My name is Dave. I have until this morning spent my entire life in Indiana. Home of the world famous Pacers bandwagon fans that might show up here from time to time. Or decade to decade. You definitely remember them from the 2000 finals lol
I was actually raised on IU college basketball and Bobby Knight. Basketball is one of the most beloved things in all of Indiana with 5 National Championships and state born HOFers like Larry Legend and The Big O. The movie Hoosiers is the perfect representation of our state, if you've seen it. Cliff notes: Basketball, corn fields ... and nothing else! Anyways I grew up in the middle of the Jordan era. And to spite the bandwagon hopping redneck kids that surrounded me, I chose the Chicago Bulls as my team. I was a die-hard fan during the Golden years of MJ and through the terrible years that followed. All the way up to this resurgence from Tom Thibodeau and the former MVP Derrick Rose / Defensive POY Joakim Noah. I still tried to stay as loyal to my team as I could despite living in Indianapolis. I watched almost every game for 10 years. I even bought Pacers season tickets when I lived downtown so I could see the Bulls in person a few times a year and keep up with the Central.
But things are changing and I've signed a new lease in Los Angeles. I needed a change from Indiana and I fell in love with LA. I could see myself living the rest of my life here. Although I couldn't afford a nice place in the city yet, I found a great starter place in Huntington Beach for the next couple years in Orange County. The first thing on my list was buying Dodgers season tickets (Go Blue!) but it got me thinking about the Lakers as well. They are known, like the Dodgers, for being the city's team but also having the best fans in the NBA! I have admired Kobe Bryant for years and cheered for your team like it was my own when Phil Jackson was running the show.
The time has come to turn in my Bulls fan card! And I don't do it lightly or on a whim. I gave it a lot of thought. They are in a great place right now and I feel like they could be real Championship contenders next year. Best defense in the NBA and will have the #1 coach in the league when Popp finally retires. The fan base in Chicago is awesome and they don't need my support anymore. I hope that any Bulls fan that might read this will think that I jumped ship for the right reasons.
As for the Lakers, this is my formal application! Of course I don't need your approval to go to the bar and watch every minute of the Lakers season next year. But I'd like to get the support from the Lakers Brothers and Sisters who will have my back at the Staples Center every night in 4 years when I finally get off that waiting list for season tickets lol. I put my down payment on 2 season tickets today. It definitely isn't an image thing. I am a basketball fan through and through. I was hoping that when you guys might have a down year next season that I could join the team and prove my loyalty. I plan to contribute here on the Lakers board as much as I can. But in the meantime I will be studying up on my Lakers history.
PS: I'm the biggest Vikings fan in the world, so I already bleed Purple and Gold. Go Lakers!
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Those are some strong anti-Angels words Minhee! PS Welcome back
