struggling and Boston remaining among the league’s best teams in the Eastern Conference, the bitter rivalry saw […]

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is arguably the greatest NFL coach of all time. He has six-time Super Bowl titles to his credit as a head coach and two more as a defensive coordinator during his time with the New York Giants under Bill Parcells. Although he will likely go down as the […]

The New England Patriots are heading into a new era after two decades with superstar quarterback Tom Brady under center. Now that Brady will be suiting up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, speculation has run rampant about what could be in store for New England at the most crucial position on the football field. Head […]

A decade ago, the Los Angeles Lakers headed into an epic rematch in the NBA Finals with the arch-rival Boston Celtics. Kevin Garnett and company were able to take down Kobe Bryant’s squad two years prior as Los Angeles lost in six games, but in 2010, it was a different story for the purple and […]

It is no easy task to win back-to-back titles in any professional sport. Once a team like the Los Angeles Lakers is crowned NBA champion, next season the franchise has a target on its back with every team in the league gunning for defending champs. Derek Fisher, who won five NBA titles during his stint […]

In the second part of our 10th-anniversary series reflecting on the back-to-back titles won by the Los Angeles Lakers, Derek Fisher talks about the players on these championship teams that didn’t get the credit that they deserved for the roles they played in the team’s success. Although this team was stacked with talented players with […]

Back on June 16, 2010, the Los Angeles Lakers hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy once again with the storied franchise winning back-to-back NBA titles resulting in hanging a 16th championship banner at the Staples Center. With the 10th anniversary of the team’s last title approaching, we reached out to members of that Lakers squad that […]

Two-time NBA champion Adam Morrison first started his career in the league with the then-Charlotte Bobcats. The Gonzaga star was selected No. 3 overall in the 2005 NBA Draft, with Michael Jordan starting to play a significant role within the organization before ultimately becoming the owner of the team. Although Morrison admittedly didn’t have many […]

During his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, Adam Morrison was able to play alongside a legend in Kobe Bryant and be a part of a squad that went on to win back-to-back titles. Although Morrison didn’t see much time on the floor while with the Lakers, the former Gonzaga superstar has many fond memories […]

The Los Angeles Lakers and the rest of the NBA can only wait to see what the future holds for the remainder of the 2019-20 season. The league and its players are holding out hope that play can resume even if it is in an isolated city like Las Vegas. On Wednesday, LeBron James spoke […]

The NBA is more popular than ever. The NFL may still hold the top spot in this country as the most popular and profitable professional sports league, but the NBA is closing the gap with teams like the Los Angeles Lakers having global appeal, especially with superstar LeBron James being the face of the franchise. […]

The Washington Redskins are going through yet another transitional process with players coming and going and a new head coach calling the shots. Ron Rivera has taken the helm in the nation’s capital and has some plans for the future, especially at the quarterback position. Last season, it was a waiting game to see when […]

Six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has nothing left to prove. The veteran quarterback of arguably the most successful franchise in the NFL has accomplished everything he possibly can in his career after winning his sixth ring, but he had yet to tackle the Twitterverse until today. In classic Brady […]

With 16 championship banners hanging in the rafters at the Staples Center and some of the greatest players in NBA history coming through the organization during the team’s illustrious history, the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most popular and well-known sports franchise in the world. During an event to announce the partnership between […]

With the NBA on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic, Anthony Davis and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers are making an effort to stay in shape and ready for when the league may get back underway in the coming months. Davis recently spoke with Tania Ganguli of the L.A. Times to talk about […]

With the 2019-20 NBA season still suspended with no telling when the league might get back to work or if the season is ultimately canceled, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers can only hope that their title hopes are still alive while on lockdown. While on this long hiatus, Lakers assistant coach Jason Kidd […]

During the Showtime era, the Los Angeles Lakers were accustomed to physical play in the NBA on a nightly basis. The Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons were extremely physical teams, and both squads led by Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas gave Magic Johnson and company a run for their money when they would go head-to-head. […]

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have superstar quarterback Tom Brady under center for two seasons, and there was talk of Antonio Brown being a package deal. Still, head coach Bruce Arians isn’t having it, according to NFL reporter Dov Kleiman. News: Even though he expressed interest in joining them, the #Buccaneers will *not* sign All-Pro […]

With 16 championship banners hanging in the rafters at the Staples Centers, the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most storied franchises in the NBA and in all of professional sports. That kind of history breeds content with Lakers rivals, which can result in some bitter situations with teams hoping to humble the purple […]

After an incredible run for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2019-20 NBA campaign, the season has been put on hold with no telling when the league may get back underway. The season could simply get canceled or resume at some point during the summer. With the Lakers now in a holding pattern with the […]

The 2019-20 NBA season is officially on hold. The league has decided to suspend the season due to the coronavirus outbreak, and many other professional sports leagues and events have been following the NBA’s lead. One major event that is supposed to take place this summer is the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. The Olympics, […]

After an incredible run by the Los Angeles Lakers to become the top team in the Western Conference with a record of 49-14, the rest of the 2019-20 NBA season has been suspended with no telling when play may resume. With so much uncertainty cast over the league’s immediate future, Lakers players like Alex Caruso […]

LOS ANGELES – The NBA world was rocked this past summer when the Los Angeles Lakers were able to pair LeBron James with fellow superstar Anthony Davis. The dynamic duo was set, and even though many anticipated a potentially lengthy chemistry building process, these two hit the ground running and never looked back. Davis has […]

LOS ANGELES – Few players in the history of the NBA have been able to be a dominant force on the basketball floor like LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar can get it done as a facilitator and a scorer with a basketball I.Q. that is simply off the charts. Although the Lakers lost […]

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is a breed of athlete that we simply have never seen before. He’s in his 17th year in the NBA and is still playing at an MVP-caliber level while going toe-to-toe with the league’s elite players like Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and L.A. Clippers […]