NBA News Update: Dwight Howard shares an emotional message amid LA Lakers' wild celebration, Frank Vogel calls LeBron James the GOAT
Celebrations have just begun as the LA Lakers lift their 17th NBA championship trophy in the Orlando bubble. Players like Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard earned the first championship ring of their careers and were ecstatic about it after Sunday's Game 6 win against the Miami Heat. In this NBA news update, we'll take a look at how the LA Lakers players reacted after their historic win in the 2020 NBA Finals.
NBA News Update: LA Lakers' Dwight Howard shares an emotional message after winning his first title
Despite spending 16 successful years in the league, Dwight Howard never won an NBA title until this season. The 34-year-old was filled with emotions after winning his first ring and shared his feelings with his fans on Instagram.
While it's been a long journey for Dwight Howard, LA Lakers' Kyle Kuzma is at the other end of the spectrum. The 25-year-old is now an NBA champion after playing in the league for just 3 seasons.
After celebrating for a while in the lockerroom, Kuzma took a moment to appreciate his teammate LeBron James. Kuzma said:
"Biggest thing he brought was a standard of excellence and work ethic... you got to come in every single day and work. He's doing it at Year 17 every day, coming in the gym first. When you see him, it makes you want to go even harder."
Amid some wild celebrations, LA Lakers' Javale McGee put Kostas Antetokounmpo in an awkward spot in front of the camera. McGee took a shot at Giannis Antetokounmpo and reminded everyone that his brother Kostas won a championship before the Greek Freek.
JR Smith, Dion Waiters and Rajon Rondo were among other players who shared some part of their post-game celebrations with their fans on social media.
NBA News Update: Frank Vogel calls LeBron James the greatest basketball player
Frank Vogel did a terrific job as the head coach of the LA Lakers and won a championship in his very first season in Los Angeles. After the game, Vogel heaped high praise on LeBron James and called him the greatest basketball player in the universe. Vogel said:
"He's the greatest player the basketball universe has ever seen. If you think you know, you don't know until you're around him every day, coaching him, seeing his mind and seeing his adjustments and seeing the way he leads the group."
Meanwhile, LA Lakers' general manager Rob Pelinka remembered his close friend and late NBA legend Kobe Bryant after the team's victory. Pelinka, who was Bryant's former agent, spoke about how Kobe motivated him to stay focussed on the task at hand.
Before the beginning of this season, NBA legend Magic Johnson stepped down as the president of LA Lakers' basketball operations. After their victory tonight, the team's GM Rob Pelinka took a moment to reach out to Johnson.
Magic Johnson served the Lakers organization for over two years as an executive and has played for the franchise for over 12 years back in the day. The 61-year-old was grateful to Rob Pelinka for taking the time amid celebrations to share a warm moment with him.