Los Angeles Lakers: 4 surprising facts about the Lakers and the NBA Draft

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 22: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers keeps Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers from his dribble during the LA Clippers season home opener at Staples Center on October 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 22: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers keeps Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers from his dribble during the LA Clippers season home opener at Staples Center on October 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers

4. Patrick Beverley was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers

If we did a poll of the most hated rival players then Patrick Beverley would probably be near the top of the list. Beverley is known throughout the league because of his elite defense, trash talk and how he can be a pest to the other team.

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That is what makes Beverley so great, though. Love him or hate him, you have to acknowledge that he has found his role in the NBA and excels at it. He might not be the most gifted player on the court, but he has found his lane and is a big part of the Los Angeles Clippers’ success.

That is part of the reason why he is so hated among Laker fans. He is the most annoying player to root against on the Lakers’ biggest rival and threat right now.

The funniest part about it is that the Los Angeles Lakers were actually the team that drafted Patrick Beverley out of college. The Lakers drafted him with the 42nd overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft and then instantly traded him the next day to the Miami Heat for a future second-round pick.

Beverley never played for the Heat and went and played three seasons before signing a contract with the Houston Rockets and starting his career as the defensive-minded point guard that he is today.

With all of the trash talk that goes on between Beverley and the Los Angeles Lakers, even dating back to 2017 when he terrorized Lonzo Ball in his NBA debut, it is quite ironic that the Lakers were the ones that drafted Beverley.

Can you imagine if he would have stayed in LA and made the team and played alongside Kobe Bryant in the 2010 title-winning season? Kobe and Beverley are one of the most interesting teammate pairings that could have ever happened.